Friday, May 8th – Antofagasta, Chile
Day 6 kicked off at 8:00 AM sharp at the powerful La Nilda. The morning delivered some gnarly conditions, with solid size and heavy currents making things tough out there. It was another clear reminder: to be a world champ, you’ve got to be versatile and ready to handle whatever the ocean throws at you.
Today was all about Round 5 of the Men’s Prime Series, narrowing the field down to the top 24 riders of the Antofagasta Bodyboard Festival. The level of riding was absolutely insane, packed with upsets and a world-class show of bodyboarding.
MEN’S PRIME SERIES: ROUND 5
In this round, 24 riders faced off in 3-man heats lasting 30 minutes, with the top two from each heat punching their ticket to the Round of 16.
• Heat 1: Matías Díaz took the top spot over Brazil’s Gabriel Braga in a battle made difficult by the rough conditions. Canary Island’s Lionel Medina was unfortunately eliminated.
• Heat 2: An incredibly tight heat where young Frenchman Ethan Capdeville stood out, sticking a massive el rollo on a left that earned him a 7.5. Spain’s Armide Soliveres followed just 0.25 points behind to qualify. Gustavo Neira didn’t make the cut, but he definitely hyped up the crowd with a monster roll.
• Heat 3: Moroccan powerhouse Brahim Iddouch claimed first, edging out the reigning world champ, Brazil’s Uri Valadão. Peruvian junior Lucciano Campos bowed out to a standing ovation after a gutsy performance.
• Heat 4: IBC World No. 1 Tristan Roberts didn’t miss a beat. The South African showed exactly why he’s on top, taking first place. Mexico’s Kalani Favela continued his underdog run, stunning the field to claim second and a spot in the top 16. Peru’s Cristopher Bayona fell just short.
• Heat 5: This was the performance of the day. Brazil’s Isaias Ravyc was totally in sync with La Nilda, putting on a clinic with deep barrels and a massive, clean backflip to score a 16.5 total. The biggest shocker came from 16-year-old Chilean Cristóbal Tobar, who advanced to the next round by knocking out World No. 2, Badr Eddine Chajri.
• Heat 6: Arica’s own Moisés Silva became the third Chilean to make the top 16. In a nail-biter where the three riders were separated by just 2 points, Brazil’s Eder Luciano grabbed second, while Iquique’s Joaquín Soto was eliminated by a tiny 0.50 margin.
• Heat 7: A true legend took the stage as two-time world champ Amaury Lavernhe dominated, moving forward easily after a deep tube ride that scored an 8.0. Fellow Frenchman Yann Salaun also moved on, while Brazil’s Sergio Machado was knocked out.
• Heat 8: The final heat of the day was a total seesaw battle. Cristóbal Paoa from Easter Island put on a show, pulling off a huge upset by taking first ahead of World No. 3 Pierre-Louis Costes. Yon Aimar was left just outside the qualification bubble.
WHAT’S NEXT
The call for tomorrow, Saturday, is an early check-in. If the conditions are right, we’re heading straight into the final rounds. Stay tuned, because the best is yet to come: we’ve got the final 16 in the Men’s Prime Series and 4 title contenders in the DropKnee Division ready to go.
There are gonna be some absolute nail-biters coming up, and one of the biggest features two great friends who also happen to be two of the best athletes this sport has ever seen: Amaury Lavernhe vs. Pierre Louis Costes.
These two heavyweights have gone head-to-head 6 times over the last 5 years. So far, Amaury is dominating the rivalry with a 5-1 record over Pierre. Who’s gonna step up and snag that spot in the quarterfinals?
Don’t miss a second of the action. You can catch this matchup and plenty more streaming live on the official site:
Main sponsors:
Escondida | BHP
ilustre Municipalidad de Antofagasta
Colaboran:
Colbún
Antofagasta Minerals
Fundación Cultural Turismo Sustentable
PERI Chile
Red bull
Carnicería Arauco
Abastible
Transportes Laury
Cool Construcciones modulares
JetSmart
Hotel RK Antofagasta
Aguas Antofagasta
Ruta 1 Restaurant
Mirador Sangucheria
Costa Club Antofagasta
SDF
Service IT
Media partners:
El Mercurio de Antofagasta
Antofagasta Televisión
Diario AS Chile
FM 7
El Regionalista diario
Antofa despierta
Puro Surf Chile
Latin Wave
Cura3Puntas
Región 2
Escena Surfera
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