Valadao, Aguirre and Winchester win at the 2011 Sintra Portugal Pro
posted by Sacha Specker on 28th August 2011
Sintra Portugal Pro
Event 5 of 8, Mens Grand Slam Series
Sintra, Portugal
22-28 Aug 2011
ibaworldtour.com
Praia Grande, Sintra, Portugal (Sunday, Aug 28, 2011) - Uri Valadao (Salvador/BRA) has taken out the 2011 Sintra Portugal Pro, defeating fellow Brazilian, Eder Luciano in challenging 2-3 foot shifty waves at Praia Grande. For the majority of the final, Valadao had a strangle-hold on Luciano, who required a 9.25 to win. Valadao's fast and controlled ARS, spin and roll combinations earned him an impressive 8.25 and a 7.5 ride.
During his victory speech, Valadao elated: "I am so happy to win here for the third time. I love this event and the people here are amazing. It felt so good to be in a final with a fellow Brazilian, especially Eder."
Valadao was carried out of the water by a crowd of ecstatic supporters and friends. "Without all the Brazilian support here, I could not have won this battle. Thank you all!" Valadao added.
With the valuable 2000 points accompanying his first win in 2011, Valadoa now moves up out of 16th into 10th spot on the GSS World Tour rankings.
Standouts of the day included Jones Russell (Port Mac/AUS) who put on an impressive performance, eliminating 2x World Champion, Jeff Hubbard (HAW) from the event in the Quarter-finals. Jake Stone (Woodlands/AUS) also seemed unstoppable, until he was defeated in a fiercely contested Quarter-final heat by Amaury Lavernhe (REU).
The updated top 10 rankings on the Mens GSS are:
1. Jeff Hubbard (HAW) 7440 points
2. Guilherme Tamega (BRA) 6550 points
3. Mark McCarthy (ZAF) 6160 points
4. Ryan Hardy (AUS) 6154 points
5. Amaury Lavernhe (REU) 6040 points
6. Pierre-Louis Costes (FRA) 5680 points
7. Jared Houston (ZAF) 5620 points
8. Magno Oliveira (BRA) 5570 points
9. Dave Winchester (AUS) 5540 points
10. Uri Valadao (BRA) 5410 points
WWT
On the ladies front, Eunate Aguirre (ESP) dominated the final, defeating Miya Onoue (JPN) with 14.15 points vs 11.75. Aguirre was on form throughout the event, taking down Rita Peres (POR), Neymara Carvalho (BRA) and Sari Oohara (JPN) on her way to the final.
This is the first time Aguirre has won the Sintra Portugal Pro, in the 16 years that it has been running. This win has also put Aguirre into the No.1 spot on the WWT rankings. "I have never won here before, so I am super happy with my result here today and to share it here with all my friends," Aguirre commented.
DKWT
Dave Winchester (Mullumbimby/AUS) took out the Dropknee division for the second year in a row, topping Aden Kleve (Kommetjie/ZAF) in the final.
Although conditions were bumpy and slow, Winchester managed to post impressive scores of 8.25 and 7.25, throwing 'Rooster Tails' of spray to excite the judges. "I really enjoyed this event, especially the healthy rivalry and support amongst the competitors. I look forward to coming back next year." added Winchester.
Stay tuned to the IBA website and IBA facebook page for daily updates and video clips as the Mens GSS Tour prepares for the Reunion Pro from Sep 30 to Oct 9, 2011.
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