Portuguese internationals João Santos, in men, and Sara Rafael, in women, as well as Bernardo Pereira, in Juniors, confirmed their favoritism, winning this Saturday the inaugural stage of the National Championship of Sea Canoeing, held in Lagoa, in a course and 14 kilometers, departing at Praia Grande (Ferragudo) and arriving at Praia da Senhora da Rocha.
João Santos, an athlete from Naval de Sesimbra, was the first to cross the finish line, with a time of 1h03m00, 48 seconds ahead of Fábio Cameira. of Alhandra SC. Madeiran Marco Gomes, from Naval do Funchal, was 3rd, registering 1h04m28.
In women, Sara Rafael, from Náutico do Litoral Alentejo, was at her best level, winning with 1h13m53 and registering her 7th consecutive victory, in so many other editions of the competition.
Nara Varela, from Alhandra SC, finished 2nd, with 1:19m05 and, just 3 seconds away, Sofia Coelho, from Naval de Sesimbra, finished in 3rd position.
The international Junior Bernardo Pereira, Bronze medal in the last Europeans, won prominently. The Madeiran from Naval da Calheta needed just 1h05m46, leaving Gonçalo Rosário, from CC Setúbal, and Rafael Faria, from CMCosta do Sol, more than 3 minutes away.
With these victories, the winners, all current national champions, begin the defense of the title and the preparation of the great objective of this season, the World Championships of Ocean Racing to be held in Saint-Pierre de Quiberon, in Brittany, France.
In Juniors, the victory belonged to Micaela Silvestre, from Litoral Alentejano, with 1h22m08. Margarida Frazão, from CC Amora, reedited the 2nd place in the previous edition, registering 1h24m04 and Margarida Pinto, from CM Costa do Sol, was 3rd with 1h29m57.
SS2 crews with many national title contenders
In the crews, using two-seater Surfskis, the victory went to Rafael Silva and Fábio Nunes, from Fluvial Vilacondense, the team that registered the best time of this edition of 2019, with 1h02m52, beating the duo of CC Setúbal, constituted by Carlos Cruz and Ricardo Gomes, for 50 seconds.
The Madeirans Bruno Afonso and Luís Garcia, from Naval do Funchal, finished 3rd, with a time of 1h04m28. In men, none of the crews medaled in last season's National Championships managed to finish on the podium.
In the mixed doubles, Nuno Henriques and Ana Valentim, from CC Amora, won the sprint, leaving the Esteves brothers, from CN Litoral Alentejano, current National Champions, just over 3 seconds away, registering 1h06m21. Gaia's duo from KC510, consisting of Mário Santos and Joana Sousa, finished 3rd, with 1h07m19.
Veterans in good shape
In the Veterans category, the canoeing modality, of late specialization, combined with the highly technical component of Sea Canoeing, in which athletes must know how to take advantage of the wave and wind conditions to increase their speed, proves that age does not it's an impediment to high performance, with veteran athletes intruding on the absolute standings.
It should also be noted that several veteran athletes choose to compete in the Senior category.
Artur Tomaz, from CC Setúbal, won in Vet-A with 1h05m27 and the defense of the national title began in the best possible way. Hugo Lima, from Náutico de Fão, was 2nd with 1h07m21, and the Azorean Eliseu Reis, from the CN of Angra do Heroísmo, scored 1h11m01.
In Vet-B, the podium went entirely to the Spanish athletes, with victory by António Giron, from Fluvial Barco, with 1h06m24, followed by Rafael Rubiales, from CAN Eslora, with 1h10m44, while in 3rd place, finished Juan-Luiz Venegas , from Piraguismo Granada, who needed 1h11m56 to finish the race.
In Vet-C, victory for Élio Henriques, from CM Mondego, with 1h14m47, followed by José Carmo, from Fluvial Vilacondense, with 1h22m42, and Vítor Freitas, 3rd place, with 1h28m18.
In women, the victory went to the athlete from Castores do Arade, Ana Bebiano, in Vet-A, and Ana Duarte, from Naval de Sesimbra, won in Vet-a B, with Maria Nóbrega from CC Amora finishing in 2nd position.
Veteran SS2 Crews
In doubles, the victory in Vet-A went to the current national champions, Fernando Encarnação and Vasco Marcos, from Fluvial Odemirense, with 1h06m42, 2nd place for Luís Ventura and João Rodrigues, from CC Setúbal, with 1h08m18, and in 3rd they finished the brothers Pedro and José Frazão, from CNOC Armada, with 1h09m13.
In Vet-B, victory for the organizing team's duo, Castores do Arade, consisting of Nuno Silva and Sérgio Tavares, who scored 1h11m24, comfortably beating CC Amora's team, consisting of Pedro André and Carlos Figueiredo.
At the collective level, the victory went to Clube do Mar Costa do Sol, which totaled 13704 points, followed by Náutico do Litoral Alentejano with 10772, and by CC Amora with 9791 points. Castores do Arade finished in 6th place, with 6238 points, out of a total of 23 participating Clubs.
This 7th edition of “Lagoa Downwind” was organized by the Municipality of Lagoa, through its Sports and Youth Services, in partnership with the Kayak Clube Castores do Arade. Over a course of 14 kilometers, starting at Praia Grande (Ferragudo) and finishing at Praia da Senhora da Rocha, the race was attended by 192 athletes from Portugal and Spain.
The coast of Lagoa is a privileged place to practice Sea Canoeing, due to the prevailing winds in the region, which create excellent downwind conditions for athletes, especially in the afternoon.
The 2019 National Sea Canoeing Championship consists of seven stages, starting in Lagoa. This year, the Algarve was the stage for a double journey, with the 2nd stage taking place in Portimão, this Sunday, the 14th of April.
The 3rd stage takes place in May, in the Azores (Lagoa, São Miguel Island), then passing through Vila Nova de Milfontes, in June.
In July, it will be Viana do Castelo/Esposende's turn to host the Ocean Racing World Cup, which will simultaneously be the 5th national stage. Madeira (Funchal) will host the 6th stage, in August, and the Nacional ends in October, in Oeiras.
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