DAY 2 TAGHAZOUT BAY / MOROCCAN RIDERS TAKE OVER THE COMPETITION

The second day of competition at Taghazout Bay kicked off at 9:30 AM local time. The wave conditions took a turn for the worse compared to yesterday, with smaller waves and the wind blowing in a less favorable direction. Still, the Junior Men showed their versatility and ability to adapt to all kinds of conditions, which is what truly defines champions.

Today, Rounds 3 and 4 of the Junior Men Rising Series took place, making significant progress, leaving just one more day of competition for this category. It’s worth noting the incredibly high level of talent coming out of Morocco, which once again proves that the future of bodyboarding in this country is bright.


JUNIOR MEN RISING SERIES DAY 2

ROUND 3

Only 24 athletes are left in the competition, and the level of intensity among the competitors is ramping up with each round. This round consists of heats with 3 competitors, where the top two advance to Round 4. The Moroccan athletes have been the big surprise in this round, with 9 out of the 16 riders moving on being locals.

In the first heat of the day, Moroccan Tarfaoui Souhail came in first, beating out Frenchman Victor Roux, while Peruvian Lucciano Alba was eliminated.

Athanae Blanchard from France and Hajji Yassine from Morocco made it to the round of 16, sending Frenchman Peyo Alberola packing.

Heat 3 was dominated by Moroccans Moumou Hamza, who took first, and Tchatou Rachid, who knocked out Frenchman Louis Fery.

Among the standout scores in this round was Moroccan El Moutaouakil Adam with a total of 12 points. Frenchman Louka Zaninotto advanced in second place, bumping Portuguese Pedro Areias to third.

Damiano Bonazzi also scored 12 points, with local Izikki Youssef moving on in second place, leaving Spanish rider Yahel Benítez out of the competition.

The rising star of the juniors, John Krige from South Africa, advanced in first place, solidifying his bid for the championship. Elgharbaoui Younes also made it through, while Federico Castelo from Portugal was eliminated.

Heat 7 was super tight and exciting! The French rider Mael Martínez came out on top. The second spot went to the young athlete from Portugal, Vicente Campos. Unfortunately, the Moroccan Laabi Sami, who had the best wave of the competition with an 8.5, ended up getting a interference call and had to say goodbye to the contest, even though he showed an incredible level of skill.

The last heat of this round featured Agouzul Abdelkarim, who advanced in first with a score of 11.8, closely followed by another favorite, Spanish rider Mauro Quesada, who scored 11 points. Frenchman Mertens Robin wrapped up his competition with a solid performance.

ROUND 4

In this round, which is like the round of 16, they kicked off the man-on-man heats, where the top 16 battled it out for a spot in the final day of competition. The 25-minute heats were super intense, and the excitement was definitely in the air.


The first man-on-man heat featured two Moroccans, Tarfaoui Souhail against Hajji Yassine, with Tarfaoui moving on to the quarterfinals. The second matchup was between two French riders, Athanae Blanchard and Victor Roux, and it was a nail-biter—only 0.60 points separated them, giving Athanae the win.

The third heat was a real thriller, with just 0.25 points between the final scores. French rider Louka Zaninotto took the win with a total of 11.85, edging out Moroccan Moumou Hamza, who scored 11.6.

In the fourth heat, it was another Moroccan showdown. El Moutaouakil Adam, who’s been showing a high level of skill over the past two days, took first place with a solid score of 13.4 points, sending Tchatou Rachid home after a good performance.


Moroccan Elgharbaoui Younes beat Italian Damiano Bonazo, proving he’s another title contender with his explosive style, adding to the list of locals making it to the quarterfinals.

In a surprising twist, one of the standout performers of the championship, South African John Krige, got eliminated after a great showing. Moroccan Izikki Youssef moved on to the next round, solidifying his title bid at Taghazout Bay.

Canary Islands rider Mauro Vivanco didn’t disappoint in his heat, advancing with the best score of the day at 14.25 points, showing he’s a strong title contender. Unfortunately, French rider Mael Martínez didn’t make it through, despite showcasing a polished style.

The last heat of the day had Moroccan Agouzul Abdelkarim going up against Portuguese Vicente Campos. This time, Agouzul came out on top and secured a spot among the top 8 in the Junior Men Division.

That wrapped up the competition for today, with 5 Moroccan athletes making it into the final 8. It’s clear that the level of bodyboarding in this country is incredibly high.

Tomorrow, we’ll have the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the big final, where we’ll find out who the new Junior Men Division champion of Morocco Taghazout Bay 2025 will be.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s action—it’s going to be a show with the best juniors! Remember, you can catch the event live and check out all the content on the various social media platforms and the official IBC World Tour website.

www.ibcworldtour.com

Instagram: ibcworld_tour

Main Organisers:

@fedesurfmaroc

@taghazoutbay.officiel

@ibcworld_tour

@imouransurf

Key Sponsors:

@CR.SOUSSMASSA

@taghazoutbay.officiel

@redbullmoroc

@pridebodyboards

@ripcurl_morocco

@Tikida hotels

@radissonblutaghazoutbay

Local Partners:

@Aanzabluewaves

@newgenerationsurfassociation

@TaghazoutBoardRiders

@RDTRSoussMassa

@crtagadirsm

#WorldBodyboard #ibc2025 #TaghazoutBay #AnzaWaves  #BodyboardingMorocco #RideTheWaves #AnchorPointAdventure #bodyboard #bodyboarding #ibcworldtour #visitagadir #visitruralmorocco

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