Wednesday, October 15 — Gáldar, Gran Canaria, Spain
- Robin Legros from Réunion Island stole the show in the Men’s Division, landing a huge inverted air that blew the crowd away.
- In Junior Men, Chileans Cristóbal Tobar and Mikelle Arriagada dominated — Tobar scored the best wave of the day, with Arriagada close behind.
After several flat-surf days, the beast finally woke up. The long-awaited first day of competition delivered perfect conditions.
The final stop of the IBC World Tour kicked off right at 8 a.m. local time, the event that will crown this year’s world champions in both Men and Junior Men divisions.
Sets were rolling in at around three meters, straight from the northwest — prime direction for El Frontón’s volcanic reef — and it was non-stop barrels and ramps all day.
Organizers opened the show with the Junior Men Division, running a non-elimination first round since all riders are still in the hunt for the world title after qualifying through the Rising Series stops in Chile, Morocco, Australia and Spain.
All 128 athletes from 16 countries came fired up to put on their best performance for the world to see.
The action is on in beautiful Gáldar!
Round 1 – Junior Men Division (Non-elimination)
In this opening round, the top two from each heat advanced straight to Round 3, while the others got a second chance in Round 2.
Heat 1 set the tone early — the juniors went all-in, slashing lips, threading barrels and throwing airs from the very first horn.
Standout of the day was Chile’s Cristóbal Tobar, who pulled into a deep barrel and followed it up with a clean roll for a 9.5, the highest single-wave score.
Fellow Chilean Mikelle Arriagada wasn’t far behind with an 8.5, making it clear he’s here to chase the world title.
France’s Louka Zaninotto posted the best combined total of the division — 14.75 points — showing solid control both left and right and putting everyone on notice.
Round 1 – Men’s Division
This trials round was packed with drama and jaw-dropping moves, probably one of the toughest Round 1s on tour this season.
Top performer of the day: Robin Legros, the Réunion Island rider who’s been based in Canary Islands for years, aka “Robin Airlines.” Once again he showed insane aerial control, posting the highest heat total and pulling off the near-impossible — a Reverse Invert worth 9 points, a move now up for the Red Bull Banana Challenge ($1,000 for the most radical air of the event). He also nailed a perfect Reverse Air 8.25.
Local Gáldar rider William Luján also impressed, easily advancing with deep barrels and backflips for a 15.85 heat total, the second best of the round.
Canarian riders Jun Polo and Yone Armas showed strong form too, throwing down big scores and keeping their momentum for the next rounds.
After eight Men’s heats, organizers sent the Junior Men repechage back out — the waves just kept firing.
Round 2 – Junior Men Division (Repechage)
Second chance for the juniors, and what a setting — perfect waves, blue skies, and heavy barrels.
Round 2 ran in two parts: two heats before the low-tide break, then three more through sunset.
Standouts included Australia’s Jai Taylor with a 12.90 total, Lanzarote’s Dia Polo and Canarian Álvaro Hernández both scoring 12.25, Chile’s Martin Fischer (11.35) and Portugal’s Frederico Castelo (11.45). All of them won their heats.
Mission accomplished for local heroes Erik Vega, Adrián Santana, Jesús Mendoza and Stephen Jonathan, who all moved on to Round 3 — along with France’s Louis Fery.
The day wrapped up under an epic sunset and the roar of El Frontón’s waves, promising even more action tomorrow.
The tech committee has called for check-in at 7:15 a.m. and first horn around 8:00 a.m. local time.
You can catch the live stream and full coverage on the official website and social media channels.
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