Joana Schenker, an Algarve bodyboard athlete, was awarded the Official Order of Merit by the President of the Republic, in a ceremony held this Monday, April 22, at the Belém Palace (Lisbon).
For Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the Algarve, who was crowned world champion in bodyboarding in 2017, is «an example of excellence in national sport».
The ceremony was attended by António Costa, prime minister, Ferro Rodrigues, president of the Assembly of the Republic, Jorge Sampaio, former President of the Republic, and Eduardo Cabrita, minister of Internal Administration.
Also present were Adelino Soares, mayor of Vila do Bispo, and José Vitorino, president of Associação Algfuturo, entities that had already honored Joana Schenker for her results.
In this sense, the municipality of Vila do Bispo and Algfuturo will, in June, hold a public ceremony to commemorate the award of this Official Degree of the Order of Merit. It will be in Sagres, home of Joana Schenker.
The athlete became four-time European champion, from 2014 to 2017, being the current five-time national champion. Joana Schenker is, moreover, fighting for another title of champion in Portugal and has already won two stages of the circuit.
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