The 26-year-old champion will represent Morocco at the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic games.
Rabat – Moroccan professional surfer Ramzi Boukhiam won on Sunday the World Surfing League’s 2020 Oi Hang Loose Pro Contest surfing event, a four-day world championship stage held on the beach of Cacimba do Padre, located on the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha.
Boukhiam’s outstanding performance won him a score of 14.40 points, defeating big names in the surf world including the world’s number 10 of the qualification series (QS 5000), Brazilian Weslley Danta, who came second with 11.23 points
The 26-year-old champion was also able to knock out the 2019 titleholder, Brazilian Jadson Andre, who shared third place with fellow countryman Wiggolly Dantas, the world’s number one.
Boukhiam’s brilliance in the Oi Hang Loose Pro Contest allowed him to move straight up from the 163rd to the second position in the world ranking with 5,375 points.
The 26-year-old champion made history by becoming the first Moroccan and Arab sportsman to win a ticket for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games, scheduled for 26 July to 9 August.
Read also: World Surf League Qualifying Series to Take Place in Morocco’s Taghazout
Considered the best professional surfer in Morocco, this much-needed win will serve as a morale-booster for Boukhiam to deliver an even greater performance during the upcoming Olympic games.
Boukhiam has an impressive track record, gaining a place as vice-champion of the world junior 2013 and winning recent victories in the Qualifying Series of Zarautz, Anglet, and Lacanau.
Other Moroccan surfers will compete in the 2020 Olympic games including, Redouane Regragui, Aboubakar Bouaouda, Selyann Zouhir, Neil Aboufiras, Othmane Choufani, and Abdel El Harim.
