Challenging conditions shape competition at Praia do Monte Verde, competitors look ahead towards promising forecast
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On Day 2 of the 2016 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship the women got their first chance to take to the water in the competition, taking advantage of the clean morning conditions to shine in front of the international field of competitors.
Praia do Monte Verde presented challenging conditions that shaped the day of competition. Large tide swings, a dying swell and a brief afternoon storm front created less than ideal conditions, however a new swell that began to show in the afternoon and a promising forecast kept the competitors excited for the days to come.
The U-18 and U-16 Girls kicked off the day, taking advantage of the clean morning conditions to display their high performance Surfing and post high scores.
Japan’s Minami Nonaka was the standout performer, earning the highest heat score of the day with a two wave total of 17.93. Nonaka advanced to Round 2 of the Main Event along with Canada’s Sanoa Olin, who finished second. Barbados’ Olivia Warden was relegated to the Repechage Rounds where she will look to redeem herself and advance back into the Main Event which will start with single elimination in Round 3.
The 2015 Girls U-16 Gold Medalist, Summer Macedo (HAW), and USA’s Caroline Marks, also stood out in the competition, marking respective heat totals of 17.50 and 16.67 in their Round 1 heats.
2014 ISA Scholarship recipient and representative of Team Germany, Lilly Von Treuenfels, spoke after narrowly advancing with second place in her Girls U-18 Round 1 heat.
“My heat was quite slow and the waves that came through where very small. My opponents were very good surfers, so I’m very happy to have passed. I am looking forward to better waves in the next rounds.
“Representing my country in international competitions is always an honor. We have a great team and we are proud to represent Germany. It would be an honor to all of us to compete in Tokyo 2020.”
The U-18 and U-16 Boys finished off the day of competition, continuing their Opening Rounds that began on Saturday afternoon. After a two hour hold on the contest due to lack of waves and a high tide, the expected swell began to fill in and provide contestable waves for the competition to resume.
In the Opening Round of U-18 Boys, Sao Tome e Principe’s Edmilson de Cruz notably advanced to the second round with a heat total of 5.13. Adding to Sao Tome e Principe’s historic first appearance in an ISA World Championship, de Cruz became the first surfer from his nation to advance through a heat in an ISA World Championship.
Team Japan has got off to an explosive start in the competition, advancing all of their surfers who have competed thus far. Keitaro Fujinuma backed up the strong performance by his teammate, Minami Nonaka, and scored the second highest male heat total of the day (14.83). USA’s Eithan Osborne marked the highest male heat total with a score of 16.
The record participation in this event is largely due to the growth of Surfing in non-traditional Surfing nations. Belgium’s Zeno Lange, who exemplifies the sport’s global expansion in a nation not known for its waves, commented on how it feels to represent his country in the competition.
“It’s pretty amazing to be here with Belgium Team, it’s the second time we have been to the ISA World Junior Surfing Championship, so it’s very special for us.
“In Belgium we don’t have many waves, but still we try our best and make the most of the experience.”
ISA President, Fernando Aguerre, said:
“Despite the tricky conditions, the high level of energy and team camaraderie have not subsided. The girls took to the water this morning and showed us the high level of talent that they possess. Everyone is eager to see what the coming week of competition holds, as the forecasted swell has already started to show.”
Surfline, the official forecaster, is predicting that a healthy chest to shoulder high swell will build on Monday, September 19th and largely hold for Tuesday, September 20th. A larger swell is expected to fill in on Wednesday, set to provide solid, overhead surf.
View the full Surfline forecast here: http://isaworlds.com/juniors/2016/en/surfline-forecast/
The full results from the first day of competition can be viewed here: http://isaworlds.com/juniors/2016/en/results/
The schedule for the third day of competition is the following:
Podium 1
- 8:00am – 11:20pm: 10 heats Main Event Round 1 Boys U-18
- 11:20am – 2:00pm: 8 heats Main Event Round 2 Girls U-16
- 2:00pm – 4:00pm: 8 heats Repechage Round 1 Girls U-18
- 4:00pm – 7:15pm: 13 heats Repechage Round 1 Boys U-16
Podium 2
- 8:00am – 12:40pm: 14 heats Main Event Round 1 Boys U-16
- 12:40pm – 3:20pm: 8 heats Main Event Round 2 Girls U-18
- 3:20pm – 4:20pm: 4 heats Repechage Round 1 Girls U-16
- 4:20pm – 7:05pm: 11 heats Repechage Round 1 Boys U-18
Times in Azores Standard Time.
Tune in to watch the live action on www.isaworlds.com.
