Wednesday, June 25th, El Morro, Punta 2, Iquique, Chile.
It’s time for the Junior Men! Remember that this year, the IBC changed the format for juniors and created the Rising Series. These competitions have much lower requirements than the Prime Series. The goal is to encourage juniors from each continent to focus on their academic training while also reducing their expenses.
All Junior Rising Series events held throughout the year are qualifying heats for the big final, with only 48 spots available at the Gran Canaria Frontón King in October, in Gáldar, Gran Canaria, Spain.
The highly anticipated event for juniors started at 7:30 am local time. It was a one-day competition, beginning with the round of 16, featuring 28 competitors. Today’s waves were super powerful — some of the biggest of the entire event — and the young surfers put on an incredible show, full of motivation and energy.
ROUND OF 16
All heats had 4 surfers, with the top 2 advancing to the next round, and the 3rd and 4th eliminated. The level was really high, with everyone aiming to make it to the quarterfinals.
Chileans stood out in this round. The best performance was by Mikelle Arriagada, the current Junior champion in Iquique, defending his title with a total score of 15.25. Other notable surfers were Estiben Godoy and Bastian Venegas, both performing flawlessly and scoring over 15 points. Also advancing were Felipe Llaja, Martín Fischer, and Cristóbal Tobar. International qualifiers included Jesús Mendoza from Peru and Jai Taylor from Australia.
QUARTERFINALS
The competition got tougher with only the top 16 surfers left. It was action-packed, with powerful waves and brave performances.
The first heat was very close — the top surfers finished less than a point apart. Chile’s Thomas Araya took first place, with fellow Chilean Felipe Llaja in second, both achieving their goals. Peru’s Jesús Mendoza finished just 0.15 points behind in third.
The second heat was intense, featuring Brazilian Guilherme Montenegro, who finished first, and Australian Jai Taylor, both favorites for the title. Estiben Godoy couldn’t advance this time.
Mikelle Arriagada once again showed his skills, finishing first with the event’s highest score of 17.50 and earning his first perfect 10 with a deep tube that got the crowd roaring. Bastian Venegas, the local from La Punta 2, finished second.
In the last heat of this round, Peruvian Cristóbal Dávila performed at his best and qualified for the semifinals as the top in his heat. Chilean Matías Cáceres finished just 0.60 points behind in second.
SEMIFINALS
Eight surfers remained, fighting for a spot in the Iquique final and a place in the Grand Final at Gran Canaria Frontón King.
Guilherme Montenegro took first again in a tight heat against Jai Taylor — a mirror of their previous matchup, both proving they’re true finalists. Chile’s Felipe Llaja finished third, and local Thomas Araya was fourth, both showing their high level despite not making it to the final.
The second semifinal was even more exciting. Mikelle Arriagada advanced as the top scorer once again, making him the favorite. Bastian Venegas also made it through, both earning a spot in the final for the second year in a row. Peru’s Cristóbal Dávila finished third, ending his run in fifth place overall, and Chile’s Matías Cáceres was fourth.
FINAL / JUNIOR MEN RISING SERIES
The tide dropped quite a bit, but the waves kept their good size, which changed the conditions—making the left side better and the right side super dangerous. It’s clear that to be champions, riders need to be versatile and able to compete in both directions and different conditions.
It was an incredible final where all four competitors pushed themselves to the max. Just a reminder, in the final we had two Chileans, Mikelle Arriagada and Bastian Venegas, an Australian, Jai Taylor, and a Brazilian, Guilherme Montenegro.
It was a super close and exciting heat right up until the last minute. Gotta give props to these young guys—they were brave and focused, taking risks on a super sharp reef with huge waves.
The fourth place went to local Iquique native Bastian Venegas, who’s already made it to the final again after finishing second last year. In the final seconds, Bastian went for a big right and pulled off a deep tube. He came out of the foam but couldn’t finish it because the volcanic low tide at Punta 2 was completely dry.
Third place went to the young Australian Jai Taylor, who already won the Maldives event last year and is coming in strong, representing his country. Jai went for the rights and took some big risks, doing several airs and tricks on the dry reef, but didn’t quite get the score he wanted. Still, he was happy with a podium finish and third place.
Second place went to one of the best juniors in the world—little Guilherme Montenegro. He showed he can surf just as well on both sides. He was in the lead many times, fought until the very end, and scored the best of the final—a sick left backflip that earned him an 8-point score.
MIKELLE ARRIAGADA CHAMPION OF THE JUNIOR RISING SERIES AT THE IQUIQUE BODYBOARD PRO 2025
Mikelle Arriagada, the rider from Quisco in Chile’s fifth region, took the win again for the second year in a row, putting on an epic show in an unforgettable final. Mikelle scored 7 points doing two left roll maneuvers, and at the end, he managed to get the biggest wave of the final—a left with a perfect aerial roll that wowed the crowd.
Mikelle said: “I feel super happy, I can’t even put into words how I feel. Bastian is like my brother, and I’m really happy to share the final with him. It’s my last year as a junior, and the next category is gonna be tougher, but I won’t lower my level. Thanks to everyone who’s supported me from the start—my sponsors, my family, and my girlfriend for believing in my crazy dream.”
OFFICIAL RESULTS
JUNIOR MEN RISING SERIES IQUIQUE BODYBOARD PRO 2025
1st: MIKELLE ARRIAGADA (Chile)
2nd: GUILHERME MONTENEGRO (Brazil)
3rd: JAI TAYLOR (Australia)
4th: BASTIAN VENEGAS (Chile)
Next up on the IBC World Tour is in South Gold Coast, Australia, on July 5-6, at the FUTURE PRO’S JUNIOR MEN RISING SERIES.
Thanks to everyone who made this possible — organizers, the entire staff, sponsors, public entities, athletes, and of course, our incredible audience!
PRESENTED BY:
@municipalidad_iquique
ORGANIZED BY:
@Cormudepi
SPONSORED BY:
@Zofri_sa
@Erizosurfbrand
@hotelcavancha
@kine_vitta
@IbisIquique
COLLABORATORS:
@clubheaven.cl
@redsaludcchc
@salvavidas_iquique
@chiringuitocavancha.cl
@lajuanaiqq
@agua.manantial
@mariadelmarcafe
@erizosstore
You can follow the event live and everything related to the IBC World Tour through the following channels:
Website: ibcworldtour.com
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#municipalidad_ #Cormudepi #Zofri_sa #Erizosurfbrand #hotelcavancha #kine_vitta #IbisIquique #clubheaven.cl #redsaludcchc #salvavidas_iquique
#chiringuitocavancha.cl #lajuanaiqq #agua.manantial #mariadelmarcafe
#erizosstore
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