On November 30th and December 1st, the 10th edition of the Moroccan leg and final of the Euro Africa Bodysurf Tour took place at Charatan beach in Mehdia, bringing together the best bodysurfers from Europe and Morocco for an exciting high-level competition.
Organized by KAC Surf Mehdia under the auspices of the Royal Moroccan Surf Federation, this important event was, for the second consecutive year, a qualifying stage (BWT QS) for the 2024 IBSA Bodysurfing World Tour.
This event celebrated the Charatan wave like never before! The spot delivered its best performance, once again confirming Charatan as a must-visit destination for bodysurfing.
Congratulations to all the competitors across multiple categories (Open, Ondine, Espoir, Ondine Espoir, Master+, Ondine Master, and Kahunas+), who put on impressive performances, especially on Saturday during the 1/8 and 1/4 finals of the Open and Espoir categories, in perfect 2 m waves.
Mohamed Chouaïb Boudhim (Morocco), ranked 19th in the world at the BWT Finals in Hawaii in June 2024, earned one of the highest score of the competition in the quarter-finals with a 15.5. He started with a spin on a 2 m wave, then entered a deep tube, coming out and chaining a spin, reverse spin, and a belly spin (360) to finish, but sadly his journey ended in the semi-finals.
Ayoub Bahloul also put on a great show, and the Moroccan squad was strong, with top performers like Anass Safir, Bilel Karmim, Yassine Asraoui, Mohcine Bhihi, and many others.
With all this talent, Morocco is making a strong mark internationally, alongside top bodysurfers from Portugal and France, including world champion Alix Schorsch and Uhaina Kalani Hegoas.
Results by Category:
Open:
1. Alix Schorsch (France) 15.83
2. Niels Schorsch (France) 15.03
3. Pako Junca Iturriaga (France) 11.08
4. Anas Safir (Morocco) 10.06
On Sunday, the waves were smaller, ranging from 80cm to 1m, and slower to arrive. This made the semi-final and final very uncertain. In the Open category, Anas Safir was the only Moroccan to stay in the competition and finished 4th after a strong performance the day before.
Ondine:
1. Uhaïna Hegoas (France) 10.00
2. Sakina Bargach (Morocco) 5.50
3. Orane Luquet (France) 2.00
4. Hiba Saissi (Morocco) 0.00
Sunday’s conditions were challenging with slow waves. Sakina took the first wave, but Uhaina secured two beautiful waves to take the lead. Orane and Hiba struggled to find waves to showcase their skills.
Espoir:
1. Rubens Cambas (France) 17.16
2. Julian Fabre (France) 16.70
3. Niels Schorsch (France) 16.26
4. Pako Junca Iturriaga (France) 15.50
On Saturday, during the quarter-finals, the Espoirs delivered a fantastic performance, with a strong presence of French bodysurfers and talented young Moroccans, including Mehdi Mnabhi and Amine Baoug. They all showed they could perform in massive, perfect waves. In the semi-finals and finals, with smaller 1m waves, the 4 French competitors fought hard for the top spots.
Ondines Espoirs:
1. Uhaïna Hegoas (France) 13.00
2. Lemaghsa Noor (Morocco) 7.20
3. Lemaghsal Roa (Morocco) 6.00
4. Hiba Saissi (Morocco) 5.00
In an enthusiastic final led by Uhaina, the world champion crowned at the Finals in Hawaii in June 2024, the young Moroccan Ondines Noor Lemaghsal, Roa Lemaghsal, and Hiba Saissi showed that the future of Moroccan women’s bodysurfing is a reality.
Master:
1. Nicolas Ducamp (France) 13.16
2. Kevin Groisy (France) 12.80
3. Mohamed Benkarroum (Morocco) 9.93
4. Hamza Hazim (Morocco) 0.00
A highly anticipated final where the masters rode challenging waves with great camaraderie.
Ondines Masters:
Sakina Bargach (Morocco)
The injured English bodysurfer was unable to take revenge on Sakina Bargach, who remains the titleholder from the Anglet stage.
Kahunas:
1. Matias Hegoas (France) 11.50
2. Joao Brogueira (Portugal) 8.00
3. Mohammed Bousseta (Morocco) 6.83
An exciting and joyful final between the three Kahunas, with Morocco’s Mohammed Bousseta riding on his home spot in his first competition.
Thanks to the dedication of KAC Surf Mehdia, the support of the Royal Moroccan Surf Federation, and the volunteer partner organizations, the Moroccan stage continues to grow in reputation and contributes to the development of bodysurfing as an international sport.
Special thanks to our institutional partners:
Mehdia Commune, Police, Civil Protection of Mehdia, Auxiliary Forces of Mehdia.
Thanks to our event partners:
Dafin Europe, Rip Curl Morocco, Red Bull Morocco, Canaweb, Merzouga Restaurant Mehdia, and all the many volunteers.
Thanks to the bodysurfing community from Europe and Morocco.
Thank you to all members of IBSA and EBSA.
Photographer: A big thank you to Abderrahman Zaoui for the amazing photos and video edits that captured this wonderful weekend of competition and camaraderie. Thanks to everyone who took and shared photos and videos.
Abderrahman Zaoui @art.of.photography.sport photos:
IBSA Ranking
OPEN MEN
1. Alix Schorsch (France) 1000
2. Niels Schorsch (France) 860
3. Pako Junca Ituriaga (France) 730
4. Safir Anas (Morocco) 670
5. Iban Florentin (France) 610
5. Chouaib Boudhim (Morocco) 610
7. Ayoub Bahloul (Morocco) 555
7. Alan Griffon (France) 555
9. Luc Escaich (France) 500
9. Joao Moço (Portugal) 500
9. Mouhcine Bhihi (Morocco) 500
9. Tahre Elkeiraouni (Morocco) 500
13. Kevin Groisy (France) 450
13. Julian Fabre (France) 450
13. Matias Hegoas (France) 450
13. Yasmine Asraoui (Morocco) 450
17. Ruben Cambas (France) 400
17. Nicolas Ducamp (France) 400
17. Imad Bourogui (Morocco) 400
17. Paul Heguy (France) 400
17. Sacha Chodernic-Vergez (France) 400
17. Joao Brogueira (Portugal) 400
17. Bilal Karmim (Morocco) 400
17. Oussama El Haddoui (Morocco) 400
25. Mouhcine Gouffra (Morocco) 350
25. Pierre Colomes (France) 350
25. Omar El Abassi (Morocco) 350
25. Meha Oubakent (Morocco) 350
25. Hicham Chadi (Morocco) 350
25. Mehdi Mnabi (Morocco) 350
25. Mohamed Benkarroum (Morocco) 350
OPEN WOMEN
1. Uhaïna Hegoas (France) 1000
2. Sakina Bargach (Morocco) 860
3. Orane Luquet (France) 730
4. Hiba Saissi (Morocco) 670
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