The third day of competition at the Itacoatiara Pro 2024 took place today in perfect conditions, marking a crucial day as we head into the final stages of the event.
The final event of the South American leg, which will close the first semester of the IBC World Tour, is coming to an end, and the emotions couldn’t be any more intense.
With the competition reduced to 24 riders, it was essential for competitors to advance through today’s rounds 5 and 6 to secure a spot in the Finals Day. Despite the anticipated dropping swell, Itacoatiara Beach presented us with pumping waves all morning, allowing us to keep the schedule as planned. The objective was clear for all riders: win 2 heats and advance to the Quarter-Finals.
The day started with a bang. With head-high waves and double overhead sets, the usual suspects put on a show for all the bodyboarding fans from the very start, setting the tone for the rest of the day.
As expected, the first heat featuring Dave Hubbard, Sacha Damjanic, and Sérgio Machado established the judges scale for the rest of the day. Hawaiian Dave Hubbard found the best wave of the heat, scoring a combined 7.75 points with a 4.90 backup score, advancing in first position alongside Chilean Sacha Damjanic to the Man-on-Man stage.
However, it was in the following heat that the excellent scores started to emerge, thanks to the skill and technique of Pierre Louis Costes, the Frenchman living in Portugal. Early in the morning, PLC achieved the highest single and total score of the day. First, with a big air reverse off the lip worth 9.75 points, adding it to his previous wave score of 7.10, totaling 16.85 points and surpassing Ethan Capdeville and Micheel Yancee’s 16.75 points.
In heat 3 of round 5, we saw more high scores, with former Junior Men’s World Champion Sócrates Santana scoring 9.25 points and Frenchman Amaury Lavernhe, residing in the Canary Islands, securing a 9-point ride, finishing first in the heat with a total of 16.25 points, followed by Sócrates. Later in this round, current world number 3, Armide Soliveres, performed consistently at a high level throughout the heat, finishing with scores of 8.00 and 7.25, totaling 15.25 points.
Following this, we moved into the Man-on-Man stage. Once again, Amaury Lavernhe, Sócrates Santana, and Armide Soliveres stood out, each finishing with scores between the 7 and 8 points range.
Sócrates Santana was the highlight of Round 6, achieving a combined score of 15.00 points (7.00+8.00).
On the other hand, we saw some big names eliminated before the Finals Day, including current world number 1 Gabriel Braga, Peruvian sensation Micheel Yancee, former Itacoatiara Pro champion Moisés Silva, and Dave Hubbard.
Tomorrow, we expect to run the Finals Day of competition at the Itacoatiara Pro 2024, a decisive day that will close the first semester of the year for the Men’s Division as well as theIBC World Tour South American Leg.
We anticipate a morning full of action and head-high perfection to close the event in style, likely resulting in a shake-up in the rankings as we may head to the Maldives with a new Ranking Leader.
The call will be at 6:30 am local time for a possible 7:15 am start with the quarter-finals, where stacked heats are set and ready to go.
Quarter Finals
Heat 1: Isaias Ravyc(BRA) X Pierre Louis Costes (FRA)
Heat 2: Amaury Lavernhe (FRA) X Sócrates Santana (BRA)
Heat 3: Tristan Roberts (ZAF) X Ethan Capdeville (FRA)
Heat 4: Uri Valadão (BRA) X Armide Soliveres (SPN/CNY)
All photos by: ©TonyDAndrea
© 2024 IBCWorldTour.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to IBCWorldTour.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
