Rodrigo Sphaier and Alice Lemoigne take final podium spots at Caparica Longboard Pro.
The Caparica Primavera Surf Fest ended today on a longboard note with the victories of Alice Lemoigne and Rodrigo Sphaier in the LQS1,000 category.
Small, clean waves graced the final day of the event waiting period and allowed competitors in the Caparica Longboard Pro to dispute their finals before the onshore wind came up.
Alice Wins it All
Alice has been pretty much unstoppable for the past two years, winning almost every event she entered in Europe. Today was no different, and despite a good effort from Justine Dupont, the Reunion Island native was just above the field as she claimed yet another victory.
Alice all smiles with yet another victory. - WSL / Laurent Masurel
"I'm super happy to win again, and especially with Justine in that final the other girls surfed well too," she said. "I had a great time in Caparica and will be back for sure."
Fresh off a quarterfinal finish at the Kumul PNG World Longboard Championship, Alice wasted no time to put two big scores on the board today and stayed out of reach for the remainder of the final.
This is Alice's fourth victory on the longboard tour. - WSL / Laurent Masurel
"PNG was incredible, we had big waves which was awesome and the place was so beautiful," she continued. "It was a great experience all together. I was a little bit disappointed but I've learnt from my loss in the quarters and I really look forward to the next one!"
Justine won the QS1,000 division a couple of days ago but couldn't unfortunately repeat the scenario on her longboard. In her defense, the small surf is not exactly what she gets her kick out of, but as a past European longboard champion, she remains a threat in all conditions.
Justine glides gracefully toward 2nd place. - WSL / Laurent Masurel
"Waves were a little slow in our final but I'm very happy and I had a good final with Alice," she said. "I saw the waves they had in PNG and that made me a little jealous, it looked so much fun! It was my first time in Caparica and I really appreciated coming here, that event was great."
Brazil Spoils the French Fest
Rodrigo Sphaier faced three of France's deep longboard talent pool in the final, and put on a great fight to finally claim the heat's highest single score of 8.83 for the win.
Can you be more relaxed? - WSL / Laurent Masurel
"I'm stoked to get a win here in Caparica and I hope to have more coming this season," Rodrigo said. "I know Antoine, Edouard and Adrien well and have surfed against them before, it was a great final."
One of the best longboarders on the planet, Rodrigo came close to the coveted World Title, finishing third in 2015 and 2016 at the Jeep World Longboard Championships in China. His presence in Caparica elevated the level of performances even further and pushed all the competitors to give their absolute best in the water.
Sphaier navigated lefts and right just as easily. - WSL / Laurent Masurel
"Portugal has become like a second home to me and I love coming here every year," he continued. "I love competing here and I'm having a lot of fun in Europe."
Coming second today was Antoine Delpero, just a mere .53 behind the Brazilian. A multiple European champion as well, Antoine and his brother Edouard (placing third) gave Rodrigo a run for his money with excellent scores as well.
A classic Delpero arch. - WSL / Laurent Masurel
"I think we all surfed really well given the conditions," Antoine said. "I'm happy with a second place, and Rodrigo is a great surfer, it was good to have him here."
"PNG was incredible, the level of surfing was unbelievable and the waves were great," he continued. "The support from local people was touching, people walked from villages so far just to come see us surf, and fall, and they were just cheering us on all the time, it was crazy."
With his runner-up result today, Antoine will lead the European Longboard title race going into the next stop in Gaia, Portugal in June. Alice takes once again the pole position as well, for a potential fourth regional crown later this year.
All results, photos and videos of the events can be viewed here:
Men's QS Event
Women's QS Event
Men's JQS Event
Women's JQS Event
Men's LQS Event
Women's LQS Event
Lemoigne and Sphaier Claim Longboard Titles in Caparica
Nicolas Leroy
The Caparica Primavera Surf Fest ended today on a longboard note with the victories of Alice Lemoigne and Rodrigo Sphaier in the LQS1,000 category.
Small, clean waves graced the final day of the event waiting period and allowed competitors in the Caparica Longboard Pro to dispute their finals before the onshore wind came up.
Alice Wins it All
Alice has been pretty much unstoppable for the past two years, winning almost every event she entered in Europe. Today was no different, and despite a good effort from Justine Dupont, the Reunion Island native was just above the field as she claimed yet another victory.
"I'm super happy to win again, and especially with Justine in that final the other girls surfed well too," she said. "I had a great time in Caparica and will be back for sure."
Fresh off a quarterfinal finish at the Kumul PNG World Longboard Championship, Alice wasted no time to put two big scores on the board today and stayed out of reach for the remainder of the final.
"PNG was incredible, we had big waves which was awesome and the place was so beautiful," she continued. "It was a great experience all together. I was a little bit disappointed but I've learnt from my loss in the quarters and I really look forward to the next one!"
Justine won the QS1,000 division a couple of days ago but couldn't unfortunately repeat the scenario on her longboard. In her defense, the small surf is not exactly what she gets her kick out of, but as a past European longboard champion, she remains a threat in all conditions.
"Waves were a little slow in our final but I'm very happy and I had a good final with Alice," she said. "I saw the waves they had in PNG and that made me a little jealous, it looked so much fun! It was my first time in Caparica and I really appreciated coming here, that event was great."
Brazil Spoils the French Fest
Rodrigo Sphaier faced three of France's deep longboard talent pool in the final, and put on a great fight to finally claim the heat's highest single score of 8.83 for the win.
"I'm stoked to get a win here in Caparica and I hope to have more coming this season," Rodrigo said. "I know Antoine, Edouard and Adrien well and have surfed against them before, it was a great final."
One of the best longboarders on the planet, Rodrigo came close to the coveted World Title, finishing third in 2015 and 2016 at the Jeep World Longboard Championships in China. His presence in Caparica elevated the level of performances even further and pushed all the competitors to give their absolute best in the water.
"Portugal has become like a second home to me and I love coming here every year," he continued. "I love competing here and I'm having a lot of fun in Europe."
Coming second today was Antoine Delpero, just a mere .53 behind the Brazilian. A multiple European champion as well, Antoine and his brother Edouard (placing third) gave Rodrigo a run for his money with excellent scores as well.
"I think we all surfed really well given the conditions," Antoine said. "I'm happy with a second place, and Rodrigo is a great surfer, it was good to have him here."
"PNG was incredible, the level of surfing was unbelievable and the waves were great," he continued. "The support from local people was touching, people walked from villages so far just to come see us surf, and fall, and they were just cheering us on all the time, it was crazy." With his runner-up result today, Antoine will lead the European Longboard title race going into the next stop in Gaia, Portugal in June. Alice takes once again the pole position as well, for a potential fourth regional crown later this year.
All results, photos and videos of the events can be viewed here:
Men's QS Event
Women's QS Event
Men's JQS Event
Women's JQS Event
Men's LQS Event
Women's LQS Event
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