Guilherme Tâmega

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Tâmega is a six-time world champion. His crown as the ultimate master of the sport is only threatened by Mike Stewart who is unanimously (even by Tâmega himself) praised as the king of the sport, due to his dominance on the bodyboarding scene in the earlier days of the sport, and also for his contributions in making bodyboarding what it is today.

Tamega is the only man to win three times in a row the world's most famous bodyboarding event, the Shark Island Challenge, which contains one of the most dangerous waves in the world. He is also the most victorious competitor in the international bodyboarding scene after the creation of the World Tour, which was established in 1994 to promote a recognized world champion. Before the establishment of the World Super Tour there was no recognizable world title, although Mike Stewart's achievements in this period earned him the deserved status of a living legend.

Tâmega is known in the sport scene as the "contest machine" due to his relentless pursuit of victory.

Although a fierce competitor, Tâmega is a very pleasant guy to talk to, and is very supportive of others, in this aspect he is also very much like Slater.

In the past, despite being the most successful bodyboarder in the world tour, Tâmega received very little attention from the international specialized media, probably because of his Brazilian nationality, but this is changing, and he is getting the space a six-time world champion deserves.

In 2003 and 2004 he saw the world title being taken by two-time world champion Damian King, although he managed to end as vice-champion, and was beaten by a very small score difference. Despite losing his crown to Damian King, in 2005 Guilherme "Mega" Tâmega, the contest machine, is as fit as ever and crawling for his seventh world title.

[edit] Tâmega's Biography

He was born in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, and learned all about bodyboarding in the Posto 5 of Copacabana beach, right in front of his house.

[edit] Tâmega's Timeline

Here is a small timeline of Tâmega's lifetime accomplishements:

  • 1985 – Was given his first bodyboard, and went to his first championship finals
  • 1986 – Was already a fierce competitor and had a good set of sponsors (bodyboarding was "the sport" of fashion in Brazil this year)
  • 1987 – Won praise from the specialized Brazilian media; speculation that he could be a future world champion
  • 1988 – First Hawaiian winter; Brazilian amateur champion
  • 1989 – Went pro and right to his first international final in Australia. First trip to Bali and its tubes. Won the Brazilian national tour for the first time
  • 1990 – Broke his leg while skateboarding, keeping him away from bodyboarding for five months. Started to commercialize his own board brand
  • 1991 – First time at the famous pipe event, went to the finals. Two-time Brazilian pro champion
  • 1992 – Third place at the pipe event (he lost his shorts in the final :-). Three-time Brazilian champion
  • 1993 – Second place at the pipe event. First international sponsoring deal with Wave Rebel. Four-time national champion
  • 1994 – World champion at the pipe event in sick, 12 to 15 feet waves. Five-time national champion
  • 1995 – Won the first event of the first world tour ever (GOB - Global Organization of Bodyboarders) and went on to won the world title
  • 1996 – Three-time world champion. He led the tour from the beginning and was also the American (North American) champion and the ISA Surfing Games champion
  • 1997 – Four-time world champion. Pan-American champion. Vice-champion at the pipe event
  • 1998 – Second place at the world tour. Lost by 72 points to a very young Andre Botha
  • 1999 – Second place at the world tour again (to Andre Botha)
  • 2000 – Fifth place at the world tour (his worst ranking position ever). Won the ISA again. Six-time national champion. His friend, Paulo Barcellos, won the world title
  • 2001 – Won both world tours (GQT and GST). Won the pipe event
  • 2002 - Six-time world champion. Won the Human Shark Island Challenge for the first time
  • 2003 - Lost the world title to an "on-fire" Damian King. Won the Human Shark Island Challenge for the second time
  • 2004 - Lost the world title to Damian King again in the final of the last event. Won the Human Shark Island Challenge for the third time in a row
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