In clean surf, tow partners Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca and Nic von Rupp captured titles at the Nazare Tow Surfing Challenge yesterday in Portugal. Chianca, hailing from Brazil, and von Rupp, a Portuguese national, bested a solid field as a raucous crowd watched from the cliffs above. The surf wasn’t as big was it has been in years past but it was certainly contestable.
Last year’s individual performance winner, Justine Dupont was injured on her first wave of the day, which left the door open for Maya Gabeira to take the crown. Early on, Maya was able to nab one of the bigger waves of the day, having spent loads of time in the Nazare lineup and possessing a supreme understanding of the wave’s nuances.
Meanwhile, Lucas Chianca nabbed the performance award on the men’s side. With Chianca’s regular partner, Kai Lenny, in Hawaii for the Sunset comp on the Championship Tour, the Brazilian teamed with von Rupp and scored huge with an impressive performance. “He makes it look fun,” said Peter Mel on the post show, something that’s hard to do in surf of this size.
