At just 13 years old, he may be physically smaller than all the other athletes but when surrounded by a wave, his wit and intelligence is no smaller than any other. The biggest surprise at yesterday’s Visit Maldives Pro 2024 was Portugal’s Vicente Campos, who has made a name for himself in the junior section of the competition. A fearless, smart athlete who has managed to reach the quarter-finals with his quick thinking.

Having previously competed in European tournaments, Campos is making his first World Tour event in the Maldives. This was also his first time competing in another country. However, Campos has captured the hearts of many since his first appearance leading many to praise his courage upon the end of his journey in the event.

Campos finished second in the second-round heat to advance to the third round, where he won the heat over Micheel Yancce, who is currently ranked fifth in the world junior rankings, and the strong Frederico Castelo Branco and Hugo Medina. It didn't end there. He surprised everyone with his skills in today's fifth round.

He was third with five seconds left in the heat, which also saw Medina and Yancce also compete. This meant that his journey would end right there, as Medina lead the way with 14 points, while Yancce was at 10.95. With five seconds to go, Yancce headed to shore thinking he had it in the bag, but Campos changed the whole scene, turning the result around with a 6.35 wave. With that, Campos advanced to the quarter-finals with a score of 11.55.

Campos also showed courage in the quarterfinals. By the time the heat was done, the score was tied at 11.75 and Mikelle Arraigada

was able to reach the semi-finals because he had a wave of 6.5 scores, the highest done in a single wave. Campo expressed his despair at the loss, but after a while he was seen to greet his opponent.

With that different mindset, Campo's appearance was an encouragement and hope for many. Campos thinks this is a successful tournament for him.

"The waves here are good. And the sea in the Maldives is very warm. So it's easy for me. European seas are usually cool. So I'm very happy with today's result. I'm very happy in the Maldives," Campos told One Sports.

Campos got his start in bodyboarding with his father. Experienced in bodyboarding, his father, Rui, is already working hard to promote bodyboarding. His academy is already producing young stars in Portugal, having dedicated his whole life to the talent.

"My life is bodyboarding. Campos first went to the beach at the age of six. After that he spends a lot of time on the beach. He might even spend about 10 hours in the waves, we have to get him out since it gets pretty cold in Portugal at times. He has the right mentality, his future will be very bright," he said.

In Rui's opinion, the biggest difficulty is the lack of money. In particular, he said it was difficult to raise the money to go on such tours.

"The biggest difficulty for us to travel to these tours is the lack of money. It's very expensive. Even if we get sponsors, we have to pay our own expenses to get here. So it's a challenge. We hope more people get to see his talent and support us on our journey," he added.

Campos' mentality is very different. Yesterday's heats showed that he didn't want to lose for a second, holding onto the fighting spirit. Especially, even for a second, not giving up hope has made him an exemplary figure for bodyboarders.