Stab Magazine | Here's who could win the Rip Curl Pro, Portugal:

Live Now: Chapter 11 Mini-Documentary With Dane Reynolds

534 Views

Here’s who could win the Rip Curl Pro, Portugal:

Words by Damien Fahrenfort | All photos courtesy WSL Ah, France, you were just what I needed; everything Lowers wasn’t. You even tossed one unlikely candidate into the final to keep your reputation up as ‘unpredictable’. Now moving onto Portugal, the least exciting event on tour. To top it off the forecast looks shit. Which means […]

news // Mar 8, 2016
Words by stab
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Words by Damien Fahrenfort | All photos courtesy WSL

Ah, France, you were just what I needed; everything Lowers wasn’t. You even tossed one unlikely candidate into the final to keep your reputation up as ‘unpredictable’. Now moving onto Portugal, the least exciting event on tour. To top it off the forecast looks shit. Which means no Kelly, and it’s going to be a case of you-should-have-been-here-last week. Here are some predictions that I presume will be slightly wrong, you know, since Kai Otton has won this event before. But there is a little bit of good news, Mason Ho has been selected the wildcard.

Gabs Portugal

Gabs Medina 
Gabs in France was hands-down some of the best backhand surfing I’ve ever seen. Disregard the airs even. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone hit the lip that hard so many times in such a short space of wave. With each turn he did in France, he built momentum. Gabs looks to be in the sort of form where waves just come to him. He’s making things happen again instead of waiting for things to happen, like I think he was doing earlier this year. Gabs will get three world titles. Trust me.

***

Italo Portugal

Italo Ferreira
Is there anywhere this guy can’t surf? Huge Fiji, dumping France and, of course, beachbreaks. Italo’s not only going to be rookie of the year, he’s also going to have one of the best rookie seasons in recent years. He’s gaining momentum and it’s only a matter of time before he goes one round further each event and starts placing in the semis and finals. Could he be the unlikely candidate for a final? It’s possible.

***

FIliper portugal

Filipe Toledo
Human nature makes us forgive easily. We let our sports stars get away with murder as long as they perform. Michael Vick murdered innocent dogs… but no worries, all was forgiven when he came back and had a stellar season. Now getting 0.0 points and then wussing out again in France might not be as much as a heinous crime as Mr Vick’s, but Filipe will come back in Portugal. He will drop a few full rotes and alleyoops and all will be forgiven. Expect redemption by our fav jumping spider.

***

Miggy portugal

Miguel Pupo
He’s had a tough year since Snapper and it isn’t easy watching your fellow countrymen dominate heat after heat. Yet Mr Pupo does it with a smile on his face. His surfing’s been a lot better in each comp than his results and I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that Miggy might sneak through a few heats and make the semis. His air game is tight and the waves won’t be great. It’ll be wobbly and dumpy, similar to his home break.

***

Jules Portugal

Julian Wilson
Is anyone more due for a win than this guy? His surfing looks better than ever. He’s also fast becoming one of the smoothest surfers on the planet. His ability to surf sharp, tight and above the lip in crossed up beachbreaks and drawn out and smooth on the open face is incredible. Last event I picked Julian to win and mentioned he needs to stay busy in the slower heats. Jules did just that and ended on the right side of the heats in harsh conditions. He’s won here before; in fact, Portugal was his first win ever. He got payback on Gabs. That stinky fishing town holds a special place in his heart. Expect a big result for Jules.

***

Nat portugal

Nat Young
Second in 2013 to Ottz in waves that might be similar to what we’ve got coming. I think Nat will do well in this event. His surfing’s looking sharp and as I previously mentioned he’s removed the double pump out of his bottom turn which has made his surfing smoother and he misses less sections. Nat is the modern day Ace. He’s comfortable on tour and good in all types of conditions. He doesn’t rattle easy and I think you need that edge to do well in Portugal.

***

A few other predictions:
Mick will lose to a wildcard in round three but will still sit in number one position after the event.
Gabs will get slightly closer to be in contention but not quite close enough.
Adriano will lose to Brother in round one and possibly lose again in round two to a wildcard.
The judges will do whatever they can to keep the title race close.
Tiago Pires will get his best Portugal result ever; a round three finish.
The wildcard to bet on this time around is Caio Ibelli.

Round one match-ups:
Heat 1: F. Toledo, J. Andre, T. Hermes
Heat 2: G. Medina, M. Pupo, M. Ho
Heat 3: J. Wilson, K. Asing, C. Ibelli
Heat 4: O. Wright, M. Bourez, V. Ribeiro
Heat 5: A. de Souza, K. Andino, F. Morais
Heat 6: M. Fanning, S. Zietz, T. Pires
Heat 7: K. Slater, A. Buchan, A. Aranburu
Heat 8: I. Ferreira, J. Parkinson, B. Simpson
Heat 9: J. Flores, M. Wilkinson, R. Christie
Heat 10: N. Young, K. Otton, G. Hall
Heat 11: B. Durbidge, J. Florence, C. Hobgood
Heat 12: J. Kerr, W. Dantas, A. Melling

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Full Frame: Scandinavia Is Surfing’s Next Frontier

A 30-hour drive, bathymetric maps, and 10 years of searching yield surfing's newest discovery.

Mar 29, 2024

Watch: João Chianca Had A Remarkable Hawaii Season Before His Injury

Plus an update on his condition.

Mar 28, 2024

Pittar’d And Feathered

Do the WSL judges deserve the internet's wrath? We asked the man of the hour.

Mar 28, 2024

Robbo, Pickles, And Tyler Wright Become The Underdogs Breakfast At Uninspiring Winkipop

The foreboding blade sharpens and inconsistent judging prevails on Day Two in Torquay.

Mar 27, 2024

“I Don’t Always Win Heats, But When I Do, I Try To Beat John John”

Slater shines and the axe begins its descent on Day 01 at Bells.

Mar 26, 2024

Back Against The Wall: The Ramzi Boukhiam Redemption

Morocco's first CT surfer on speaking six languages, having no coach, and snatching Fil Toledo's…

Mar 25, 2024

Will Kirra, Babies or JJF Stop a GOAT Winning at Bells?

Bluesky BOAG advice from a Superman specialist and former Trials winner.

Mar 25, 2024

Bells Preview: The WSL’s Victorian Sword Dancing Equinox Ritual

Will a Brazilian crack the Top 10 at Bells?

Mar 25, 2024

69 Shin Bones Later + the Anticlimactic State of Big Wave Record-Breaking

Lucas Chumbo might have surfed the biggest wave ever this year. But how will we…

Mar 23, 2024

Watch: ‘Fresh and Fried’ Ft the Quik Kids

How taxing is it to tackle the Gold Coast’s Triple Crown in a single day,…

Mar 23, 2024

The Popular Vote: The People’s Stab In The Dark With Kolohe Andino Champion

Which board looked best — to you —under Kolohe's talons?

Mar 22, 2024

Six Key Learnings From Portugal

Three CT events in, what do we know? 

Mar 21, 2024

‘Zipper’ Is Going On Tour, Here’s Where You Can Watch It  

Dates, times + locations for the Venice, Encinitas, Sydney + Byron premieres.  

Mar 20, 2024

Dane Reynolds On His Future, His Past, And Chapter 11’s Raison D’être

Our 9-minute plunge into the collective psyche of Ventura's pillar(s).

Mar 20, 2024

From ‘Blue Ribbon Cross Country Runner’ to Vogue – How Steph Again Is Back With A Rip Curl Remix

Everything we know about the she-GOATs sponsorship boomerang.

Mar 18, 2024

Stab Interview: Darren Handley Explains Why You Can’t Buy The Winning Stab In The Dark Model

And his decades-long standoff with Slater.

Mar 17, 2024

Griff Embraces Portugal’s Eternal Time Loop To Vanquish Medina + Ewing, Defay Delays The Inevitable

A redeeming closing act at Supertubos.

Mar 16, 2024

The Secret Behind Lungi Slabb’s Inconceivable Greenmount Funnel

Six broken boards, one leaking forehead, and five days of Superbank mysticism.

Mar 16, 2024
Advertisement