VITALS

Height: 5'6" (170 cm)

Weight: 154 lbs (70 kg)

Stance: Natural

Sponsors: Billabong wetsuits and clothing, TMN mobile, Von Zipper eyewear, Nixon watches, Red Bull energy drinks, Pukas surfboards and Ericeira Surf Shop

Shaper: Chili, Christian Bradley, Eric Arakawa

Magic Stick: 5'11" x 18 3/16" x 2 3/16"

Training Ground: Ericeira

Favorite Wave: Coxos, Cave and Safi

Favorite Maneuver: Tubes and Carves

Inspirations: Tom Carroll and Kelly Slater

CAREER

2010 Rating: 13

2010 Points: 5500

2010 earnings: $14,500.00

Career earnings: $406,150.00

Highest Rating: 24th in 2009

Elite Inception: 2008

Years on Tour: 2010 will be Tiago's 3rd year on the ASP World Tour

Sabbatical: None yet

Rating by Year:
2009: 24th
2008: 31st

Filmography: Coming soon�

Honor Roll: Euosima Athlete of the Year (2007)

Elite Victories: (0)

Other Victories: (4)
- Buondi Billabong Pro, Ericeira, Portugal ' ASP 5 Star (2006)
- Buondi Billabong Pro, Ericeira, Portugal ' ASP 6-Star (2005)
- Irago Pro pres. by Billabong, Japan ' ASP 5-Star (2002)
- Gaia Shopping Buondi Pro, Portugal ' ASP 3-Star (2000)

BIO

2009:
The first ever and sole Portuguese on the ASP World Tour is back after a testing first year and several close losses that forced him to secure his requalification via the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) where he finished No. 13. Pires, a national hero in Portugal, faced the world's best surfers with great determination and skill and won an immense amount of respect after he became the first surfer on tour to break 9X ASP World Champion Kelly Slater's domination in the first half of the year in 2008 at the Rip Curl Pro Search in Indonesia, before finding his way up to the Semifinals of the event, the best result of his career.

"The Portuguese Tiger", as he is affectionately known, is into his second year on tour and there is a good chance that the natural-footer from Portugal's renowned surfing town of Ericeira will be stronger than ever in 2009. Having impressed the ASP Top 45 in Tahiti and Indonesia with great backhand tuberides, locations where he was expected least to perform, Pires has yet to show his righthand pointbreak attack to the rest of his ASP Dream Tour fellows and with more confidence and experience, he has a second chance to improve and hopefully unleash his beautiful on-the-rail surfing at Snapper Rocks, Bells Beach and J-Bay. Asset No. 3 of 5 of the European crew, Pires will be part of the biggest European crew ever to compete on the ASP World Tour.