Calmon, Sphaier Crowned WSL LATAM Longboard Champions at the Saquarema Surf Festival

• Calmon wins second Regional Longboard title.
• Sphaier earns third Regional Longboard title.
• Tony Silvagni wins Men’s Final.
• For more information, visit WorldSurfLeague.com

PRAIA DE ITAÚNA – Saquarema, Brazil (Thursday, November 18, 2021) – Chloe Calmon (BRA) and local surfer Rodrigo Sphaier (BRA) have been crowned the 2021 WSL LATAM Longboard Champions, clinching the title on Thursday at the Saquarema Surf Festival in Honor of Leo Neves and presented by the City of Saquarema. Calmon clinched her second regional title, while Sphaier won his third. In the Final, Tony Silvagni (USA), defeated Sphaier for the event win in Saquarema.

“It’s such a good feeling to compete in Brazil and especially in Rio with all the crowd cheering us on after such a long time without events here,” said Calmon, the reigning champion from the awards podium. “The beach was packed and I could hear everyone screaming with so much energy after each wave. Then, to reach the shoreline and be chaired up by my friends and see my mom there to congratulate me was so special. We’re all so happy to get the chance to compete at this event and it was an excellent opportunity to see all the new talent coming up. The future looks solid!”

“I came early to Saquarema to prepare myself and it seems like I’ve been here for a month already,” said a giddy Calmon. “I’ve been surfing every day in all the conditions Saquarema had to offer; from solid 8-foot swells to onshore slop and everything in between, but the only constant has been the water, which has been freezing. I’m sure that all the preparation made a difference and I felt super comfortable throughout the contest. I’m glad that I was able to finish off the season on a high note by winning another WSL LATAM title,” concluded Calmon.

Sphaier and Silvagni were neck and neck throughout the Finals with both surfers displaying a full array of traditional longboard surfing including lengthy noserides, and strong carving maneuvers infused with grace, style and flow during their rides. However, Silvagni took the lead towards the end of the Final and defeated Sphaier by a score of 12.93 to 7.57 when the final buzzer blew.

“First off Rodrigo is one of the best surfers and he always has been, said Silvagni. “You know he’s one of my real good friends and to be able to travel here to Saquarema and surf at his home break, it’s an honor. I have nothing but respect for him and I always love seeing him at all the World Tour events and I’ll always support him throughout all his journeys, so it’s really been such a great event.”

Despite not winning the Final at the Saquarema Surf Festival, Sphaier was still stoked for clinching his third WSL Latin America Longboard Championship.

“This is so special. I’d like to thank everyone that was here to witness the event these past few days and I especially would like to dedicate this title to my wife who is in Portugal,” ended Sphaier before being cut off by his emotions.

However, it goes to show that Mother Nature has the last word regarding who gets the best waves in a heat. Chianca, who is a Saquarema local, looked out of sorts in the smaller conditions he’s used to, and De Souza, despite surfing well, was outpaced by Vargas and Sena, who advanced in 1^st and 2^nd place respectively.

Later on, the Chianca family would have reason to celebrate as João Chianca (BRA), Lucas’ younger brother, who has been near the top of the Challenger Series rankings, earned the day’s highest heat total to advance into the Round of 32 along with Marcos Correa (BRA).

“This event, which is honoring Leo Neves, has been so meaningful. Leo was my idol, so it’s hard to talk about him. I don’t want to go into it too much, but I’m here surfing for Leo, at his event, and in his memory,” said Chianca. “I love Itaúna and I love the entire region here in Saquarema. I surf all of the breaks around here in all conditions, so it’s great to be competing here in front of my friends and family from Saquarema. And I truly believe that Leo is here with us! He blesses every swell that rolls in and Itaúna loves surf contests. As soon as you build an event site, the swell just turns on. I’m sure Leo is in everyone’s thoughts here and I’d like to congratulate the WSL for putting his images throughout the event site, it’s just so cool,” Chianca stated.

“The tide was pretty high during my heat, so there weren’t many good waves coming through. It was a bit tough, but I managed to get two good waves and I’m excited to make it into the Quarters,” said Macedo. “I’m a little under the weather today, I have a bit of the flu, so I felt a little weak in the water. But moving forward it’s only two-person heats and I think the waves are going to pick up tomorrow, so things will get better. I really love Saquarema, I spend a lot of time here with my boyfriend João, I love the people and the waves are really special too,” concluded Macedo.

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