The Gran Canaria Frontón King 2024 celebrated its final day of competition this Sunday, crowning the world champions in both Men’s and Pro Junior Men’s divisions.
Photos by Jesús de León (land) & Richard Alemán (water)
In a dramatic and historic moment, 22-year-old Gran Canarian bodyboarder Armide Soliveres became the first Spaniard to win the bodyboarding world title in the Pro Men’s division.
This happened after his only remaining rival, veteran Frenchman Pierre-Louis Costes, lost his heat against compatriot Amaury Lavernhe in the Round 7.
Moz, however, lost the event final to the new king of the Gran Canaria Frontón King, South African Tristan Roberts, known for his aerial expertise, in what was a close rematch of their 2019 battle. Tristan, who won his first world title that year, claimed victory again in 2022, making this his third title at the most coveted event on the tour.
In the Junior division, Gran Canarian Alexander Montes won the world title, completing a historic double win for the island alongside Soliveres, marking the first time that two Canarians have taken the top titles in bodyboarding.
Alexander Montes also won the event, defeating the defending champion, Peruvian Michael Yancce, in the final. The young Canarian needed to win the event to secure the world title, as any other result would have made Chilean Mikelle Arriagada the champion. Montes managed to achieve this, delivering solid performances heat after heat.
As for the new world champion, Soliveres, received the title early on Sunday, shortly after the day began. Costes, a two-time world champion (2011, 2016), needed to win the event to snatch the title from Soliveres, who had been eliminated in the previous round. In the seventh round, man-on-man heat, Costes faced off against Lavherne, also a two-time world champion (2010, 2014).
Lavernhe had already declared the day before that nationality wouldn’t influence his performance: “This is a sport, and I’m here to achieve my goal, which is to win the Frontón King.” Had he succeeded, it’s uncertain if Costes would have been the beneficiary, as Lavernhe, a long-time resident of Gáldar, is very much a part of the local bodyboarding community.
Before a packed cliffside crowd, Lavernhe and Costes battled it out, but PLC couldn’t secure a strong wave, while Lavherne pulled ahead with a solid right-hand barrel followed by an impressive invert.
The tension built in the athletes’ zone, where Soliveres, surrounded by friends and family, counted down the seconds until the final buzzer, signaling his world title victory.
Soliveres had started the season with a second place in Morocco, followed by a ninth in Iquique and a fifth in Antofagasta, the two events in Chile. He then won two events: one in Itacoatiara, Brazil, and another in the Maldives. After a 17th place in Sintra, Portugal, he arrived at the final event in his home turf with strong chances of clinching the title. Costes needed to win the event to prevent this. Although Costes is among the world’s best riders, Lavernhe dashed his hopes. Interestingly, Costes faced the same situation last year, losing the title to Hawaiian Tanner McDaniel.
“I’ve had very stressful days, especially for those around me, but I’m happy it happened at home, celebrating with the whole bodyboarding community here on the island,” Soliveres said primarily, adding: “I just hope this inspires more people to start bodyboarding, and that more institutions and companies decide to support us.”
The young nursing student, who has now fulfilled “a lifelong dream,” admitted he achieved it “a bit earlier than expected.” He explained: “This was a goal I had set for a couple of years down the line, as I’ve had to focus a lot on my studies this year and steal some time from training.”
Montes, for his part, came out exhausted but “happy and finally relieved” after his final heat against Yancee, who fought hard and nearly overtook him in the last moments. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of many times, but I didn’t want to believe it until now. I stayed very focused because I had to win here, so I’m still processing it, but achieving something like this in the sport you love is incredible,” he pointed out.
See you all in the 2025 season.
