King of Groms - First day in Zarautz

The 2009 edition of the Quiksilver King of the Groms kicked off this morning on the beach at Zarautz. At 8am sharp, the 32 qualifiers for the European Final, split into series of four, inaugurated their new competition spot in 1.50 metre swells under a cloudy sky. For this first day, the surfers had to perform for 20 minutes in difficult waves which limited the number of moves.

The 1st round was shock-free, with strong title contenders Ramzi Boukhiam (Fra), Ian Fontaine (Fra), Pierre Rollet (Fra) and Fransisco Alves (Port) all easily booking their places in round 2.

The competition format includes a repechage table, giving the third and fourth place surfers in each series from the main leaderboard the chance to stay alive in the contest and potentially rejoin the main contenders for the final phases. In the 2nd round, the wave conditions improved with the incoming tide. And the surprises – both good and not so good - started to flow thick and fast.

Rounds 1 and 2 saw Ramzi Boukhiam, of Moroccan descent, set the bar very high. Performing solidly, with plenty of air and some radical moves, Ramzi forced his rivals to up the ante right from the start of round 2. He was facing some pretty tough competition, with Portuguese surfer Fransisco Alves making a great start to the event. With the best wave and the best combination of the first round, Fransisco remains a serious challenger for the main event. In round 2, he consolidated his position by taking the second best wave score, just behind Ramzi Boukhiam. Pierre Rollet, another with big hopes going into the European Final, was forced to go through repechage and is now in the secondary table. Having had a torrid time throughout the series, Pierre eventually hauled himself into 2nd place with barely three minutes left, only to see it snatched away in the dying seconds by countryman Gary Landais with his very last wave. In the repechage round, Pierre won his series easily. Though still in the race, he'll have to produce a string of top performances to get back into the main event. Ian Fontaine, another seed, was also relegated to the repechage table after a difficult series that pitted him against another of the favourites, Kevin Bourez. Local hopeful, 13-year-old Imanol Yeregui, really got the spot rocking. Cheered on by a partisan crowd, the youngster didn't let them down, and showed he can mix it with the older guys. The Basque surfer is still in with a shout in the repechage table.

Tomorrow, the surfers will head to the competition spot at 8am for the final phases. In the evening, the European grom king will be crowned, and he and the runner-up will book their tickets to the international final of the King of the Groms. After the award ceremony, from 10pm on the Place Munoa in Zarautz, there will be a special DJ set with Mahara McKay, followed by the Quiksilver Air Show. The night will end with a concert by Helltrip.

Round 2 results
Heat 1: William Alliotti (Gua) 12.50pts, Gary Landais (Fra) 8.03pts, Pierre Rollet (Fra) 7.20pts, Rui Henriques (Port) 6.54pts.
Heat 2: Ramzi Boukhiam (Fra) 14.66pts, Fransisco Alves (Port) 12.30pts, Andy Crière (Fra) 6.70pts, Imanol Yeregui (Spa) 5.60pts.
Heat 3: Paul Cesar Distinguin (Fra) 11.50pts, Kevin Bourez (Fra) 10.94pts, Ian Fontaine (Fra) 10.47pts, Gaminde Txaber (Spa) 8.03.
Heat 4: Jordan Oueslati (Gua) 9.43pts, Gaspard Larsonneur (Fra) 9.17pts, Roberto D'Amico (Ita) 6.80pts, Tom Neushwanger (Fra) 5.90pts.

Round 1 results
Heat 1: William Alliotti (Gua) 10.60pts, Gary Landais (Fra) 7.44pts, Natxo Gonzales (Spa) 7.10pts, Julen Eguiguren (Spa) 6.10pts.
Heat 2: Pierre Rollet (Fra) 10.50pts, Rui Henrique (Por) 10.33pts, Ivan Gonzales (Spa) 4.04pts, Ethan Eguiguren (Spa) 3.57pts.
Heat 3: Fransisco Alves (Port) 12.40pts, Imanol Yeregui (Spa) 6.17pts, Emilien Lojou (Fra) 5.47pts, Maquire Conor (Irl) 3.57pts.
Heat 4: Ramzy Boukhiam (Fra) 8.90pts, Andy Crière (Fra) 7.17pts, Alex Vibert (Uk) 4.90pts, Valerio Giorgi (Ita) 1.27pts.
Heat 5: Ian Fontaine (Fra) 11.34pts, Paul César Distinguin (Fra) 7.93pts, Miles Lee Hargraves (Uk) 4.90pts, Achile Kindt (Bel) 3.34pts.
Heat 6: Kevin Bourez (Fra) 8.10pts, Txaber Gaminde (Spa) 7.13pts, Thomas Fernandes (Por) 2.50pts, Freddie Seymour (Uk) 2.26pts.
Heat 7: Gaspard Larsonneur (Fra) 7.13pts, Roberto D'Amico (Ita) 4.50pts, Josu Alcantara Gran (Spa) 4.50pts, Jobe Harris (Uk) 4.26pts.
Heat 8: Jordan Oueslati (Gua) 11.50pts, Tom Neushwanger (Fra) 8.84pts, Javier Asciano (Spa) 5.50pts, Mikel Zamakona (Spa) 3.80pts.

Reperchage 2 results
Heat 1: Pierre Rollet (Fra) 9.56pts, Rui Henrique (Port) 6.50pts, Natxo Gonzales (Spa) 5.63pts, Julen Eguiguren (Spa) 5.33pts,
Heat 2 : Imanol Yeregui (Spa) 7.03pts, Emilien Lojou (Fra) 6.60pts, Andy Crière (Fra) 6.20pts, Alex Vibert (Uk) 5.13pts.
Heat 3: Ian Fontaine (Fra) 12.17pts, Txaber Gaminde (Spa), Miles Lee Hargraves (Uk) 5.27pts, Thomas Fernandes (Por), Miles Hargraves (Uk).
Heat 4: Tom Neushwanger (Fra) 8.93pts, Javier Asclano (Spa) 8.20pts, Roberto D'amico (Ita) 6.16pts, Mikel Zamakona (Spa) 4.06pts

Reperchage 1 results
Heat 1 : Natxo Gonzales (Spa) 8.20pts, Julen Eguiguren (Spa) 7.17pts, Ivan Gonzales (Spa) 6.86pts, Ethan Eguiguren (Spa) 6.30pts.
Heat 2: Emilien Lojou (Fra) 11.66pts, Alex Vibert (Uk) 9.33pts, Maquire Conor (Irl) 3.70pts, Valerio Giorgi (Ita) 0.00pts.
Heat 3: Thomas Fernandes (Por) 8.60pts, Miles Lee Hargraves (Uk 5.17pts, Freddie Seymour (Uk) 4.67pts, Achile Kindt (Bel) 2.50pts.
Heat 4: Javier Asciano (Spa) 9.03pts, Mikel Zamakona (Spa) 8.50pts, Josu Alcantara Gran (Spa) 8.27pts, Jobe Harris (Uk) 5.47pts.