Back in 2021, we were still coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, so we couldn’t do the full tour this year, but we did manage to hold some events.
This year, the world champions in DropKnee and Junior Men divisions were crowned.
Here’s a rundown of what we did in 2021, the different events, and the champions.
A big thank you to all the riders and promoters for making it happen during such a tough year.
JULY 2021
THE TAND INVITATIONAL (SOUTH AFRICA)
Competitors were greeted with solid waves and beautiful sunny conditions — the famous “Tand” in South Africa came alive!
The surfers shined in the heavy conditions, with big tubes and ramps. Jared Houston, Iain Campbell, Tristan Roberts, and Mark McCarthy all did great, making it to the finals. Despite Jared Houston’s strong effort, Tristan Roberts proved to be the best and took home the Tand Invitational 2021 title.
Tand Invitational Champion 2021
TRISTAN ROBERTS (South Africa)
Photo: © Craig Kolesky
SEPTEMBER 2021
SINTRA PORTUGAL PRO WORLD CUP / 25TH ANNIVERSARY
In 2021, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Sintra Bodyboard Pro in Portugal — the longest-running event on the world tour, making it a major highlight of our sport.
In Sintra, the world title in DropKnee was decided in a super close final, featuring Hawaiian riders Sammy Morretino and Dave Hubbard. Sammy Morretino was crowned the 2021 DropKnee World Champion.
It’s worth noting that for the first time, a Women’s Pro Junior event was held — even though it wasn’t part of the tour points, it was a first step toward including this division in the world tour years later.
Plus, the Junior Men, Women, and Men divisions also took place.
DROPKNEE WORLD CHAMPION 2021
SAMMY MORRETINO (Hawaii)
Women Champion
SARI OHHARA (Japan)
Men Champion
URI VALADAO (Brazil)
Men’s Pro Junior Champion
DAVID PÉREZ (Spain)
Women’s Pro Junior Champion
MADALENA PADRELA (Portugal)
OCTOBER 2021
GRAN CANARIA FRONTÓN KING WORLD CUP
In 2021, the World Circuit made its comeback to the Frontón, which had the honor of crowning, for the first time in its history, the junior world champion. The young rider from Cantabria, Luis Tausía, achieved this feat, also being crowned as the King of the Frontón. It was undoubtedly the best final in recent years, with packed stands and incredible conditions, and Pierre Louis Costes took home the championship title. The Gran Canaria Frontón King is, without a doubt, one of the best shows in the world.
Junior Men’s WORLD CHAMPION
LUIS TAUSIA (Spain)
King of Frontón 2021
PIERRE LOUIS COSTES (France)
DECEMBER 2021
PRIDE ANNAËLLE CHALLENGE
The seventh edition of this invitational contest took place in December in Brittany, in the northwest of France. Just a heads-up, it’s an event where only 16 riders are invited — the top locals, the best athletes from France, and the top international bodyboarders.The event went down exactly as expected, with mutant waves and super high-level surfing that put on an awesome show.
French surfer Pierre Louis Costes wrapped up the year with a new win in an epic final. His fellow Frenchman Yann Salaün was right behind him, taking second place. The third spot went to the great Canary Islander Lionel Medina, and Jéremy Arnaux from France finished in fourth.
Annaëlle Challenge Champion 2021
PIERRE LOUIS COSTES (France)
Stay tuned for the third part of the IBC World Tour History series, with a recap of 2022!