Preparation for Rip Curl Pro Argentina underway

After an epic contest in 2017, the WSL Men’s and Women’s Qualifying Series Rip Curl Pro Argentina is set to return to Mar del Plata during the Easter Holiday from March 27 – April 1. The men’s division will run as a QS 1,500 regional event, while the women will compete in a QS 1,000 status event.

With only a few more days before the start of the second event on the WSL South America calendar, the list of athletes contains representatives from Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador, Mexico, the USA, New Zealand, Italy, Peru and of course, the host country of Argentina. The surfers from Argentina have yet to win a contest on their own turf with all victories going to Brazilians since 2013.

In Mar del Plata, two contest sites are being erected at Playa Grande and depending on conditions, the event can be moved from the bank at the Biologia jetty to the pier at El Yacht com Quba, which offered up classic surf last year on the righthand break and saw Thiago Camarão (BRA) and Dominic Barona (ECU) win the event.

Headlining the Women’s Event will be the 2004 WSL Women’s World Champion, Sofia Mulanovich (PER). It will be her first time competing at the QS in Argentina. The Peruvian veteran had considered retiring, but with the addition of surfing to the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020, Mulanovich has her sights set on becoming a medalist.

“I believe that participating in the Olympics is a dream for any athlete, but it’s a step by step process,” said Mulanovich.

“First, I want to focus on each contest and qualify for the Pan-American Games that will be held in Lima, Peru in 2019. I’ll definitely be giving it my all to get a spot for Tokyo,” concluded Sofia.

In the Men’s division, former Championship Tour surfer Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) will also be competing at the Rip Curl Pro Argentina. Dantas will be looking to requalify for the CT by being part of the Top-10 group of athletes on the Qualifying Series rankings at the end of 2018. Known for his powerful backside attack, Dantas will definitely be a handful for anyone in his heat.