Congrats are in order to the first-ever Brazilian champion of the Surf Web Series (SWS): Thiago Camarão from São Paulo made surfing history this weekend defeating former WCT surfer Ian Gouveia, from Pernambuco based in São Sebastião (SP), in the virtual final of 51 Ice E-Pro Brasil presented by Curta+Floripa.
The fifth stop of the Surf Web Series was held from October 26th through November 8th, recognized by the Association of Brazilian Professional Surfing (ABRASP) and Santa Catarina Surf Federation (FECASURF). The national champion was announced this Sunday through an exclusive YouTube LIVE via Waves, showcasing the finalists' waves and outstanding level of high-performance surfing.
Both Brazilian surf sensations impressed the judges and the fans throughout the event, debuting with victory in the opening Round without needing to go through the Repechage Round. The two faced each other in Round 3 in a heat with four competitors. Gouveia won with a backside tube in Maresias, followed by Camarão with a frontside tube in Paúba for the second position.
“Competing in the Surf Web Series felt like an escape from this intense time during the pandemic. This format served to activate our competitive mental strategy,” said the champion.
“It is the result of hard work and dedication. The wave that I sent for final was a diamond that came to me after almost eight hours of surfing that day. My girlfriend was filming and had just finished the camera batteries. Filmer Ramal Anderson (from Stoked Soul Films) was on the beach and captured this one. It was one of my last waves of the session,” commented Camarão. “Thank you very much to my girlfriend and Anderson for the images, and I hope this result encourages some brands to support the athletes without sponsorship, such as my case… I think it’s my time.”
Both athletes understood the dynamics of virtual disputes, and committed to the barrel clips to pass through the many rounds of competition. They submitted waves from home in the Maresias region for Round 4, and once again the tubes guaranteed their spot in the next phase. From the fifth round on, the heats were disputed with the Man-on-Man format. Camarão overcame the young aerialist from Santa Catarina, Léo Casal, while Ian Gouveia defeated Willian Cardoso, in a confrontation between former WCT athletes.
Sending in his best clips from home in Maresias, Thiago Camarão won the inaugural Surf Web Series event in Brazil. Photo: Stoked Soul Films / Waves.com.br
The top four Semifinalists classified for the global stage of the Surf Web Series’ World Championship Final coming up in April of 2021, representing the Brazilian elite against other participating nations on the world tour. The final competition will define the first virtual world champion of the new SWS format.
In the first Semifinal, Camarão came out of a spectacular tube, followed by a huge alley-oop to overcome Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca, from Rio de Janeiro, who was a favorite for the inaugural title win. Then, Gouveia pulled out of a hollow barrel at Regência (ES), and won his Semifinal heat over the new generation of “Brazilian Storm” deployed by technical surfer Renan Pulga (SP).
Former WCT top surfer, Ian Gouveia, fought hard through each round of the fajita; event for a runner-up finish, pictured here pulling into great waves at home in Maresias. Photo: Roberto Cristófani / Waves.com.br
The official Awards Ceremony for the 51 Ice E-Pro Brasil 2020 presented by Curta + Floripa took place on Sunday, November 8th via Waves’ YouTube Channel hosted by announcer Paulo Issa, CEO and Founder of SWS Gustavo Duccini, and event director Evandro Abreu (Casa da Árvore).
Don’t miss the next LIVESTREAM featuring the best moments of the 51 ICE E-PRO BRASIL on November 11th at 8pm (local time) via YouTube.com/TVWaves and SurfWebSeries.com. We’ll also announce the GIVEAWAY winner of the special edition board by Oceanside Surfboards.
Stay tuned, and thanks for being a part of Surf Web Series - the Online Surfing World Championship!
Official Results of 51 Ice E-Pro Brasil 2020 presented by Curta+Floripa:
1st - Thiago Camarão (SP)
2nd - Ian Gouveia (PE)
3rd - Lucas Chianca (RJ)
3rd - Renan Pulga (SP)
5th - Willian Cardoso (SC)
5th - Léo Casal (SC)
5th - Fabrício Bulhões (BA)
5th - Krystian Kymerson (ES)
