After a knee injury and three long months out of water recovering, João Mendonça (a.k.a. Johnny) got the call from Nic Von Rupp: 6 AM, First Light at Coxos. This is Johnny’s very first session after injury, Coxos is pumping as good as it gets and in the water is Frederico Morais, Kanoa Igarashi, Italo Ferreira, all the locals and of course, Nic… all a bit intimidating for any 14-year-old grom? not for this one! Johnny stole the show, got the bombs of the day and absolutely killed it. Well, he literally did almost kill Nic (around the two min mark) that morning light was dazzling him as he was coming out of the barrel, not his fault!
João Mendonça is currently one of the most promising Portuguese groms of his generation, local from Arrifana in the South of Portugal, he won the 2018 Parko Groms sub14 in Australia, was 3rd in the 2016 Volcom Global TCT in California and has been in the limelight every time it’s pumping across our coast since he got back from recovery.
First Light is a short clip with some of the best sessions in the last few months all around Portugal, produced and edited by Hugo Almeida.
Nic was not injured during this production and he still calls Johnny occasionally.
