Cycling
Remco Evenepoel has won the 50th edition of the Volta ao Algarve. The Belgian rider, who won the Vuelta a España Grand Tour in 2022, was the dominant force throughout much of the five-day race. After finishing safely in the peloton on day 1, Evenepoel took second place in stage 2, a day that saw 3495m of climbing with a summit finish at Fóia. Stage 3 was relatively trouble-free, but it was stage 4 where Evenepoel blew his rivals away with a scintillating time trial around Albufeira. The World Time Trial Champion finished 16 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor. A fine second place on the final stage resulted in an overall victory by 43 seconds from 2023 winner Daniel Martinez. In winning, Evenepoel has become a three-time victor of the Algarve race. After the event, he said, “I really like it here: the country, the fans, the roads, everyone. And everything is so nice. So, I don’t know about next year, but I’m sure I’ll be back.” António Morgado finished as the top-ranked Portuguese rider. The twenty-year-old finished in 10th position and also collected the award for best young rider.
Main photo: Remco Evenepoel on the Volta Ao Algarve winner’s podium © Volta ao Algarve
Wrestling
Professional wrestling returns to the Algarve with ‘Sangue Frio’ (‘Cold Blood’). The event, which is organised by the Association of Portuguese Wrestling, will take place at the Centro de Treinos in Portimão on 17 March.
Rugby
The Portugal men’s team have reached the semi-finals of the Rugby Europe Championship. Despite a shock first-round loss to Belgium, they recovered to comfortably beat Poland and Romania to top ‘Pool A’. They will now face old foes Spain on the weekend of the 2–3 March, with the winners advancing to the Grand Final in Paris on 17 March.
Following last season’s promotion, the Portugal women’s team will play in the Rugby Europe Championship for the first time in their history. They face home matches against Netherlands (24 February) and Sweden (9 March) before an away match against current champions Spain (30 March). The championship is the 2nd tier of European rugby below the Six Nations.
Men’s football
The Portugal under-21 national side will play two European Championship qualifying games on 21 and 26 March at the São Luís Stadium in Faro (home of club side Farense). The matches against Faroe Islands and Croatia will start at 17:30 and will serve as the ideal setting for Portugal to bounce back from a surprise 2-1 defeat to Greece last time out.
Touch Rugby
The Untouchaballs touch rugby team have finished in second place at the Open All Silver Championships in Lisbon. This is a remarkable achievement for the Lagos-based side, considering the long journey involved, as well as playing with only two substitutes throughout. The Untouchaballs are going from strength to strength as they ride the wave of the increasing popularity of rugby in the country. If you are interested in playing touch rugby in Lagos, contact Phil: p_soames@hotmail.com
Tennis
Nuno Borges has made history at the Australian Open tennis tournament by becoming the first Portuguese player to reach the last 16. Notable results included a straight-sets win over 23rd seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and a magnificent victory over world number 13 Gregor Dimitrov. Borges’s fine run came to an end against eventual runner-up Daniil Medvedev, but he was understandably delighted with his efforts. “Now I have to use this as motivation to go even further,” he said following the conclusion of the match. The twenty-six-year-old, who is coached by Algarve tennis legend Rui Machado, has now entered the world’s top 50 for the first time.
Handball
Portugal has put in a strong performance at the 2024 European Men’s Handball Championship. After qualifying for the group stage, the team dispatched Slovenia and world number five Norway before losing out to eventual bronze medallist Sweden in a decisive battle to reach the semi-finals. Despite not making the last four, their results have seen them rise to number eleven in the world rankings.
If you wish to publicise a sporting event or a ‘rising star’ contact our sports editor David Lugg: david@tomorrowalgarve.com
