Kalani Favela Makes Bodyboarding History at Pascuales

Boca de Pascuales hosted its first-ever IBC World Tour stop this week, and the heavy Mexican wave delivered exactly the kind of proving ground a local needed. When the final horn sounded on July 8, it was 20-year-old Michoacán native Kalani Favela lifting the trophy — the first Mexican rider ever to win an IBC World Tour event.

Taking Down the Legends

Favela didn't sneak through a weak draw. In the semifinal he faced Pierre Louis Costes, one of the sport's most decorated riders, and posted the highest heat total of the entire event — 19 out of a possible 20 points — including the only perfect 10 of the contest for a massive barrel finished off with a full rollo. In the final he lined up against Amaury Lavernhe, the two-time world champion who had eliminated 15-year-old Puerto Escondido local Oliver Jarquin by just half a point in the quarters. Favela kept a perfect record intact, winning every heat of the event in first place to close it out.

Official Results

• 1st — Kalani Favela (Mexico)
• 2nd — Amaury Lavernhe (Spain)
• 3rd — Pierre Louis Costes (France)
• 3rd — Brahim Iddouch (Morocco)

Favela, who lost both his parents before making a name for himself in the water, dedicated the win to them and to his home country: “I never thought I’d be the first Mexican to pull this off. I’ve gone through some really rough times, especially when I lost my parents, but with faith and hard work, anything is possible. Mexico is on the map.”

Full event report and quotes via IBC World Tour.