It’s been a tough year for the surfer Frederico Morais And he is the first to admit it.

The Portuguese has been struggling since a hitherto successful 2021 was hampered by testing positive for Covid-19 ahead of the sport’s debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games, in addition to leaving the team. Championship Tour (CT) World League (WSL in English for World Surf League), the international elite of surfing despite being in the top ten.

Speaking with Ash Tulloch of Olympics.com at the World Games of Surfing in Huntington Beach, California, the 30-year-old spoke about the progress of this season, having been “very difficult” for him after his fifth year in Margaret River, Australia. .

“(In) 2021 I finished in the top ten, it was the best year of my career, and the next year I stopped at the fifth stage,” said Morais.

“It’s really difficult because you count on all the stages, and then right at the fifth of them, in the middle, there is a reduction. Sometimes you don’t perform well at the beginning of the year, and then sort of recover in the second half of the year. years, so there is no room for error.

Frederico Morais on the U-turn

Born in Cascais, Morais has been through this before

“It’s really hard because it’s like you’re living the best years of your life and then it’s all over and you have to do it all over again,” he commented on relegation from the tournament’s top division.

“I did it twice. The first time I qualified was in 2016. Then in 2019 I requalified again and I hope that now in 2022 I will requalify again.”

However, the reality that he no longer competes in CT and instead is in the second division knocked on his door.

“Being in CT and then CS (abbreviation in English for Series Challengerelite division of the World League), these are literally two completely different schemes in terms of waves, in terms of sponsors, in terms of image and marketing and, of course, in terms of money.

“You really need to adapt, your whole structure, who you rely on, all your expenses. And sometimes it’s not easy at all.”

The Importance of Mental Health

Mental health continues to be a hot topic in sports, and surfing is no exception. “I’ve been working with a sports psychologist since I was 16 or 17,” Morais admitted.

“I think it’s almost like a mentor these days. This is the one with whom I speak openly. I’m not ashamed to say anything, I’m not afraid of anything.

And show? Yes, according to Morais.

“Whether it’s the waves, nervousness before the heats or why I lost, why I didn’t lose. It’s really good. It makes a huge difference in my career.”

New generation of Portuguese surfers

At the World Surfing Games, Morais, with his teammates from the Portuguese team, men and women, is trying to win a place in the Paris 2024 Olympics, which will surf on the waves of Teahupo’o in Tahiti. (Polynesia).French).

As one of the few top surfers in the WSL, Morais hopes the next generation will be ready to step up.

“There is support. We have many events in Portugal,” he said.

“We have very good waves in Portugal. Obviously our surfing there is very recent compared to Australia, the United States and Brazil. methods.”

But it won’t be a quick process, Morais admitted. “You know, just the little things, it takes time.”

“But we definitely have very good coaches, we have very good youth teams.”

“So I think it’s only a matter of time before you see other young people on QS. Qualifying SeriesWSL lower division) and, you know, also in CT.”

What lies ahead for Frederico Morais?

Morais is eyeing Paris 2024, but the most urgent thing is to try to return to WSL CT.

“I think we do it in our sleep,” he explained. “Every surfer dreams of getting on the track. This is still my dream. And I feel like I have a lot more to give.”

And given Portugal’s emerging talent, Morais wants to play an important role in approaching this new generation.

“I don’t want them to be another Frederico Morais. I want them to have their own career. But if I can help or inspire them in any way, my mission is accomplished.”

World Surfing Games: how Portugal did on the sixth day of the event

All Portuguese surfers hit the waves at Huntington Beach this Thursday for the sixth day of the World Surfing Games, due to end on Saturday, September 24th.

Check the results.

Men: Guilherme Fonseca takes the lead, Morais and Ribeiro are eliminated

among men Guilherme Fonseca the only one still in the tournament, in the main event. In the first run of the fifth round, he finished second with 12.70 points, behind only Japanese Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Kanoa Igarashi, who scored 13.87.

In the sixth round, Fonseca will face Peruvian Lucca Mesinas and American Coloje Andino.

Frederico Morais and Guilherme Ribeiro did not show the same results in the sixth repechage match. They finished last in their runs and were eliminated from the tournament.

Women: Bonvalo and Hopkins remain in main event

For women, Teresa Bonvalo and Yolanda Hopkins advance to the next round of the main event. The two finished second in their heats in the fourth round.

However, they will face each other in the first heat of the fifth round, along with Peruvian Daniella Rosas and Australian Sally Fitzgibbons.

The text will be updated according to the results of Franziska Veselko in the summary.