Although he hoped to make a full recovery before the Volcom Fiji Pro, Tiago Pires decided he was unable to compete. Photo: ASP/Kirstin
Tiago Pires announced today he will not be competing at the Volcom Fiji Pro. The Portuguese pro surfer injured himself surfing near Ericeira, last month, and it became evident that he would not recover in time to compete at the Billabong Rio Pro. After a few exams he found out that he had pulled a ligament in his knee and the best recovery estimate was six to eight weeks. Being the hard working warrior he is, Tiago was determined to make a full recover in five weeks, time enough to compete in Fiji. Despite the effort, time was not on his side.
Today he surfed for the first time since his injury at Guincho Beach, near Cascais, and a couple of hours later left the following comment on his Facebook page: “I tried my best to be ready for this event but after surfing today, I understood that I’m not capable of [competing]. I’m going to keep working hard on my rehab to come back stronger and fitter then ever.”
The following event will be the Oakley Pro Bali, held at Keramas, a spot Pires knows well. That is his goal right now, to be ready in time for that event. If he keeps working as hard as he has so far, he will probably be ready for it. An entire country is behind him, hoping for a speedy recovery!
Watch Tiago Pires get the barrel of the winter at Supertubos, Peniche, before his injury:
Tiago “Saca” Pires – Supertubos from mtn-photo.com on Vimeo.
