Today, after a 10-day wait for ideal conditions, bodyboarding world champion Jeff Hubbard won the El Fronton event in Gran Canaria, live on Red Bull Web TV.
Now the Hawaiian has taken the spoils over final rivals Diego Cabrera (second), Andre Botha (third) and Yeray Martinez (fourth), despite recovering from broken ribs and vertebrae, we can look back over the best bits of the restless last 10 days with our host Manny Vargas! Click on the title above the text to watch that day's video…
Day 1: New wave coming through
The world’s best bodyboarders arrived in Gran Canaria, and so Manny Vargas’s daily bulletin and the El Fronton countdown began. But how many days would we count? When would the wave every bodyboarder dreams of arrive?
Day 2: Situation heats up slightly
Everyone was in situ – no El Fronton itself yet, but the heat draw was made, and were the guys happy with whom they’d face in the swell when it arrived? Meanwhile, they had to start practising for the big moment!
Day 3: Court out in the ocean
The heats were drawn, and it was going to be, in the words of our host Manny Vargas, like the Federer v Nadal of surf contests! Meanwhile, technical expert Seamus Makin had some very interesting weather maps to show us about the ideal conditions needed for the showdown to start…
Day 4: The waiting game
The surfers were getting restless – where was the wave!? – but fortunately they were happy to talk to us. Local hero Yeray Martinez took time out for a chat, and showed us the scars from a lifetime of braving the tall cliffs and sharp reef associated with El Fronton.
Day 5: Expect to be ribbed
Even world champion bodyboarders get caught oput sometimes by waves like El Fronton. Find out from the current world champion how he did – just training for this event.
Day 6: Amaury’s rêve-o-lution
Amaury Lavernhe, France’s number one bodyboarder, gave us his reasons why he couldn’t wait for conditions to be ready for the El Fronton contest.
Day 7: Aussie rules
What do you do when you’re a bodyboarder waiting for one of the world’s most exciting waves to show up? Manny Vargas and friends asked Australian riders Damian King and Ryan Hardy…
Day 8: Youth and experience
Winds were strengthening but the swell wasn’t… Fortunately, Manny could bring us a fairly accurate prediction of action on December 20, courtesy of Seamus Makin… and we met the youngest bodyboarding world champion for an exclusive. [andre botha]
Day 9: Jostling for position
Conditions were improving dramatically by day nine – and this gave rival surfers Mike Stewart (USA) and Guilherme Tamega (Brazil) a chance to look ahead… oh, and to jostle each other in front of Red Bull TV’s cameras!
Day 10: Manny reasons to celebrate
Yesterday, host Manny Vargas could finally announce that the event was going ahead today! He explained what the wave would be like and what the riders could expect…
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