"The unfinished man" was the headline of the last story about Ricardo Campello in 2019. Even before this interview, the 38-year-old Brazilian is still unable to announce that he has won the world title in the wave. At the World Cup on Sylt, we spoke to Ricardo about his goals and plans - it is now clear that he will also be competing in 2023 did not fulfil his dream of winning the World Cup could.
He was a freestyle world champion three times at a young age, has invented countless moves and is one of the most fearless and radical windsurfers around. And he has a clear attitude: "I risk my life and limb doing what I do. I'm not going to sell myself short to my sponsors." He would rather go a season without an equipment sponsor.
After being on Maui on and off for a long time, you moved there completely shortly before the pandemic. What is life like for you at the moment?
Very good, thank you. I'm on the water more than ever before. I got married last year and am very happy with my wife Diana. The Covid time was actually very good for us on Maui. We were able to surf and it was totally relaxed as it wasn't crowded on the water and there were no tourists on the island. We just surfed every day. It was like paradise for us windsurfers. A lot of people were very jealous of us at the time (laughs).
Since you've been on Maui, you've also had Naish as a sponsor. How have things been going since Robby retired?
It's going great. I live five minutes away from the Naish headquarters and continue to work very closely with the developer Michi Schweiger. He continues to build my boards and so far not much has changed in my day-to-day work there. I hope that our relationship will continue for a long time to come. I often meet Robby in Hookipa - he still rips so hard there. At 60 years old, that's incredible. I hope that I can still surf at his age.
Before you came to Naish, you didn't have a sail sponsor for a season and you were riding custom sails. Who made them, they were very similar to NeilPryde sails?
That's true. I sailed for NeilPryde for many years and I always liked the sails very much. That's why I asked Robert Stroj (NeilPryde sailmaker) if he could make the sails for me privately. And he did. At the time, it hadn't worked out with a new contract with my sail sponsor at the time and all the budgets for the year were already planned with other companies or they didn't want to pay me what I was asking for. I thought I'd rather not have a sponsor than sell myself short. I have my price. I'm a professional, I have to finance a family and my life. Otherwise it doesn't make sense. I'm not a millionaire who does it all just for fun. In the end, it was good that I financed myself with my small sponsors in sailing and was able to compete in my season and then sign a good contract with Naish again.
Your former adopted home of El Yaque on the Isla Magarita in Venezuela was once an absolute windsurfing stronghold that was loved by Europeans and North Americans. Unfortunately, political developments after 2014 have brought tourism from abroad to an almost complete standstill. Travelling to Venezuela is still not recommended. Very sad, isn't it?
Absolutely, I can remember times when there were 300 sails on the water in El Yaque. Today there are only a few locals who populate the beach at weekends and on public holidays. But things are slowly getting better again. There are flights via Caracas to Isla Magarita again, and there should soon be a direct flight from Madrid to Porlamar on the island. I would like to boost windsurfing tourism again and open windsurfing centres in El Yaque and on Los Roques. It's a real shame, there's wind every day in El Yaque, there are still lovely hotels on the beach and I'm working hard to get more windsurfers there again.
What are your sporting goals this year - to finally become world champion in the wave?
Like every year (laughs)! I've been fighting for it for 15 years. I've often been so close, I've been second, third or fourth a dozen times, I've actually always been ready for the title. Even this year. I'm going to the last event in Maui as the leader in the world rankings. I'm trying not to worry too much. But Maui is my home now, which is certainly an advantage. However, Maui is also home to a lot of other good guys like Brawzinho or Bernd Roediger. A lot can happen on Maui and I can only do my best and then hope that it's enough. As I said, I try not to think about it too much.
What do you think went wrong that it hasn't been enough to win the title yet, even though you are without doubt one of the best wave surfers at almost every spot in the world? Sometimes I get the feeling that, especially when your heat doesn't start well for you, you get nervous and seem almost headless.
That was probably often the case five or six years ago. But I think I've grown up a lot in competition. One of my real weak points is definitely surfing in onshore winds like on Sylt with big sails. I just can't enjoy windsurfing there. And to be honest, I've also had bad luck a few times, partly with the conditions, partly with the judging. Sometimes they go ahead with contests even though I don't think the conditions are good enough. It was the same last year in Pozo in my heat for the podium against Marc Paré. Marc had his two jumps in the box on the first outbound, while I spent ten minutes searching in vain for a good ramp. At our level, when you're riding against Marc or Marcilio or Philip, a simple forward isn't enough, you have to deliver top jumps. So I dropped down the rankings in Pozo and the dream of the title was over again. But I'm not looking back, I'm going for it again this year.
This year, the PWA and IWT are organising a joint wave tour for the first time. This means there are more competitions at some very good spots.
Of course it's great that there are now events in Fiji, Chile and Peru, but it's not all good. From the IWT side, I sometimes lack the understanding that we are professionals and don't just want to travel around the world and windsurf in great places for fun. We also have to earn a living from the sport, we have contracts that have to be honoured. I wish they would listen to us at the PWA a bit so that everything has a more professional standard. But basically it's important that we have more events at spots with different conditions. In the end, the world champion should be the one who is best overall in all conditions. Let's see how it goes from there.
You are now 38 years old and are now one of the experienced pros on the wave tour. Who do you think are the best youngsters to follow?
There is certainly Marc Paré, who is currently in the top three and one of those who can still become world champion this year. You have to remember that he's only 25 years old, but he's been around for a long time and his surfing is very "mature". He trains very intensively, tests equipment and is very focussed in the heat. But there are also other young riders. Baptiste Cloarec or Marino Gil and Liam Dunkerbeck from Pozo. Julian Salmonn is a ripper when riding downwind from the left. But Lennart Neubauer should also be one to watch in the coming years, not only in freestyle but also in waves. The standard has become incredibly high among the youngsters.
Are you already thinking about ending your professional career at your age?
It's hard to say. It depends on a lot of things. I really don't know yet how long I want to and can continue doing this.
You're from Brazil, but you're competing for Venezuela. Why is that?
I have a Brazilian passport, but everything that I am, I became in Venezuela. Isla Magarita made me what I am. I learnt everything there. My mum still lives there.
Do you still go there often?
It's not so easy at the moment. Due to the sanctions, there are no direct flights from the USA, so I always have to fly via the Dominican Republic to get to Caracas. But I only visited my mum recently.
Would you like to return to Isla Magarita one day?
I would like to help get more windsurfers there again. As I mentioned, things are changing and it's getting easier to get there again. There are still rumours that it is extremely dangerous in Venezuela. But I don't think that's true.
I could imagine that I might also open a centre on Los Roques. It's a wonderful place. Los Roques consists of several hundred small islands and is located around 160 kilometres north of Caracas. It's incredible how beautiful the water colours are there, all shades of blue and turquoise and crystal clear. There are also some really good waves. However, some of them are not without danger. One reef is also called "Gillette" - it's easy to see why(laughs). I did some riding technique camps there a few years ago and the people were really enthusiastic. Maybe something will come up there. We'll see. For now, though, I'm going straight to Maui and trying to finally become world champion at the Aloha Classic.
Good luck, I think a lot of people are keeping their fingers crossed for you. You deserve it.
We conducted the interview during the World Cup on Sylt. The Aloha Classic on Maui ended shortly before the editorial deadline and it is clear that Ricardo's dream was once again shattered at the last moment. A visibly crestfallen Ricardo said afterwards in tears: "It will be hard to come to terms with. It was really close this year and my last heat was my best here at the Aloha Classic. I've been so close so many times, it's really frustrating. I'm 38 years old now - I wanted to win this title at least once in my life. I'm still up there, let's see what happens next year."
