Sindy Portillo is the national figure by winning her heat and advancing to the third round of the Surf City competitions – – 2024-04-23 09:21:42

The second day of competitions at the Surf City El Salvador ISA World Longboard Championship 2024 left Sindy Portillo, an athlete from the Effort and Glory Program, as the national figure after winning her heat and advancing to the third round.

Amado de Jesús Alvarado, also from the Esfuerzo y Gloria Program, and Henry Salinas came last in their respective second-round heats and will now fight from the repechage.

When everything indicated that Portillo was going to close his heat in second place with 9.93 points, he took a wave with just a few seconds left on the board and waited in the sand for the score. His performance was outstanding and he received a rating of 6.10, which gave him first place in the group with 12.93.

Ruby Knox, from Ireland, who until then was the leader, was moved to second place (10.50). In third place was Canadian Olivia Stokes (8.47) and Gabi Paul, from New Zealand, was fourth (6.03).

Sindy, originally from Las Flores, San Miguel, did not hide her excitement after learning the official result and confirming that she will compete in the third round. “I am very excited, staying alive in the competition representing my country and going clean in the rounds is very important to me. “I am very happy, as are all the people who are here supporting us,” she declared.

The Salvadoran surfer acknowledged that being local also puts pressure on them. “Being at home is a lot of pressure, but it’s also very nice. I always think about my mom and the messages she sends me and that makes me feel better mentally and makes me stronger. As well as listening to all the Salvadorans who come here to support us, that inspires me to give everything in each heat,” she stressed.

In the next round, Portillo will compete in heat 1 alongside Atalanta Batista, from Brazil; Natsumi Taoka, from Japan; and Zoé Grospiron, from France.

After her participation, and in the middle of the celebration, the Salvadoran surfer also offered words of gratitude.

“I would like to thank the government of President Nayib Bukele for all the support they give us through the different institutions, as well as the team of the Salvadoran Surf Federation,” said Portillo.

The first to see action in El Sunzal today was Salinas, who was part of heat 6 along with the Englishman Ben Howey, the Peruvian Sebastián Cárdenas and the American Chase Lieder.

Salinas added 9.03 points and finished in fourth place in his heat, and will continue his participation in the contest in repechage 2. The heat was won by the Peruvian Sebastián Cárdenas with 15.34 points, which includes a wave of 8.17 that was the third best of the day, followed by Chase Lieder, from the United States, with 11.60 and the Englishman Ben Howey with 11.14.

“The waves were good, it was a little windy, but everything went well. The waves can be deceptive here, so you have to be careful to always maintain your composure,” declared Sebastián Cárdenas after his participation.

For his part, Amado de Jesús participated in heat 7 of the second round along with Martin Coret (France), Antonio Dantas (Portugal) and San Christianson (South Africa).

The national team had a strong start and for a long time was leading the heat, however, its rivals found the right waves in the last seconds and moved it to the last place in the heat with 8.90 points.

With a wave taken in the last seconds, the Frenchman Coret jumped to first place after adding 11.20 points. Portuguese Antonio Dantas, who also caught a wave at the end of the heat, was second with 10.00 and Sam Christianson, from South Africa, was third with 8.96.

The activities of the Surf City El Salvador ISA World Longboard Championship 2024 continue tomorrow at El Sunzal beach, La Libertad, starting at 7:00 am