Wesley Dantas is 2025 surf champion after overcoming racism and challenges

Summary
Weslley Dantas was crowned Banco do Brasil Surfing Circuit 2025 champion, highlighting his fight against racism as a transformative factor in his trajectory. In addition, the last stage in Praia do Futuro celebrated the titles of Juliana Santos and Michel Roque, with a great sporting, social and sustainable impact promoted by the competition.

Weslley Dantas is the grand champion of the Banco do Brasil Surfing Circuit 2025. A place in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Praia do Futuro, in Fortaleza (CE), gave the anticipated title of the circuit, valid for the WSL Qualifying Series, to the surfer from Ubatuba (SP), who was crowned after taking 5th place in the Ceará tournament this Sunday 14.

At EarthWeslley gave details of how he “turned the key” to achieve significant marks in surfing, targeting the sport’s global elite, in his fight against racism and mental problems caused by discrimination.

“(Among the difficulties), I think about my color and the mental health that it caused. I think that was the hardest thing for me. When I overcame it, it seems like that’s when I turned the key, where it became easier, so that’s the time when I was most with God, when He explained to me that the world is difficult. We go through different things,” he mentioned.

The champion also cited the year 2020, where he performed well until he had to stop competing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I was doing well, I hadn’t started the Challenger Series yet and I had finished 2nd in Fernando de Noronha. The pandemic came and everyone felt bad. It was with everything I felt, suffered, that I started to realize that God was on my side, that things became lighter and what happened started to happen,” he explained.

Sponsored by singer L7NNON and with Pedro Scooby as his mentor, the surfer cited his partners as factors that enriched his career and praised his success on the circuit.

“I just have to thank them for the sponsorship. When the circuit started, it was a dream to think about today and the trophy in my hand. When we are there in the water, there is a lot of energy, heart, everything is at stake. When you win something like this trophy, you feel like you are getting back everything you fought for, what you suffered, so for me it is gratifying,” he said.

“I think that sometimes the head was missing, a physical problem, but in reality I think that God was missing, which was necessary to give this drop to the I. And thanks to God, we show the results that we obtain,” he concludes.

Michel Roque and Juliana Santos win the WSL title in Praia do Futuro:

The WSL celebrates the impact of the circuit which runs along the Brazilian coast

The league, in turn, also celebrated the conclusion of the Banco do Brasil surf circuit which, by 2025, covered five cities on the Brazilian coast, with Ceará being the scene of the decision. Since 2022, there have been 18 stages carried out on 12 different “summits”.

In Terra, Ivan Martinho, president of the WSL in Latin America, highlighted the impact of the circuit on local communities and athletes looking to progress in surfing: “We are talking about 2 thousand registrations, more than 600 athletes, with a large proportion under 18 years old, in other words, this is precisely the intention, to reveal the talents of the new generation, to succeed the Brazilian storm.”

“The circuit is concerned with several impacts, firstly sporting, to bring and give opportunities to boys and girls from all over Brazil. There is the social aspect, everywhere we go, we generate jobs. There are more than 60 professions that each event employs, everyone is effectively impacted,” he adds.

Martinho also detailed the sustainability work carried out at each stage: “99% of what is used at the event is reused, only 1% is discarded. This is part of our mission, and we want to continue, there is more to come in 2026.”

How was the end of the WSL stage in Praia do Futuro

This Sunday, the latest champions of the 2025 stage of the Banco do Brasil Surf Circuit were revealed. The dispute started hotly from the first rounds of the day, with the definition of the semi-finalists.

In the final of the competition, four Ceará competed for the title of Praia do Futuro: among the women, Silvana Lima and Juliana Santos faced each other and, among the men, the dispute took place between Cauã Costa, ambassador of the scene, and Michel Roque.

In the women’s final, Juliana Santos defeated the veteran to win the trophy. Under the watchful eye of local fans and her own family, moved by the surfer’s qualification for the decision, Juliana dominated the heat from the start and, thanks to the exchange of scores, won the title with a score of 10.50, compared to 5.70 for Silvana Lima.

Among the men, Michel Roque won in style. The veteran earned one of the highest overall totals of the event, 14.67, compared to his opponent’s 9.73, and enjoyed massive support from local fans as each wave rode to the top.

In addition to the 2,000 points in the World Surf League South American qualifying series standings, the champions also won a R$10,000 prize for their achievement.

@terraesportes FAMILY SUPPORT! ❤️ This Sunday 14, the surfer qualified against Larissa Santos at Praia do Futuro, in Fortaleza. When the battery ran out, Juliana was moved to receive affection from her family, especially her grandmother. She now faces veteran Silvana Lima in the women’s grand final. #TerraEsportes #JulianaSantos #WSL #Surf #Surf ♬ original sound – Terra Esportes