Vieira Will be in Jaguariúna as PBR Brazil Kicks off 2022 Season with Fans in Attendance
By: Jorge Cardoso
JAGUARIÚNA – PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Brazil returns to the city of Jaguariúna in São Paulo on Dec. 3-4 for another edition of the main bull riding championship in the country. This will be the first event of the 2022 season and marks the return of the public to the arenas.
“The partnership with Jaguariúna has been going on for many years and is very important for PBR Brazil,” said Adriano Moraes, three-time PBR World Champion and current director of the company in Brazil. “Being in this arena with an audience and the best competitors in the country is to start the 2022 season in the best possible way.”
The points earned by competitors during this event will be valid for the PBR World Championship, which takes place annually in the United States. At the PBR World Finals, which will take place in Forth Worth, Texas, in May, the champion can earn $1.3 million, the equivalent of more than $7 million reais.
The stage in Jaguariúna will consist of three rounds of competition. On Dec. 3, 25 riders compete for the points by means of one ride each. On Dec. 4, during the second round, they seek to add points with the night before, and the eight highest-scoring athletes qualify for the final round. The champion has the highest sum of points at the end. $32,000 reais in prizes will be distributed.
This is the 16th edition of the PBR Brazil event in Jaguariúna, held since 2006, when the company arrived in the country.
VIEIRA CONFIRMS HE WILL BE IN JAGUARIÚNA
Fresh off a fourth-place finish in the 2021 world standings, João Ricardo Vieira, 37, is confirmed for Jaguariúna. He arrived in Brazil on Nov. 15 to spend the end-of-the-year festivities with his family and compete in the event.
“It is very important to compete in Jaguariúna because it is an event that already counts points for the world ranking, which starts in January in the United States; we can start at the front,” Vieira said. “I’m focused on next year, working hard to get everything started. I’m also very happy to know that the audience is returning to the arenas because it gives more emotion to the event.”
In 2021, Vieira was directly competing for the world title, but the victory went to another Brazilian, José Vitor Leme.
Born in Itatinga, in São Paulo, Vieira had a riding percentage of 43.88% after attempting 98 bulls and riding 43 throughout the year, competing on the premier series.
Considered one of the best-prepared athletes in the world, Vieira began competing in PBR Brazil in 2012. The first event of the main series that year was precisely in Jaguariúna, and Vieira placed third overall.
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