“Winning” is the motto for the top performers of the Eurosurf Junior’s first day

There was no false modesty at the Eurosurf Junior 2024 first day of action at Santa Cruz, Portugal, with the main contenders announcing their goal of taking home the European junior title.

With the under 18 Longboard starting things off, England’s Arthur Randell was one of the loudest of the bunch, referencing the multiple European champion Ben “Skindog” Skinner: “My main influence is Ben Skinner and our goal is to win the championship for England”.

But also France’s Margaux Vieuge and Italy’s young prodigy Caimi Ginger didn’t mince their words regarding their personal goals and the goals of their respective teams: to win the title. Although Margaux added that they also wanted to have “a good time”.

But looming over those ambitions is Spain, the reigning champion, with their manager Aritza Saratxaga stating: “We are humble but we have a good team and we intend to win again. This is an excellent generation of surfers, some of the best in Europe at this age bracket. We have conducted great work in the last 8 to 10 years and we are now reaping the results.”

It is still soon to spot who are the strongest teams of this event, but we can all expect the usual powerhouses of Spain, France, Portugal, Italy and England but with some potential surprises as well. One thing is certain: we will have a week of great surfing at Santa Cruz, with the help of the ocean that is rising from Sunday onward until the end of the event, next Friday, the 26th.

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All pictures by Tiago Segurado for Ocean Spirit/ESF.