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Top Seeds Dominate Opening Day of ASP 3-Star Islas Canarias Santa Pro Junior
Author: ASP World Tour
GRAN CANARIA, Canary Islands (Wednesday, May 11, 2011) – The ASP 3-Star Islas Canarias Santa Pro Junior, Event No. 3 of 7 on the ASP Europe Men’s Pro Junior Series, kicked off on Day One of the official waiting period with Europe’s best male under-21 athletes hitting their straps in the tricky 3-4ft (1m) waves battered by strong onshore winds at the main event site of La Cicer.
Surfers competing at the Islas Canarias Santa Pro Junior are out to claim the valuable ranking points on offer at this ASP 3-Star rated event and place themselves in the race for the overall ASP European Pro Junior title and the chance to compete in the ASP World Junior Series starting in Bali, Indonesia on October 3, 2011.
Jose Ferreira (PRT) 19, currently ranked 17 on the ASP European Men’s Pro Junior rankings, hooked into a walling left hander and proceeded to lay down a series of progressive backhand turns to claim top honours on the opening day of competition with the highest single-wave score, 8.50 out of 10.
“I got a good one and I was able to work it so I am happy. I didn’t go so well in the first Pro Junior in Reunion Island so I want to get a result here and I am going to try my best.”
Ferreira, who entered late and placed 33rd last year, looked hungry for a result to get his 2011 Pro Junior campaign going, finishing ahead of fellow countryman and close friend Vasco Ribeiro who lead during the early stages of the 25-minute encounter.
“I did forget to do the entry here but it won’t happen again I am sure. I want to go 100 percent this year and for now I am taking it heat by heat and I hope to get a good result here in Canarias.”
Medi Veminardi (REU) 19, fresh from a finals berth in the previous Pro Junior in Somo, searched out the better lefts with powerful snaps and carves in the pocket to seal a polished win and advance ahead of young Italian Leonardo Fioravanti, 13.
“There are some waves out there. I have been here for three days now and this is the best I have seen it so far. You can actually get some turns in today. The other days it was just a closeout all the time.”
Currently sitting at No. 5 on the ASP European Pro Junior rankings Veminardi knows that a solid result in this event is vital for his chances to be amongst the top finishers. Adjusting to new equipment due to breakages and damage caused to his boards in his free surfs caused by the tough conditions, Veminardi showed the excellent form he is in at the moment.
“I broke a board and then I have another one being repaired so I had to use this board which is what I use in St Leu normally so here it is crazy for me on this board in these conditions. Every time I come to the Canaries something always seems to happen to me.”
Ander Mendiguren (Sopelana, EUK) 18, won an early morning low scoring heat to advance through to the Round of 32 with clean, sharp snaps and flowing carving turns. Despite having only been on the island for a few hours Mendiguren advanced along with Diodo Appleton (PRT) ousting inform surfers Joao Pinheiro (PRT) and Txaber Gaminde (EUK) who finished third and fourth respectively.
“The conditions are a bit tough today but I managed to get a couple of waves. The water is warm and the waves have some power even though the wind is on-shore. I sat out the back and I saw some lefts coming through and the two good waves of the set came to me. I surfed the first one okay and the second was a better wave so I am happy to get through that first heat.”
“I only arrived at 1am this morning so I am completely exhausted,” explained Mendiguren. “I will head back to the hotel, rest, study a little because I have my university exams at the moment and come back tomorrow to do my best again.”
Mendiguren has his sights set on obtaining a result at the Islas Canarias Santa Pro Junior to help catapult him up the rankings heading into the final leg of the ASP European Men’s Pro Junior series this summer.
“My objective here would be to get at least to the quarters. I think that if you don’t get a result at this pro junior then there is not much you can do to be in the top qualifiers at the end of the series.”
Hugo Debosc (Saint Leu, REU) 20, who found one of the few high scoring rights, took a commanding early lead with a solid 7.33 out of 10 to then backed it up on a punchy left hander that gave him a combined two-wave heat total of 13.00 out of 20.
“I had a good right at the beginning of the heat with a good wall and I managed to do some turns and I got a 7 so it’s cool. I was looking for the lefts at the beginning of the heat but I couldn’t find any until towards the end for my back-up wave.”
Debosc finished equal 5th in the 2010 Islas Canarias Santa Pro Junior and has worked hard on his surfing with a strong pre-season training campaign which showed results in the stormy, physical conditions on offer at La Cicer.
“In Reunion Island I have been doing some physical training with the Reunion surf team and Willy Beck my trainer so I am feeling good at the moment. I made the man-on-man quarter-finals last year here which was my best result of the season so I hope I do better this year.” (laughs)
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Upcoming Islas Canarias Santa Pro Junior Round Two Matchups Heat 9: Tom Cloarec (FRA), Ethan Egiguren (EUK), Imanol Yeregi (EUK), Jose De Armas (CNY) Heat 10: Kieren Bulard (REU), Francisco Alves (PRT), Tim Latte (SWE), Pedro Correia (PRT) Heat 11: Dimitri Ouvre (BRB), Remi Petersen (NLD), Manix Bikuna (EUK), Ugo Robin (FRA) Heat 12: Jules Thomet (FRA), Borja Agote (EUK), Luca Dioguardi (CYN), Gil Keren (ISR) Heat 13: William Aliotti (FRA), Roberto Letemendia (EUK), Stuart Campbell (GBR), Juan Fernandez (ESP) Heat 14: Hugo Palmarini (REU), Angelo Bonomelli (ITA), Lewis Leadbetter (CNY), Miguel Villalba (ESP) Heat 15: Pierre-Valentin Laborde (FRA), Pedro Berasaluce (EUK), Charly Termeau (FRA), Kai Garcia (CNY) Heat 16: Frederico Morais (PRT), Luis Eyre (GBR), Ivan Gonzalez (ESP), Nico Aguirre (CNY)
Islas Canarias Santa Pro Junior Round Two Results Heat 1: Gaspard Larsonneur (FRA) 10.76, Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) 10.67, Toby Donachie (GBR) 9.20, Luis Urejola (ESP) 6.43 Heat 2: Ander Mendiguren (EUK) 10.00, Diodo Appleton (PRT) 7.67, Joao Pinheiro (PRT) 6.83, Txaber Gaminde (EUK) 5.70 Heat 3: Jose Ferreira (PRT) 14.33, Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) 12.07, Pierre Rollet (FRA) 4.67, Joshua Braddock (GBR) 3.33 Heat 4: Hugo Debosc (REU) 13.00, Joao Kopke (PRT) 7.90, Kosme Fernandes (EUK) 6.43, Vincent Vandeputte (BEL) 3.20 Heat 5: Medi Veminardi (REU) 14.10, Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 9.00, Titouan Deffarges (FRA) 4.77, Ruben Gonzalez Garcia (CNY) 3.63 Heat 6: Alex Gironi (EUK) 9.90, Miguel Blanco (PRT) 9.13, Will Davey (GBR) 5.37, Julen Egiguren (EUK) 3.20 Heat 7: Nelson Cloarec (FRA) 11.17, Tristan Guilbaud (FRA) 10.97, Aldric God (FRA) 6.30, Javier Ascanio (CNY) 5.94 Heat 8: Ian Fontaine (FRA) 12.17, Pablo Pola (FRA) 7.63, Charles Quiveront (FRA) 7.57, Selim Barat (FRA) 4.60