Back in action after the birth of her first child, French surfer Justine Dupont took on the monstrous walls of Praia do Norte in Portugal to shine at the TUDOR Nazaré Big Wave Challenge as compatriot Clement Roseyro and home hero Nic von Rupp also excelled. Here is all you need to know:
– Weather conditions finally aligned on Tuesday for the world’s best surfers to take on the fearsome TUDOR Nazaré Big Wave Challenge’s 25-35 foot waves at the world-famous Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal.
– Strong offshore wind meant the surfers had to navigate huge bumps travelling full speed down the massive faces with plenty of waves on offer in every heat to get the watching fans on their feet.
– Former women’s winner Dupont looked comfortable in the conditions, staying busy and catching eight waves to build on her score en route to being given the Women’s Best Performance Award as French teammate Eric Rebiere only managed to get one wave on the board.
– Known as the world’s best big wave surfer, 33-year-old Dupont said: “I used to have a lot of fear before. Now, after the baby, I’m more worried about my child, whether they are sleeping or eating. At least it takes my mind off the fear! We are a family team, we understand each other, and I’m really happy to be back here to perform. I’m a bit sad that I couldn’t put Eric into a good wave. It was a bit like riding a rodeo out there.”
– Elsewhere, the experience of Brazilian Michelle des Bouillons prevailed with partner Ian Cosenza towing her into some of the biggest and cleanest waves of the day to earn her a runner-up finish.
– In her TUDOR Nazaré Big Wave Challenge debut, British surfer Laura Crane showed her strong form to get two waves under her belt before towing Portugal’s Antonio Laureano into a few big waves.
– France’s Roseyro secured the Men’s Best Performance Award in his second appearance with an individual score of 21.83 – out of a possible 30 – thanks to stellar performances in both sessions.
– Roseyro, 25, said: “I’m grateful to Nic, we’re a really good team. He taught me a lot, especially about driving the jet ski, and we push each other to perform.”
– Former back-to-back Best Men’s Performance Award winner Lucas Chianca of Brazil fought hard in second and TUDOR Nazaré Big Wave Challenge debutant Ben Larg of Scotland completed the men’s podium.
– Larg, who received a last-minute call-up after Hawaiian Garrett McNamara was unable to compete, joined British teammate Andrew Cotton and impressed with his snappy carves into the monstrous waves.
– Von Rupp and Roseyro won the Best Team Performance Award as Von Rupp did well to tow his partner into some of the biggest waves with Roseyro’s good wave reads allowing him to open up and unleash massive carves into the critical part of the wave and ride out safely.
– Von Rupp, 34, said: “I fell a lot in the first heat. It was really bumpy, but I pushed really hard. Last year we should’ve won, so this year we trained really hard. It’s been a long season, we’ve put in the time here. We’re stoked Clement got two good scores to get on top of the leaderboard.”
– Runner-up duo Chianca and compatriot Pedro ‘Scooby’ Vianna put up a valiant effort to try and deny Von Rupp and Roseyro but, despite a strong second heat, they came up short. Vianna, 36, added: “It was a really hard day. The waves weren’t that big, and with the wind, it was really bumpy.”
