Kai Lenny and Lucas Chianca stood at the top of the Nazaré field again. The American and his Brazilian partner repeated as Team Champions at the TUDOR Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge, the World Surf League's premier big-wave tow event. It was their second title in a row.
Two heats, one dream team, back-to-back at Nazaré
On the Portuguese coast, one surfer dropped in while the other worked the ski and the rope. Towed into a clean 12-15 metre peak by his partner Kai Lenny, Chianca threw in a 360-degree spin midway down the face before pulling into a tube and signing off with another spin. The pair best negotiated the tricky lineup over their two heats, swapping between surfing and driving the ski.
The day was not smooth. Lenny fell on a very large wave, then as Chianca went in for the rescue, the ski was overcome by another wave, sending the team towards the cliff. The two got lucky, with no damage to body, board, or ski.
A Nazaré record: champions in both editions
The win kept the partnership unbeaten at the event. The duo defended their 2020 team title. A year earlier Lenny had also claimed the Wave of the Day and, on the same swell, ridden the roughly 70-foot right-hander that won the 2020 XXL Biggest Wave Award.
The house style at Nazaré now rewards more than survival. Big-wave surfing took a leap forward in giant, clean surf. From the first ride of the event, it was clear surfers could bring tight turns, tubes and aerial moves to a giant canvas.
Afterwards, Lenny kept it simple about the partnership. "It's a dream-come-true working with someone like Lucas because we're so like-minded," he told reporters afterwards.
For a waterman who won his first world title at eighteen, Nazaré has become steady ground. Two editions, two wins, and a run that keeps building quietly.
