Young Basque surfer Unax Pascual shines at the European Championship, taking the ProJunior title and second place in Men

Portuguese rider Luana Dourado repeats her victory in the Women’s division at Los Realejos beach

French athlete Fabien Thazar takes the Dropknee competition

Local athlete David Pérez was crowned champion of the Men’s Open at the European Tour of Bodyboard (ETB) 2025 El Socorro this Sunday, September 28, scoring 17.66 in an epic final where young Basque rider Unax Pascual (14.60) and French competitor Amaury Lavernhe (14.46) pushed him until the last minute. Pérez, a true son of the beach, entered the event with a humble outlook: “What I want is to show my surfing to the people; I’m trying to reach my best level. Even though competing isn’t my main focus right now, I have to say that competing at El Socorro is something I really love,” he had said just weeks before the contest.

Unax Pascual claimed the ProJunior title with 13.25 points and also made it to the Men’s final, after qualifying second in the semifinals of that category with 12.65 points, right behind Pérez. Throughout the event, the young Basque surfer stood out as one of the brightest performers at the ETB 2025 El Socorro, consistently posting strong scores both in his heat totals and in some of the best waves surfed.

In the Women’s division, Portuguese athlete Luana Dourado repeated her 2024 triumph. Dourado earned 10.90 points in the Women’s final, surpassing fellow Portuguese Teresa Padrela (9.90) and Austria-German rider based in Tenerife, Alexandra Rinder (9.85). The final also featured Portuguese competitor Joana Schenker, bringing together four of the world’s top female bodyboarders.

Meanwhile, French rider Fabien Thazar took the Dropknee title in a final that also included Canarian athletes Samuel Figueroa and Hugo Hernández, along with Venezuelan competitor based in Gran Canaria, Ángelo Freda. The rider from Réunion Island claimed the win with a score of 12.50.

The competition took place this Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Up until noon, the ProJunior, Women, and Men (Open Men’s) semifinals were held, which determined the athletes who would compete in the finals. In the ProJunior category, the qualifiers were Unax Pascual from the Basque Country, Néstor Reyes and Alberto Pérez from Gran Canaria, and Álvaro Hernández from Tenerife. In the Women’s category, the finalists were the Portuguese athletes Luana Dourado, Joana Schenker, and Teresa Padrela, along with Alexandra Rinder, the Austrian-German bodyboarder living in Tenerife and current world champion. Finally, in the Men’s category, the qualifiers were David Pérez from Tenerife, Amaury Lavernhe from France (resident in Gran Canaria), the Portuguese athlete Joel Rodrigues, and Unax Pascual from the Basque Country.

The European Surfing Federation uses a scoring system that takes into account the 15 waves each athlete can ride at most in a heat. The two best waves are then selected, with points awarded based on the most radical maneuvers executed in the most critical sections of the wave.

The final day of the ETB 2025 event in Tenerife unfolded with excellent surf conditions and perfect weather, despite forecasts of possible impacts from a storm system crossing the Atlantic with the remnants of Hurricane Gabrielle. Thankfully, its effects were not felt on the north coast of Tenerife during the contest.

The ETB now continues at La Cícer in Las Canteras with the Gran Canaria PRO, taking place October 3–5, before wrapping up in November at a still-to-be-determined beach in Morocco, the guest country of this European tour.