<div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Stop No. 1 of 3 on the 2021 World Surf League (WSL) European Qualifying Series (QS), the <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/events/mens-pro-santa-cruz-pres-by-noah-surf-house-2021" target="_blank">Estrella Galicia Santa Cruz Pro pres. By Noah Surf House</a>, has been treated to an abundance of swell and exciting performances by Europe’s best surfers, culminating today with <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/vasco-ribeiro" target="_blank">Ribeiro</a>’s victory.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“It feels good to finally win a QS especially here in Portugal,” Ribeiro said. “It was a long day and three intense heats so I’m really tired but now it’s done and I’m super happy. Winning in front of friends and family is definitely special.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Coming up against an almost entirely French draw on Finals Day, the Portuguese surfer from Cascais was slow to start but built momentum throughout the morning and peaked at the perfect time to put an undeniable statement in the Final with 16.67 points on the board.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ribeiro has been a standout on the Qualifying Series for years but somehow never actually claimed an event win and today changed that with an emotional victory on home soil. The added 3,000 ranking points won today will cement Ribeiro’s position inside the European Top 10 synonym of a ticket for the Challenger Series this year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I was able to surf relatively relaxed with my points from last year but it’s great to find that form and get a win right away to confirm it,” he added. “I’m happy to follow in Frederico (Morais) footsteps and keep the event title here in Portugal. Now I’ll keep working and preparing myself for later this season on the Challengers.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The Final: A One-Way Affair for Ribeiro</strong> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the Final, Ribeiro was quick to pull the trigger with an incredible 9 point ride on his third attempt for a succession of powerful backhand turns. He found another gem of a left before he even reached the back of the lineup to post a 7.67 and apply pressure on <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/timothee-bisso" target="_blank">Biss</a><strong>o</strong>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As time ran out it was apparent the lead built by Ribeiro was insurmountable and Bisso was forced to settle for second place.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Caribbean surfer now residing in Portugal put his best Qualifying effort together in 2019 and today launched his 2021 campaign beautifully with incredible surfing and a runner-up finish. This result pushed him up to 5th on the European rankings. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“It’s been a really good day and unfortunately I was just missing a little bit of rhythm in the Final,” Bisso said. “I just want to thank everyone who made this possible. Three months ago I was waiting tables in Guadeloupe just trying to earn a little money to come back to this, so it’s very special to be able to compete again.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Gaspard Larsonneur Continues to Impress in Portugal</strong> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Frenchman from Brittany was unable to match Bisso’s incredible momentum in the beginning of their Semifinal and eventually bowed out in equal third place. This marks <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/gaspard-larsonneur" target="_blank">Larsonneur</a>’s career-biggest result in a QS3,000 and will rocket him up the regional rankings, right on the bubble of qualification in 10th place.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“It’s always hard to fall short just one heat off the Final,” Larsonneur admitted. “But a third place here at an event with such high level is very satisfying for me, especially after a year off. Now I’m going to rest a little bit because it’s been an exhausting week and prepare for Caparica next!”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Vaast Confirms Top European Status</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In an unfortunately slow second Semifinal, Tahitian up-and-comer <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/kauli-vaast" target="_blank">Kauli Vaast</a> (FRA) struggled to find the right waves to showcase his explosive brand of surfing, and eventually had to settle for equal third place.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However in his first qualifying campaign for the big leagues after an incredible Junior career, Vaast confirmed he is one of the best surfers coming out of the region and one to count on in the race for the Challenger Series this season, currently in 6th position.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I came here a week early to train with my coach and try to figure out this spot because this wave is extremely hard to read,” Vaast explained. “I’m very happy that the work we put in paid off and I was able to find the right ones in my heats, a third place is a very good start for me.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With the completion of the Estrella Galicia Santa Cruz Pro pres. By Noah Surf House, here is the current Top 10 in the European rankings:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>European Men’s QS Top 10:</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 1 - Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 2 - Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 3 - Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 4 - Joan Duru (FRA) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 5 - Timothee Bisso (FRA) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 6 - Kauli Vaast (FRA) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 7 - Charly Quivront (FRA) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 8 - Maxime Huscenot (FRA) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 9 - Tristan Guilbaud (FRA) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 10 - Gaspard Larsonneur (FRA) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Surfers will now travel down the coast for the upcoming <strong>Estrella Galicia Caparica Surf Fest (<a href="https://www.boardriding.com/events/mens-caparica-surf-fest-pro-2021" target="_blank">men's</a> & <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/events/womens-caparica-surf-fest-pro-2021-tentative" target="_blank">women's</a>)</strong> <strong>starting Tuesday, May 18, 2021</strong>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>ESTRELLA GALICIA SANTA CRUZ PRO PRES. BY NOAH SURF HOUSE FINAL RESULTS:</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 1 - Vasco Ribeiro 16.67</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 2 - Timothee Bisso (FRA) 11.73</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>ESTRELLA GALICIA SANTA CRUZ PRO PRES. BY NOAH SURF HOUSE SEMIFINAL RESULTS:</strong> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> SF 1: Timothee Bisso (FRA) 14.90 def. Gaspard Larsonneur (FRA) 12.74</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> SF 2: Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) 13.50 def. Kauli Vaast (FRA) 13.00</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>ESTRELLA GALICIA SANTA CRUZ PRO PRES. BY NOAH SURF HOUSE QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:</strong> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> QF 1: Timothee Bisso (FRA) 13.77 def. Andy Criere (ESP) 11.16</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> QF 2: Gaspard Larsonneur (FRA) 14.66 def. Lucas Silveira (BRA) 12.37</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> QF 3: Kauli Vaast (FRA) 11.90 def. Tristan Guilbaud (FRA) 10.34</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> QF 4: Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) 11.03 def. Leo Paul Etienne (FRA) 6.56</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>About the WSL</strong> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Established in 1976, the <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/associations/world-surf-league" target="_blank">World Surf League (WSL)</a> is the home of the world's best surfing. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> A global sports, media and entertainment company, the WSL oversees international tours and competitions, a studios division creating over 500+ hours of live and on-demand content, and via affiliate WaveCo, the home of the world's largest high performance, human-made wave. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, the WSL has regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The WSL annually crowns the men’s and women’s surfing World Champions. The global Tours and Competition division oversees and operates more than 180 global contests each year across the Championship Tour, the development tiers, including the Challenger, Qualifying and Junior Series, as well as longboard and big wave properties. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Launched in 2019, WSL Studios is an independent producer of unscripted television projects, including documentaries and series, which provide unprecedented access to athletes, events, and locations around the world. WSL events and content are distributed on linear television in over 743M+ homes worldwide and across digital and social media platforms around the world, including WorldSurfLeague.com. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> WaveCo includes the Surf Ranch Lemoore facility and the utilizing and licensing of the Kelly Slater Wave System.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences, and storytelling to inspire a growing, global community to live with purpose, originality, and stoke.</div><div style="text-align: right;">Press Release Source: <a href="https://www.worldsurfleague.com/" target="_blank">www.worldsurfleague.com</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div>