Nic von Rupp “proud” to represent Portugal in the giant waves of Hawaii – Observer
Surfer Nic von Rupp participated on Sunday in the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, the most recognized giant wave championship in the world, being the first Portuguese to be invited to the mythical event in Waimea Bay, Hawaii.
It was incredible to participate in this emblematic event. It was a childhood dream to surf the most festive big wave event. Just being part of the participants is a great source of pride and a sign that I did something right in my career”, the 32-year-old athlete, from the island of Oahu, told Lusa.
Nicolau von Rupp was ranked 22nd, out of 40 participants, being the only male European representative, as the only other European was the French Justine Dupont, in a race disputed in ‘bombastic’ conditions that circumvented with 35 men and five women.
I am very happy with my evolution in recent years. Honestly, I thought that I would never be invited to this championship. Being invited as a Portuguese, who spends most of his time surfing in Nazaré, and also in Ireland, and with much less hours in Hawaii, shows that they respected the evolution of national surfing and the great impact of Nazaré”, he underlined.
The Praia Grande surfer said it was “truly an honor” to have the opportunity to represent the ‘big riders’ [surfistas de ondas gigantes] Portuguese, considering that there are other national talents who also deserved the opportunity, such as John of Macedo, Miguel Branco, Alex Botelho you Hugo Vauand then in a championship that took place with epic conditions.
In 40 years, the event that pays tribute to the Hawaiian Eddie Aikau, pioneer of surfing in giant waves, has only been held nine times, since the organization only goes ahead with the competition when perfect conditions are met.
Most people consider that yesterday [domingo] we had the best conditions ever, and I’m sure this edition will go down in the history of world surfing. I haven’t surfed this wave for 15 years – the first giant wave I caught was right in Waimea Bay -, and I want to go back and have the opportunity to win. I believe I can do it”, launched Nic von Rupp.
The Portuguese surfer entered the powerful 20-metre waves, finishing the first round in fourth place, and with good prospects of moving on to the final eight, but in the second round his performance dropped and ended in 22nd place.
“The first round sent me really well. The second did not write as well as the first and wanted to stay in the middle of the table. But I feel that participating is the most important thing and I am very motivated for the two remaining events this time [Nazaré e Jaws]”, he stressed.
Nic von Rupp is the only European surfer invited to participate in the four competitions of the world’s big wave surfing circuit: Tudor Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge, Quiksilver Jaws Big Wave Challenge, Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational and Vans Pipe Masters, the last three in Hawaii (and the last two already done).
We fought a lot to get where we are. I feel enormous pride in the evolution of Portuguese surfing in all aspects. I think that my participation in Eddie Aikau represents a change and leaves the doors open for the new generations”, he stressed.
Asked about the physical exhaustion that surfing such powerful waves causes, even more so in a competitive context, and combined with the trips that involve participating in these competitions, Nic von Rupp suffered that it is not easy, but that enthusiasm is greater than fatigue.
“The last few weeks have been very intense, with several trips between Portugal and Hawaiiand a surf ‘trip’ [viagem] to Cortez Bank, in California, where we also caught incredible waves. It’s exhausting, but there’s a higher purpose and that’s what gives us,” she stressed.
The last edition of the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational had been held in 2016 and was watched by 1.2 million fans during the live broadcast of the event in more than 200 countries, with the Hawaiian John John Florence, two-time world champion of the main circuit of World Surfing League (WSL) to win.
This time, and with the main names in big wave surfing, and beyond, John John Florence was runner-up, with compatriot Luke Shepardson, a local lifeguard – just like the historic Eddie Aikau – winning.