The competition will be held in the city of Serra from April 20th to 29th, 2023. It will have heats in the Professional, Pro Junior, Master and PCD (Persons With Disabilities) categories. After the success of the first edition, the ArcelorMittal Wahine Bodyboarding Pro lands for the second consecutive year in Espírito Santo for the opening stage of the World Circuit of the modality. Approximately 150 athletes will enter the sea at Praia do Solemar at Jacaraípe in the city of Serra in search of the $USD 35,000 that will be at stake.
The sport’s biggest stars are confirmed—including five-time world champion Neymara Carvalho, creator and organizer of the competition. Having won 5 titles on the circuit, Neymara definitely puts the event on the international calendar, Neymara definitely puts the event on the international calendar. In 2022, she decided to create an exclusive stage for women in recognition of women who brought countless titles to the country.
“This year we have definitively consolidated the name of ArcelorMittal Wahine Bodyboarding Pro on the world calendar. It was a dream that came true in 2022 and it is happening again this year. I take pride in having the privilege of working for the sport that gave me everything. It’s a way of giving back and encouraging future generations. Bodyboarding is one of the sports that brought the most joy to Brazil and most of it came from female athletes. Therefore, there’s nothing fairer than having an exclusive stage for us”, says Neymara Carvalho.
Household names in the sport of bodyboarding have already been confirmed, such as the Japanese Sari Ohara (runner-up in the 2022 competition), Luna Hardman (current world champion for Junior—a category that takes place in the second year at the world championship), Isabela Sousa (current professional world champion), and Mariana Nogueira (master world champion).
Five-time bodyboarding world champion holds social class in Espírito Santo
Neymara Carvalho will teach the event for students from Serrano from the municipal and state network. For the second consecutive year, the five-time bodyboard world champion will participate in a social class with around 200 students from the municipal and state education network of the city of Serra. The event will take place on Saturday, April 15th, 2023, at Praia de Carapebus in the city of Serra. The initiative opens the schedule of the Women’s Bodyboarding World Circuit. On April 20th, 2023, the athletes will tour various tourist and cultural points in Espírito Santo.
Similar to the last edition of the circuit, several world champion athletes and sports references will also teach classes alongside Neymara. The main objective is to connect students with bodyboarding through explanations, demonstrations, and practical training.
“For me, it’s giving me back everything the sport has given me. Today I can make children have contact with the sport and, from there, they can develop an interest in it. That way they have the possibility of looking for schools close to home, have more instructions and they can talk to their parents about it. What I want with this class is to awaken the interest of children and teenagers in the sport that made me famous, provided me with the opportunity to see the world and gave me so many titles. It is my exchange with the modality in a social way”, explained Neymara.
This bodyboarding class is a social project created by Neymara Carvalho. The objective is to provide day lessons for children, adolescents, and young people—where the basic notions of the sport, respect for nature and other activities are taught. There is also an interaction to stimulate the importance of community—in addition to a lot of adrenaline.
PCD (Persons With Disabilities) athletes will receive unprecedented cash prizes at the 2023 ArcelorMittal Wahine Bodyboarding Pro
After the success of the contest in the last edition, competition innovates once again and will also have cash prizes for the best placed competitors.
The second edition of the ArcelorMittal Wahine Bodyboarding Pro will bring another historic moment for the sport. After innovating last year with an exclusive contest to PCD athletes, now the best in the category will also receive cash prizes.
Debuting in the competition, Carla Cunha will be on the beaches of Espírito Santo for the first time. Although originally from Pernambuco, the athlete says her heart is from Paraíba because that is where she started practicing the sport. At age 41, she has made bodyboarding a fundamental part of her life after her leg was amputated in 2016. It was in 2021 that bodyboarding, as Carla herself says, rescued her. “It will certainly be an incentive and an extra help for the category, which has come at a high cost in life. However, we must not forget that what really brings us together is the inclusion in this incredible sport, which brings a lot of life and joy for people who, at some point in their lives, feel discredited or incapable”, celebrated the athlete.
Letícia de Oliveira Alves is 14 years old. She is the only athlete born in Espírito Santo that will be competing. Leticia also competed for the Espírito Santo Reference Center from the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB) of the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES). She has a double amputation of her lower limbs and has been training since January. Despite her nervousness, Letícia is excited about the opportunity.
“Training on the beach is part of the scope to expand her motor skills, since she has a
double lower limb amputation. However, this championship was an excellent opportunity to not only give visibility to the consolidation of the Bodyboard PCD modality, but also affirm that women with different disabilities have all the opportunity to expand their horizons for body practices, not only through sports, but for activities in daily life and work. All it takes is an adaptation”, says Hudson Renato Oliveira, Leticia’s coach.
After participating in the tournament last year, Cintya Belly from Pernambuco is back for the 2023 edition. She has been surfing since she was 14 and discovered that she had breast cancer in 2017, undergoing treatment ever since. She said that the cash award will be very important for the development of the category. “Participating in Wahine 2022 was a great moment of love, union and learning, a mix of feelings in my life. My expectations for this year are the best possible. The Wahine Bodyboard Pro is a dream of magic and possibilities. It is an extraordinary moment in the life of everyone present. I am very happy to be able to participate again. Regardless of each particularity, the important thing is to do what makes you feel good and happy. The sea is our home”, said Cintya. “The news about the cash prize is of great importance and value. This makes the possibility of more active integration in this or any event, especially for the PCD athlete. With the increase in the participation of athletes, the awards only tend to improve more and more. I’m very happy with this new movement, it’s very important to have this affectionate look at the category”, celebrated the athlete.
About the Wahine Bodyboarding Pro
The project, idealized by Neymara Carvalho, emerged in 2021. “Wahine”—which means “woman” in the Hawaiian language—highlights the connection with the indigenous peoples of the Hawaiian islands and inspires the sporting event scheduled in the month of June. In addition, one of the most emblematic podiums of Neymara Carvalho was in Hawaiian waters. Upon leaving Barra do Jucú, she established her name in the international bodyboarding scene—winning one of the fiercest competitions in the world at Pipeline in 2006 and 2011.
Espírito Santo will host the competition for the second consecutive time. The ArcelorMittal Wahine Bodyboarding Pro will have the participation of around 150 athletes and will crown the great 2023 World Master Champion on the sands of Jacaraípe. One of the main pillars of the event is to be able to highlight women—empowering them through lifestyle, social responsibility, and other concepts.
The competition will host three categories with eye-popping prizes: Pro($15,000USD), Master($10,000USD), Pro Junior($3,000USD), Open($1,000USD and PCD($1,000).
The Wahine Bodyboarding Pro is organized by the Instituto of Neymara Carvalho; sponsored by the Government of the State of Espírito Santo, through the Capixaba Sports Incentive Law, and by the Prefeitura Municipal da Serra; as well as a presentation by ArcelorMittal.
Open for subscriptions
Applications for the Wahine Bodyboarding Pro are open on the event’s official website:
Services
Women’s Bodyboarding World Tour – Wahine Bodyboarding PRO
Date: April 20th to 29th, 2023 from 8:00am to 4:00pm
Location: Jacaraípe Beach, Serra
Free entrance and classification
Social class
Date: April 15th, 2023, from 9:00am to 11:00am
Location: Praia de Carapebus, in Serra (in front of Silva’s restaurant)
Free entrance
Press conference
Date: April 20, 2023, from 9:00am to 10:00am
Location: Environmental Education Center (CEA), at ArcelorMittal Tubarão
Address: Avenida Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes, nº 526 – Polo Industrial Tubarão District,
Serra – ES
NOTE: Exclusive event for the press.
Sponsors
@ArcelorMittaltubarao (Master Sponsor)
@governo_es
@prefeituraserra
Support
@grupocoroa
Organizations
@institutoneymaracarvalho
@ibcworld_tour
