Wednesday, October 22 – Gáldar, Gran Canaria, Spain
After a few days on hold waiting for better wave conditions, the organizers decided to resume the competition today.
At 10:45 AM local time, day four of the event kicked off in the waters of Gáldar. While the waves weren’t perfect, we still saw some solid action and impressive moves from riders in both divisions.
The standouts of the day were France’s Louka Zaninotto in the Junior division and Brazil’s Uri Valadão in the Men’s.
MEN’S DIVISION – ROUND 5 (Elimination Round)
In this do-or-die round, the athletes had one last shot to stay in the comp—and for some, the world title was literally on the line.
The first heat was super tight and intense. Brazil’s Uri Valadão, current world number one, was sitting in fourth until the final minutes. Then he threw down a massive backflip that scored an 8.5—the best wave of the day—keeping his world title hopes alive. Fellow title contender Gabriel Braga also did what he had to do, advancing in second. Peru’s Miguel Rodríguez and Arthur Buggle are out of the event.
In heat two, young Portuguese rider Joel Rodrigues lit it up with a killer left-hand backflip that scored an 8.0, the second-best wave of the day. France’s Yann Salaün kept his strong form and came in second. Out of the comp: France’s Yon Aimar and Spain’s Gabriel Mendoza.
We saw our first major upset in the title race as Moroccan rider Badr Eddine Chajri was eliminated. Despite a solid performance, he couldn’t get the result he needed, ending his run for the world title. Still, he’s had an incredible season and has definitely been one of 2025’s breakout stars. On the flip side, fellow Moroccan Brahim Iddouch had a great heat, taking first place just half a point ahead of France’s Jeremy Arnoux. South Africa’s Hugo Naudé is out.
The last heat of the round featured some of the event’s biggest surprises. Local rider Lionel Medina, the 2021 Frontón King champ, took first and showed why he’s still a force. Right behind him was another local standout Borja Granados, who’s been on fire since round one. The eliminations in this heat were tough: current junior world champ Alexander Montes and Peru’s Jorge Saavedra are both out.
JUNIOR MEN’S DIVISION – QUARTERFINALS
In the Junior division, we saw two four-man heats—basically the quarterfinals—leading up to tomorrow’s head-to-head semifinals.
Once again, Chile’s Cristóbal Tobar showed his serious potential, comfortably taking first with a strong total score. Italy’s Damiano Bonazzi came in second, missing the top spot by just 0.30. Chile’s Bastián Venegas and local rider Néstor Reyes are out.
In the second heat, one of the event favorites, France’s Louka Zaninotto, absolutely crushed it. He posted the best total score of the day—15.65. Local Spanish rider Alberto Pérez claimed second place with a last-minute backflip that got the crowd on their feet right before the final horn. Peru’s Luciano Campos missed out by just 0.15 points in a great performance, and one of the big favorites, Australia’s Jai Taylor, is also out.
After the junior quarterfinals, the technical team decided to pause the event due to the high tide and worsening conditions. After waiting an hour and a half, they called it for the day. Next call is tomorrow, Thursday the 23rd at 9:00 AM local time.
Both IBC World Tour titles are still up for grabs, with only 4 riders left in Junior and 24 in the Men’s division. No doubt—things are heating up and the show’s just getting started.
Gran Canaria Frontón King 2025, organized by Epic Events, is supported by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria through the Instituto Insular de Deportes, Gran Canaria Tourism, and the Presidency Department, along with partners like Gáldar City Council, Citroën, BeGreen, Corona, Munchitos, Bluetti, RedBull, Ozeano, Grupo Félix Santiago Melián, Link Store, Fitness Park, Our Style Canarias, and Loype Eventos.
You can catch the live stream and full coverage on the official website and social media channels.
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