“Everybody wants a world champion in Sintra but I just want to surf and have fun”
Sept 7, Praia Grande
Like the 80’s song, the girls just want to have fun, so is Sari Ohhara’s mindset for the Sintra Pro Fest 2023. The leader of the women’s IBC ranking refuses any pressure to secure the title in Praia Grande, even if she has already won here in last two editions.
“Yes, I know what they say: third time is a charm, and everybody wants a world champion in Sintra but I just want to surf and have fun”, says the Japanese rider, who is celebrating the 13th consecutive time competing in the Portuguese stage of the tour, adding:
“I love Portugal, I love this wave and if something happens…it would be lovely, for sure. I can’t control anything except the way I surf. I have very good memories of Sintra because this was the first world tour event I ever competed outside of Japan when I was 16 years old. I keep coming every year and I don’t think about winning the third time or winning the title. I just want to do my best.”
And Sari’s best was enough for her to win round 3 and jump directly for round 5. As all the contenders for the title race except for Canary Islands Teresa Miranda who had a slight slip and had to compete, and win, the round 4.
Meanwhile, a word for the Portuguese contingent, with Joana Schenker still in the race for the title but also the Portuguese champion Filipa Broeiro, Teresa Padrela, Mariana Rosa who performed admirably and might run interference in the fight for the title.
As for the Dropknee, the organization ran round 2 and 3 with Iain Campbell, peruvian Ricardo Sotelo and Dave Hubbard as the standouts and taking advantage of the powerful 4-foot waves to jump ahead to the round 4, bypassing the repechage round 3.
Finally, the projunior men ran round 3 and four with the top contenders entering the water tomorrow for round 5.
