PIERRE, URI & ARMIDE STILL IN THE RACE FOR THE WORLD TITLE — LOUKA ZANINOTTO AND ALBERTO PÉREZ MAKE THE JUNIOR FINAL

October 23, 2025

Thursday, October 23rd, Gáldar, Gran Canaria, Spain. The fifth and penultimate day of the Gran Canaria Frontón King 2025 was packed with surprises, action, emotion, and huge aerial maneuvers. The waves were super fun — a mix of energy that brought plenty of ramps to the famous Frontón break in Gáldar. At 10:00 a.m. local time, the…

Thursday, October 23rd, Gáldar, Gran Canaria, Spain.

The fifth and penultimate day of the Gran Canaria Frontón King 2025 was packed with surprises, action, emotion, and huge aerial maneuvers.

The waves were super fun — a mix of energy that brought plenty of ramps to the famous Frontón break in Gáldar.

At 10:00 a.m. local time, the show kicked off with the best bodyboarders in the world. The organizers started with Men’s Division Round 6, followed by the Junior Men semifinals, and wrapped up the day with Men’s Division Round 7.

MEN’S DIVISION / ROUND 6

This round had 8 heats of 3 riders each, with only two advancing to Round 7. Every heat had a lot at stake, as all 5 world title contenders were in the water.

Local rider Daniel Quintana continues to be one of the biggest surprises of the event. Coming all the way from Round 1, he once again showed his incredible talent, winning his heat. Gabriel Braga from Brazil came in second, keeping his world title hopes alive. The Frenchman Ethan Capdeville was knocked out.

Reigning Frontón King and world title contender Tristan Roberts did his job in style, reminding everyone he’s one of the toughest to beat here. Lionel Medina, the 2021 Frontón King champ from the Canary Islands, placed second. Local rider William Luján was eliminated but left to a big round of applause.

Brazil’s Eder Luciano is looking sharp, pulling off clean inverts to make the top 16. Event wildcard Ruben Redondoproved again that his place here is well-earned, advancing in second. Frenchman Clément Lodeho was eliminated.

Then came a key moment: current world No. 1 Uri Valadão hit the water with serious intent. With a solid backflip, he took the win over Chile’s Moisés Silva, though only by 0.10 points — both advancing to the next round. Local favorite Yone Armas, who’s been impressive since Round 1, couldn’t make it through this time.

Reigning world champion Armide Soliveres, defending his crown at home, didn’t disappoint. He threw down solid moves to take first ahead of Amaury Lavernhe from Réunion Island. Lanzarote’s Paul Lecouey, one of the event’s standout riders, was eliminated after an incredible run.

France’s Jeremy Arnoux continued to impress with strong scores, proving again he’s one to watch. Chile’s Joaquín Sototook second with his trademark explosive backflips. Unfortunately, Yann Salaun from France didn’t make it through, though he once again showed his world-class level.

Brahim Iddouch from Morocco put on a real show, scoring 16 points — the second highest total of the day — with his signature aerial game. Portugal’s Joel Rodrigues also advanced with solid left-hand backflips. Local rider Jonathan Vega got hit with an interference but still scored the second-highest single wave of the day — an 8.75 for a massive inverted air.

The final heat of the round was dominated by Pierre Louis Costes from France, making it clear he’s not backing down in the world title chase. Isaias Ravyc from Brazil also advanced, edging out local Borja Granados, who put on a great performance.

JUNIOR MEN DIVISION / SEMIFINALS

Time for the Juniors — and we got some incredible one-on-one battles showcasing the next generation of talent in bodyboarding.

In Semifinal 1, Chile’s Cristóbal Tobar faced off against local champ Alberto Pérez, winner of the Grom King qualifying event. It was a tight matchup, but Alberto took the win by just 0.25 points. Tobar finishes with a well-deserved 3rd place overall and tons of respect for his performance.

Semifinal 2 was between Louka Zaninotto from France and Damiano Bonazzi from Italy. It was a nail-biter decided in the final minutes. Louka clinched the win, capping off what’s been an amazing season that started with a victory in Taghazout, Morocco. Damiano takes 3rd and plenty of praise for his outstanding riding.

MEN’S DIVISION / ROUND 7

Only 16 riders left — all going head-to-head under great conditions, throwing down a wide range of aerial moves.

The first matchup was between two local heavyweights, Daniel Quintana vs. Lionel Medina. The heat was a showcase of Canarian talent. Lionel not only advanced but landed one of the most radical moves of the entire event — a massive reverse air that brought the Gáldar crowd to its feet. Daniel came close, but this time Lionel took the win.

Next, a world title showdown: Tristan Roberts (South Africa) vs Gabriel Braga (Brazil). Both went hard, but a scary moment came when Gabriel hit his head on the Frontón’s volcanic reef. Thankfully he’s okay, but he couldn’t continue, and Tristan advanced comfortably — though his title hopes now depend on Uri’s results.

Eder Luciano vs. Moisés Silva was another tight battle. Eder once again nailed huge inverts and took the win. Moisés, known for his radical approach, was just 0.55 points short of advancing.

Uri Valadão stayed on track for the world title. Despite tricky conditions and a lack of waves, he showed the consistency and adaptability of a true world champ. Local wildcard Ruben Redondo was eliminated but leaves the event having made a huge impression.

Then came Armide Soliveres again, this time against Chile’s Joaquín Soto — a real test. Armide showed perfect technique once more, proving last year’s win was no fluke. Soto exits with the crowd’s full support, showing he’s a future star.

A French battle followed: Jeremy Arnoux vs. Amaury Lavernhe. Jeremy led most of the heat, but the two-time world champ and three-time Frontón King Amaury turned it around with a massive inverted air scoring a 9 — the best single wave of the day. Jeremy is out, but with his head high after an excellent performance.

Next up, Brahim Iddouch (Morocco) vs Isaias Ravyc (Brazil) — pure fireworks! Brahim was unstoppable again, scoring another 16-point total, highlighted by an 8.5 backflip on a left-hander. Isaias put on a show too, but it wasn’t enough.

The final heat of the day was another thriller with world title implications: Pierre Louis Costes pulled off a solid right-hand backflip to take the win over Portugal’s Joel Rodrigues, who almost stole it in the dying seconds but couldn’t land a huge inverted air.

That wrapped up a long but incredible day of competition, leaving everyone eager for the grand finale.

We now have our Junior finalists: Alberto Pérez (Spain) vs Louka Zaninotto (France).

And still in the hunt for the Men’s World Title are Uri Valadão, Armide Soliveres, and Pierre Louis Costes.

Who will be the new Junior World Champion? Who will take the Men’s World Title? And who will be crowned the new Frontón King?

We’ll find out this Saturday — and with a perfect swell forecast, it’s set to be an unforgettable day at the world-famous El Frontón in beautiful Gáldar.

Don’t miss it — this Saturday at the Gran Canaria Frontón King!

Instituto Insular de Deportes, Gran Canaria Tourism, and the Presidency Department, along with partners like Gáldar City Council, Citroën, BeGreen, Corona, Munchitos, Bluetti, RedBull, Ozeano, Grupo Félix Santiago Melián, Link Store, Fitness Park, Our Style Canarias, and Loype Eventos.

You can catch the live stream and full coverage on the official website and social media channels.

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