Rugby
Portugal’s national women’s team finished a creditable third in the European Rugby Championship. Following last season’s historic promotion to tier two rugby, Portugal defeated Sweden 27-0, a victory that guaranteed survival in the championship for another season. The meteoric rise of the national team has been one of Portugal’s biggest sporting success stories of late. The side only reformed in 2021 following 26 years of inactivity but has quickly shot up the rankings following a series of impressive results. Spain successfully defended their Rugby Europe Championship title with three wins out of three.
Tennis
Portuguese star Nuno Borghes has suffered a surprise defeat in the quarter-finals of the Estoril Open. The event is the biggest tennis tournament in the country and sees many of the world’s top players take part. Despite playing the more aggressive tennis, the 27 year-old lost 6-2 7-6 to Chilean Christian Garin and will now drop out of the world’s top 50. The tournament also saw home favourite João Sousa compete for the final time. The 35-year-old is widely considered to be Portugal’s finest-ever men’s player. Sousa, who reached a career-high of number 28 in the world, bowed out 7-5 6-4 to Frenchman Arthur Fils in a match of high emotion at his home event.
Netball
The growth of netball in Portugal continues to reach new heights. In April, Albufeira hosted a two-day walking tournament, while Vilamoura held a running tournament. Looking ahead, on 31 May, Netball Portugal has organised an Elite Coach and Umpire Workshop to ‘elevate the standard of coaching and umpiring’ in the Portuguese netball community. If you are interested in playing, coaching or umpiring, email info@netballportugal.com.
Motorcycling
Spanish motorcyclist Jorge Martin has won the Portuguese MotoGP at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve near Portimão. The Ducati rider took the lead at the start of the race and held off his rivals all the way to the chequered flag. The victory sees Martin take the overall lead in the championship. Portuguese star Miguel Oliveira finished the race in ninth position.
Surfing
Algarve surfer Yolanda Hopkins has become the European surfing champion for the second consecutive year. The title was confirmed at the Caparica Surf Fest near Lisbon, the final round of the European Circuit of the World Surf League. Despite losing out to compatriot Teresa Bonvalot in the final round, Hopkins had earnt enough points to renew her title. Both Bonvalot and Hopkins will represent Portugal at the 2024 Olympic Games in the summer.
Kayaking
The Kayak Clube Castores do Arade (KCCA) has completed a successful weekend at the National Speed Championships. The Lagoa-based club undertook the long journey to Mirandela in the northeast of the country but returned home with four national champions: Ana Bebiano, Norberto Mourão, Liudmyla Babak and Olefirenko Olersevich.
Algarve football
After a dreadful February and March where neither Algarve side tasted victory, in April Portimonense (Portimão) and Farense (Faro) both finally picked up hard-earned victories to improve their chances of remaining in the Primeira Liga. A fabulous 91st-minute winner from Brazilian defender Igor Formiga saw Portimonense scrape past the bottom side Chaves 3-2 and earn their first win in eight matches. Farense, who had not won in nine games, comfortably beat Boavista 2-0. The two Algarve rivals will play each other in the last game of the season on 19 May, in what may prove to be a season-defining match.
Rhythmic Gymnastics
The FIG World Challenge Cup will once again be held at the Portimão Arena. The event will take place from 10-12 May and will host both Rhythmic Individual and Rhythmic Group categories. Last year’s terrific competition saw Brazil take the gold medal in the Hoop category, much to the delight of the many Portimão-based Brazilians in the crowd.
If you wish to publicise a sporting event or a ‘rising star’ contact our sports editor David Lugg: david@tomorrowalgarve.com
