He may have spent the last five years pursuing his career as an actor and model, but the hiatus did not take its toll on Martim Monteiro who returned stronger than ever and was crowned Portugal’s new slalom windsurfing champion.
The national championship was held at the Martinhal beach in Sagres, Vila do Bispo, between Thursday and Sunday (June 13-16) and featured 11 regattas.
Ten of them were won by Brazil’s Mateus Isaac, one of the world’s best slalom windsurfers who participated in the championship as a guest and showed why he competes ‘among the big boys’.
“I really like Portugal. Speaking the language helps, of course, but it is also because I have many friends here,” Isaac said.
He added that he “really enjoyed” competing at Martinhal, which was “wonderful, always with wind”.
Monteiro, on the other hand, only won one regatta but finished second in nine, having only dropped to third place in one of the races.
“My main goal was to become national champion after a five-year gap. I’ve been very busy following a career as an actor and model, but I told everyone that I would become the national champion again and I did it,” he said after the event.
