- WSL / Damien Poullenot/ Aquashot
- WSL / Damien Poullenot/ Aquashot
Highlights Day 2
The second day of competition in Ericeira sees surfers in pumping waves and performances that reach new heights.

The second day of the Allianz ASP World Junior Championships unfolded in pumping 4-to-6-foot surf at the iconic Ribeira D'Ilhas pointbreak in Ericeira and witnessed another action-packed day.

Semifinalists of the women's event were first decided in the morning before moving on to the opening round of the men's competition. The best under-20 surfers in the World took it to the water in pulsing powerful righthanders and raised the performance levels to new heights.

Joshua Moniz (HAW) 18, came firing out of the gates and dominated the first heat of the men's competition. The talented Hawaiian unleashed powerful gauges on his forehand and punctuated his best ride with a radical layback snap to collect a 9.00 point ride and the win.

Joshua Moniz (HAW) Moniz laying back Hawaiian style. - WSL / Damien Poullenot/ Aquashot

“I was pretty happy with the waves, I pulled up this morning a little late and then I saw just perfect lines, so I was stoked to get a couple,” Moniz said. “It's a lot like back home [at Sunset], pretty tricky, you wanna keep going deep, hang wide and get those big open face waves that are a lot easier and smoother and allow you to do bigger carves.

"I'd be stoked to get a bit further, this is my last year in the World Juniors so I'm pretty psyched to get better than Round 4. This place is sick, it's one of my favorite places I ever been to, food is good and there are crazy slabs everywhere so it's been super fun.”

Moniz's 9-point ride.
Hawaii's Joshua Moniz came firing out of the gates in the first heat of the men's Allianz ASP World Junior Championships.

Soli Bailey (AUS), 19, picked up where Moniz left off and put on a solid heat as well to dispatch of Miguel Tudela (PER) and local wildcard Joao Kopke (PRT). Bailey caught his best wave, an excellent 8.60 in the opening minutes of the heat, and drove full-speed into tight arching turns in the critical sections of the wave.

“It was a great heat to scale on the waves, I've had a bit of a nervous week just being here, so it's good to get that first win and skip a round,” Bailey stated. “This wave is pretty fun, I've been here five days and surfing this break a lot and having fun; I'm feeling confident.”

Shun Murakami (JPN), 17, led the crew of Japanese talents taking over the first round of competition in Ericeira. Alongside the likes of Takumi Nakamura, Takumi Yasui and Hiroto Arai (JPN), Murakami displayed confidence to take out his inaugural matchup at the World Juniors level.

Shun Murakami (JPN) Murakami, lethal right under the lip. - WSL / Damien Poullenot/ Aquashot

“With a bit more size today, wave selection was key to succeed in the lineup and I managed to find a couple gems,” Murakami said. “I'm stoked all the guys are getting through, we don't have anything special going for us here, I think it's just that we're super motivated and we want to see one of us on top!”

Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) 19, reigning ASP European Junior Champion and leader of the Portuguese up-and-coming crowd, made full use of his local knowledge to outsurf Slade Prestwich (ZAF) and Matheus Navarro (BRA) in the opening round.

Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) Ribeiro got the fans on their toes at Ribeira D'Ilhas - WSL / Damien Poullenot/ Aquashot

“It's great to go straight to the round 3, the tide was a bit too high, I've been checking the waves for the last two hours and I knew which ones to choose to maximize the scoring potential,” Ribeiro explained. “First heat is out of the way and I'm stoked to make the third round.”

Despite the slow high-tide conditions, Ribeiro managed to find the gems in a tricky lineup and built momentum to post a solid 14.60 combined heat total and steal the win.

“I was a little bit nervous, cause I know I have this wave knowledge but it's very hard to be in the right position,” Ribeiro continued. “The waves I surfed, the other guys didn't even paddle for and I'm stoked on my wave selection. This is my last year as a junior and I'm super happy to have the event here in Portugal.”

Event officials have called a 6:30am for Monday morning to decide the schedule of the third day of competition in Ericeira.

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