Exciting Start to the 2024 Antofagasta Bodyboard Festival: Women’s and Junior Divisions Kick Off

With a historic number of registrations, the 2024 Antofagasta Bodyboard Festival (ABF) kicked off on Tuesday, marking the fourth stage of the International Bodyboarding Corporation (IBC) World Tour. The event will run until May 26th.

Over the course of 13 days, Playa Llacolén will host the world’s best bodyboarders as they take on the challenging “Cúpula de Poder” wave. Competitors will vie for crucial points and a share of the $90,000 prize pool across the Junior Women, Junior Men, Open Men, Open Women, and Drop Knee (DK) categories.

The competition commenced at 8:00 AM with the Junior Men’s category, where Mauro Quesada from the Canary Islands emerged as a standout performer, securing the highest score in his category and positioning himself as a strong contender.

In the Open Women’s category, Paloma Freyggang from Viña del Mar delivered an impressive performance, achieving the highest score among competitors from Brazil, Costa Rica, Portugal, and Argentina.

The Junior Women’s category saw an outstanding performance by Emiliana González from Iquique, who secured the top score of the day, outperforming competitors from Hawaii, Brazil, Peru, and Portugal. Reflecting on her performance, González said: “It was a fantastic day. Despite the challenging conditions, I managed to finish first. I believe this is the result of my consistent training on various waves around the world. The ‘Cúpula de Poder’ wave is very powerful and allows for excellent combinations of aerial and base maneuvers.”

The competitions will continue daily until May 26th. In addition to the sporting events, there will be various community and family-oriented activities, including performances by local and national bands such as Zaturno (formerly of Tiro de Gracia) on Saturday, May 25th, and Chystemc on the final day, May 26th. All activities are free of charge.