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[Charles Martin aiming high on the pro junior tour]
European Pro Junior circuit gets underway in Portugal
by George Mojo
22/04/2008:// The European Pro Junior circuit gets underway in Portugal and will feature more than 20 of the contintent's most-radical surfers.
The Rip Curl Pro will feature Europe's top under-21 surfers at the world class surfing area of Peniche in a 96-Men format over four days of competition.
The event, which runs from April 24 to 27, will have several wave options including the world famous beach break of Supertubos and the consistent lefthand pointbreak of Baleal.
It will showcase for the first time in ASP European Pro Junior history man-on-man heats from the quarter-finals, making the season opener one of the most exciting surfing events in Europe.
Eighteen-year-old Charles Martin, from Guadeloupe, is among the pre-contest favourites as are French teenager Pierre-Valentin Laborde, Nicolas Von Rupp, from Germany and Euskadian Jatyr Berasaluce.
"I am looking forward to the season opener," said Martin. "Peniche has a great potential for waves and I want to perform well there. I will miss the second event of the year because of school exams so this one is crucial."
Martin, who finished fourth the 2007 ASP European Pro Junior ratings after being a title contender until the last event of the year, trained during the winter in Hawaii and is back for a possible regional crown.
"I would love to become ASP European Pro Junior champion this year," said Martin said. "I feel like I have improved and that the training I have done helped me a lot. But there are more and more excellent surfers in Europe and it will be another tight year."
Reunion Islands Romain Cloitre, the reigning ASP European Pro Junior Champion, will not attend the event and is not expected to defendi his regional crown in 2008.
Cloitre, 19, considered one of the world's best under-21 surfers, will concentrate instead on the World Qualifying Series this year.
[Sunset Beach at its barreling best. Photo: ASP/Covered Images]
Former Exeter University student Josh Lewin first heat at the Ocean and Earth Pro in the Canary Islands has been delayed because the 2ft surf was deemed uncontestable
Kelly Slater, 36, has won a record ninth ASP World Title after advancing out of Round 3 of the Billabong Pro Mundaka
The countdown to the world's preeminent surfing series has begun and the acclaimed waves of Oahu's North Shore are coming to life on cue
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