Sintra, Portugal – Saturday, September 5, 2026 

After waiting out the conditions for a day, the pen-ultimate day of the Sintra Bodyboard Festival’s historic 30th anniversary kicked off at 10:30 AM local time. The expected swell was a bit late to the party, but organizers called it on to make the most of the waiting period at Praia Grande. Even with smaller waves, the world’s best showed once again that they can adapt and shred in anything.

Day 4 was all about the Round of 16 for both the Men’s Rising Series and the Women’s Prime Series.

MEN’S RISING SERIES: Man-on-Man Battles for the Quarterfinals

The top 16 riders in Sintra went head-to-head to lock in their spot in the quarters:

• Young French sensation Ethan Capdeville owned his heat from start to finish against Morocco’s Badr Eddine, who bows out of the contest.

• An all-Portuguese matchup pitted two of the event’s biggest breakout stars against each other. Francisco Ferreiratook the W to move on to the quarterfinals, while Rodrigo Lopes exited to huge applause from the local crowd.

• Portugal’s Miguel Ferreira kept his hot streak alive, taking first place ahead of Frenchman Irwin Cloarec.

• In one of the most anticipated matchups of the day, reigning world champ Uri Valadao (Brazil) faced off against Spain’s world #3. In a super tight finish, Valadao relied on his Sintra experience to pull off the win.

• Defending Sintra champ Pierre Louis Costes (France) posted the highest heat total of the day (15.00 points) and bagged the day’s single highest wave score (8.25), proving he’s still the man to beat at Praia Grande. He stopped young Spanish talent Ethan Pérez, who leaves with a solid performance under his belt.

• Seasoned Brazilian pro Eder Luciano edged out Reunion Island’s Fabien Thazar in a nail-biter, winning by just over a point.

• A blockbuster matchup featured two of the world’s top junior talents: Junior World Champion Louka Zaninotto(France) and current IBC #1 Lucciano Campos (Peru). Campos took the win, punching his ticket to the final 8 in the main division.

• Spain’s Armide Soliveres put on another masterclass, throwing down clean maneuvers for the second-highest score of the day (14.50 points) to knock out Moroccan legend Brahim Iddouch.

WOMEN’S PRIME SERIES: Massive Upsets and High-Stakes Action

The top 12 female riders faced off in three-athlete heats, with the top two advancing:

• Brazil’s Maylla Venturin crushed heat 1 with a solid 13.10 total, moving on alongside local favorite Filipa Broeiro. The shocker of the day came with the early elimination of World Champion Maira Viana.

• Japan’s Namika Yamashita scored the highest single wave in the women’s division—a super clean 360 scored at 7.00 points—to lock in her quarterfinal spot next to compatriot Yuka Nishimura. Portugal’s Marta Leitao was sent packing.

• Sara Abiko (Japan) stayed red-hot, throwing down the highest women’s heat total of the day (13.15 points) to take first, followed by Portuguese phenom Luana Dourado. Two-time World Champion Joana Schenker made an early exit.

• A family showdown unfolded in the water as 5-time World Champion Neymara Carvalho battled her daughter Luna Hardman alongside Portugal’s Teresa Padrela. Hardman took first with Carvalho right behind her in second, both moving on and leaving Padrela with a respectable 7th-place finish overall.

FINAL DAY & NEXT CALL

Event organizers have set the next official call for Sunday, September 6 at 7:30 AM local time at Praia Grande. The swell is expected to pick up just in time to crown the new champions of the 30th Sintra Bodyboard Festival.

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