A runners up finish in the WSL Espinho Pro Junior has solidified Britain’s Ellie Turner’s 2nd place standing on the regional rankings. With top two at the end of the year qualifying for the World Junior Championships in Australia the 15 year old is in a good position with just one event to go in Spain next month.
Having had to pull out of the previous event in Biscarosse early due to other commitments (going to Brazil to compete in the Rip Curl Grom Search International Finals) it was vital that Ellie got a ‘keeper’ result here in Portugal. And after a finals day of great surf in the 3-4ft range Ellie’s march was only stopped by the favourite Teressa Bonvalot.

Here’s a quick Q&A with one of Europes brightest prospects:

Another 2nd place on the Pro Juniors. Happy with that?
Im super happy with 2nd place although I wish I could have won. That is always my aim but 2nd is good. I still have a lot of years left in this division.

How did this event differ from the last Pro Junior?
This event had much better waves. That was the main thing. The final day was actually really fun. Glassy waves, good peak with left and right options and it meant everyone could surf better.

Which of the other girls impressed you?
All of the finalists had been surfing good all event. Teressa is a great competitor and is hard to beat. Also Neis Lartigue surfed very good earlier in the event.

What is your plan before the final event in Sopelana, Spain next month?
I’m going home and just preparing for that event. I have no other contests and will just get surfing a lot at home around Bude.

What have you been up to since the previous Pro Junior in France?
It’s been pretty hectic. I had to leave the Biscarosse event early and pull out to go to Brazil for the Rip Curl Grom Search International Finals. That was a great experience and I ended up with 2nd place. I had two UK tour events which I won and also I won the Rip Curl Grom Search event in the UK. In between all of this I did a Rip Curl training camp at Surf Snowdonia also. It’s been a very fun and busy month with lots of surfing.

What surfboard have you been riding?
This event I rode my 4th surfboard shaped by Luke Hart. It’s an epoxy and goes great.

What are you looking forward to about going home for a little while?
Mostly seeing all of my friends and family. Hopefully get some fun waves. Start of summer in the UK can be a really nice time of year.