PLAYA DA FRAGATA, Ferrol, Galicia / Spain (Saturday, June 15, 2024) - Today, Zoe Grospiron (FRA) and António Dantas (POR) won the GADIS Longboard Festival Ferrol, final stop on the 2023/24 World Surf League (WSL) European Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS), in challenging longboard conditions at praia da fragata in Ferrol.
An epic finals day started early with the men's Quarterfinals and ran all the way through the men and women's Finals this afternoon in continued challenging conditions where surfers had to contend with choppy lines and closeout sections. However the best longboarders in the region made small work of the waves at hand and proved they had plenty of resources to apply strategically placed nose rides and carves to exploit the whole judging scale nearly all the way to perfect scores.
Antonio Dantas was on fire today in Ferrol - WSL / Laurent Masurel
Firing Men's Final Comes Down to the Wire, Dantas Comes Clutch for First Tour Win
António Dantas (POR) came blistering out of the gates with two incredible scores of 9.17 and 8.77 (out of a possible 10) and posted the event's highest heat total of 17.94 (out of a possible 20) with unmatched grace and control of his board. The Portuguese, whose previous highest result was a 7th place, had all three of his opponents in a combination situation and looked in total control of the heat.
But as waves continued to pump, Edouard Delpero (FRA) and Roland Lefeuvre (FRA) came right back at him with a 9 point ride of their own to stay in fighting distance. Unfortunately the ocean went somewhat quiet in the final five minutes and didn't offer the opportunities needed to post another excellent number and challenge Dantas. Martin Coret (REU) put on a decent fight but had to settle for last place.
"I feel amazing," Dantas said. "I think I'm the first Portuguese to win an LQS event, that's what everyone keeps telling me so it's an honor to be making history here in Ferrol. I had a lot of fun, the waves were difficult but I made it happen so I'm stoked. I couldn't really hear anything in the water but I knew they were getting nice waves so I tried to hold the priority and it went well!"
The 21 year-old from Sao Pedro, Estoril, claimed his first-ever win on the WSL regional longboard series and put his name on the map with an epic performance when it mattered most, in the Final, overcoming a stacked heat that included former World No.2 Delpero.
Edouard Delpero (FRA) came a close second in the Final and consolidated his spot atop the regional rankings for the 2023/24 season, claiming a fifth European Longboard Title and equalling the record held by his brother Antoine.
"I'm super happy to get the European title, it was my goal coming here to Ferrol," Delpero said. "I'm stoked for Antonio who won his first LQS event, it's a big result and it was a fun fight with him. I had a great event with solid scores in every heat and unfortunately he was just better than me in that Final so congrats to him."
Roland Lefeuvre (FRA) and Martin Coret (REU) respectively placed third and fourth in the Men's Final.
Zoe Grospiron put on strong performances on her way to a maiden win in Galicia - WSL / Laurent Masurel
Cruel Ocean Goes Quiet for Women's Final, Grospiron Handles Pressure for First Win
An anti-climatic women's Final was unjustly hindered by a dead quiet ocean and mostly closeout sections, forcing surfers to contend with dribble and unfavorable lines. However the playing field was the same for all four surfers in the heat, and France's Zoe Grospiron (FRA) managed to get the better of all exchanges to claim her career-first win on the European Longboard tour.
"I'm super happy to finally get my first win on the WSL longboard qualifying series," Grospiron said. "Conditions were very tough and we couldn't really show anything out there, but I'm still extremely happy to come away with the win and stoked to be here in Galicia."
A standout on the European LQS for a few years now, Grospiron has collected quarters and semis appearances since her maiden season in 2018 and even placed runner-up a couple of times, finally breaking her glass-ceiling today with the win. Equal 9th on the international Longboard Tour last year, the French surfer will now try to carry momentum and confidence into this year's events worldwide.
Settling for the runner-up spot this time in the Final was Alice Lemoigne (FRA), the region's leading competitor for the past decade basically. The talented Reunion Island surfer claimed an unprecedented 8th European Longboard title today in Galicia.
"I'm very happy to win another European title today," Lemoigne said. "Even though I couldn't win that Final in extremely complicated waves, I love collecting those and I hope I can get many more in the future, just proving I'm still here and competitive."
Canelle Lebreton (FRA) and Ginger Caimi (ITA) respectively placed third and fourth in the Women's Final.
Martin Coret will be a strong addition to the European team on the global stage - WSL / Laurent Masurel
Longboard Tour European Qualifiers Confirmed
Six European surfers will be representing their region on the upcoming 2024 Longboard Tour and fighting for a world title this season.
Ben Skinner (GBR) and Edouard Delpero (FRA) were already re-qualified courtesy of their performances last season, and Martin Coret (REU) claimed the regional qualifier ticket with a second place overall on the rankings this season. The Reunion Island surfer will surf for the first time on the global stage when the tour gets underway in Australia next month.
"I'm super happy to qualify for the Longboard tour," Coret reflected. "After Newquay I thought there wouldn't be another event, but coming here I had a clear goal to get that spot. I knew what I needed to do, Jon lost in the Quarters and I eliminated Nacho in the Semis so I was stoked to get the confirmation. I'm going to get to work and try to show up on the tour now!"
Alice Lemoigne (FRA) will be leading the women's contingent and surf alongside Zoe Grospiron (FRA) who also re-qualified through her 2023 effort. Emily Currie (GBR) will take her act globally as well this season with the regional qualifier ticket.
The Longboard Tour will start at the Bioglan Bells Beach Longboard Classic from July 18-21, then head to California for the Huntington Beach Longboard Classic before the big finale at the Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championships where only the Top 8 men and women in the world get to fight for the undisputed World Title.
With the completion of the GADIS Longboard Festival Ferrol, the race to the 2023/24 European LQS title is now over, here are the final rankings:
European Men's LQS Top 5:
1 - Edouard Delpero (FRA)
2 - Martin Coret (REU)
3 - Antonio Dantas (POR)
4 - Ignacio Pignataro (URY)
5 - Jon Garmendia Gonzalez (EUK)
European Women's LQS Top 5:
1 - Alice Lemoigne (FRA)
2 - Zoe Grospiron (FRA)
3 - Emily Currie (GBR)
4 - Ginger Caimi (ITA)
5 - Canelle Lebreton (FRA)
Next on the schedule for our region's longboarders will be Boardmasters, the first event of the 2024/25 European LQS season, from August 7-11, 2024 in Cornwall, England.
The GADIS Longboard Festival Ferrol is scheduled from June 14-16, 2024 at Praia da fragata, Ferrol, Galicia / Spain. Find out all about the event's live scores, results and updates at WorldSurfLeague.com, on the free WSL app as well as our social networks Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Gadis Longboard Festival Ferrol is an event organized by the Club Praia de Pantín / Classic Surf Pro and has the institutional support of the Xunta de Galicia, Axencia Turismo de Galicia, Deputación de A Coruña, Concello de Ferrol and the Federación Galega de Surf. It is also sponsored by Gadis, Jael Joyería, Oak Berry, Vithas, Intermax Technology, Dacia (Caetano Fórmula) and Surflogic.
GADIS LONGBOARD FESTIVAL FERROL MEN'S FINAL RESULTS:
1 - Antonio Dantas (POR) 17.94
2 - Edouard Delpero (FRA) 16.87
3 - Roland Lefeuvre (FRA) 15.77
4 - Martin Coret (REU) 12.40
GADIS LONGBOARD FESTIVAL FERROL WOMEN'S FINAL RESULTS:
1 - Zoe Grospiron (FRA) 6.06
2 - Alice Lemoigne (FRA) 5.87
3 - Canelle Lebreton (FRA) 2.80
4 - Ginger Caimi (ITA) 2.20