Ryan Callinan Is Out For Portugal, One Last Wildcard Up for Grabs
Politics in Portugal — who gets the call?
The WSL has officially revealed the four surfers who will receive wildcards for the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal.
The waiting period begins this Saturday and runs through March 25. After a great run of swell, a relentless storm system — and its dog — refuses to spin away from the coast, keeping it under siege with rain, wind, and the most unruly victory-at-sea conditions in a long time.
On the women’s side, Yolanda Hopkins has secured an event wildcard as the highest-ranked Portuguese surfer on the Challenger Series. Despite sitting two spots below Nadia Erostarbe — another European surfer — in the rankings, the WSL appears to have prioritized the home-country competitor.
Meanwhile, without direct Portuguese competition, Gatien Delahaye has been awarded the WSL wildcard as the highest-rated European surfer on the CS rankings. If the waves are head-high with the wind pushing into the lefts, he could do some serious damage. If you think that’s an overstatement, spend the next four minutes watching Wiggles in the Wind and reconsider.
Representing his country once again in Peniche, Frederico Morais returns to the big stage with the MEO event wildcard. The former CT surfer, who finished 74th on last year’s CS rankings, is no stranger to Supertubos — his best result here was a fifth-place finish in 2015.
Ian Gentil will step in for Gabriel Medina, who remains out with a pectoral injury, while Crosby Colapinto makes his return to competition after sitting out Pipeline and the pool event due to an elbow injury at Backdoor earlier this year.
Today, Ryan Callinan took to social media to confirm his withdrawal from the event after fracturing the head of his left fibula during a barrel exit gone wrong at Pipe. With his spot suddenly up for grabs, whispers started circulating that Mateus Herdy might get the last-minute call as the highest-ranked CS surfer below the qualification line. That would’ve been great news for the Brazilian and his wife Carly, but in the end, the spot appears to be going to Jorgann Couzinet (FRA), who sits atop the European QS rankings and is coming fresh off a win at the Pro Taghazout Bay.
Jorgann’s presence has yet to be officially confirmed by the WSL, and the wildcard selection criteria often feel ambiguous. If the 2024 CS rankings were the deciding factor — the same ones that justified Gatien Delahaye’s inclusion — then Justin Becret would have been the second-highest-ranked European. However, with Becret currently injured, the spot would go to Maxime Huscenot.”
If the WSL were instead following the precedent set with Yolanda Hopkins and prioritizing a Portuguese surfer, Afonso Antunes — currently the highest ranked Portuguese surfer in the European QS — should have been the logical pick.
To add to the confusion, being next in line in the league that actually determines CT qualification appears to carry no weight, leaving Mateus Herdy out of the event.
Some unofficial explanations floating around suggest that two wildcards are typically reserved for CS and QS surfers from the event’s hosting region. Additionally, the league seems to favor athletes actively invested and competing in a specific region’s secondary circuits.
Comments
Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.
Already a member? Sign In
Want to join? Sign Up