On an emotionally charged Sunday night, João Paulo Velasco clinched the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Brazilian Bull Riding Championship title in the arena at the Barretos Cowboy Festival. The PBR National Finals took place from August 20 to 23, awarding over 700,000 reais in prize money at the country's most famous arena.
Living up to his status as a favorite, the 21-year-old talent representing Paranaíta, Mato Grosso, left the Barretos arena with a total of half a million reais in prizes, including a brand-new Mitsubishi Triton Katana pickup truck and a 200,000-reais cash bonus. Including earnings from the 21 events in which he competed, he wrapped up the season with total prize winnings of 890,000 reais.
I am overjoyed with this achievement, especially here in the Barretos arena. Becoming a PBR champion was a dream of mine, and today I made it a reality. I faced some tough moments during the season, but I never stopped believing in my potential. I want to thank my family, my friends, and everyone who roots for me for never letting me give up," the champion declared.
Velasco entered the championship finals leading the rankings, meaning his title hopes rested solely on his own performance. Although he did not score on the second night of competition, the young talent finished the event with four other qualified rides and placed second in the final round, earning enough points to secure his place in the PBR Brazil hall of champions.
Throughout the season, he won four events and scored in every competition he entered, successfully riding 52 of the 79 bulls he faced a 65.8% success rate. The athlete will soon head to the United States, having been signed by the Kansas City Outlaws, a team in the PBR Team Series.
The runner-up in the Brazilian Championship rankings was another young talent, Gabriel Henrique da Silva (Lagoa Formosa, MG); he won the final event and was also named the season's Rookie of the Year. At just 19 years old, the rider from Minas Gerais was the only athlete to successfully ride all five bulls he faced over the weekend, finishing his debut season with over 150,000 reais in earnings.
Rounding out the season's Top 5 were Warley de Oliveira (Aparecida do Taboado, MS) who contended for the Brazilian title right up to the final night and finished third in the rankings followed by Dimas Neto (Crixás, GO) in fourth place and Cléber Henrique Marques (Cassilândia, MS) in fifth.
Sunday night also saw the bull Mandraque Jr., owned by Paulo Emílio, claim the "Bull of the Year" title for the second consecutive year, after finishing the decisive event with an average score of 44.90 points across his performances. With this title, the bull's owner secured a 100,000-real bonus through a partnership between the PBR and Connan Nutrição Animal.
The "Stock Contractor of the Year" award was also presented in the Barretos arena, going for the second consecutive year to breeder Chiquinho Nucci, owner of Cia. Califórnia. This award is determined by a vote of the 25 athletes who competed in the National Finals, based on the bull roster they deemed the best throughout the season.
In a season marking its 20th anniversary in Brazil, Professional Bull Riders held 33 events leading up to the National Finals, distributing over 3.5 million reais in prize money to competitors. The new PBR season in Brazil kicks off between September 1 and 3 during the Camaru Rodeo in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais.
1 Gabriel Henrique da Silva (Lagoa Formosa-MG) 438.20 points
2 João Paulo Velasco (Paranaíta-MT) 351.80 points
3 Dimas Neto (Crixás-GO) 345.10 points
4 Lucas Araújo (Cantagalo-MG) 260.80 points
5 Warley de Oliveira (Ap. do Taboado-MS) 260.20 points
Text by Alberto Gonzaga, taken from the PBR Brazil website
