The Castellers de Vilafranca pull off an epic feat and take the Contest thanks to the 9d9f

TarragonaTwo years of waiting. Twelve of the best 'colles' (human tower groups) in the country. And a Tarraco Arena Plaça ready to once again become the epicenter of the human tower world. After a Saturday marked by mobility restrictions and alert messages, the Competition ended up starting at four in the afternoon to ensure safety. The wait, however, only increased the expectation. And when the groups entered the square, everything was left behind. What was expected to be one of the best Competitions in history ended up becoming an afternoon difficult to forget. More than four hours of human towers, nerves, falls, overflowing joy, and feats that are already part of history.

The Castellers de Barcelona opened the day with a fantastic 5d8, after a dismantled base, and later completed a very steady 4d9f. Along the way, however, the 3d9f gave way when the 'enxaneta' (the child at the very top) was already touching the 'pinya' (the base). The Castellers de Sants opted for solidity. The 4d9f, their sixth of the season, opened a performance that also included the 3d9f, the sixth one unloaded this year, and a final 5d8.

The Joves de Valls was the first group to place a 'gamma extra' (extra level) tower on the TAP. Their 4d9sf was an authentic postcard: steady, secure, making one of the most difficult human towers seem apparently simple. The 'reds' wanted more and went looking for the 3d10fm, but the first attempt gave way too soon. The fit between the third and fourth levels was not good. The Joves, however, did not give up and tried again. This time, yes: 3d10fm. The 'enxaneta' made the signal before the structure ended up giving way. And there was still one last bullet left. The 2d9f that could have placed them in first position if they had unloaded it. No one had ever managed to complete it before, and it had only been loaded by the Joves and Vilafranca. With the 'dosos' (the two people at the second-to-top level) in place, however, it fell. The group, physically worn out, gave up the last round and finished fourth.

The Xiquets de Tarragona arrived at the Competition with the illusion of culminating a centenary year in which they had recovered the nine-level human towers after a long journey. They unloaded the 4d9f, the seventh of the season, and a very hard-worked 3d9f. They wanted more and decided to attempt the 7d9f for the first time, but they did not succeed: with the 'dosos' in place, the children decided to climb down. In the final stretch, Roger Budesca's group lowered their ambitions and opted for the 7d8, a human tower they had already performed ten times this year. This time, however, it remained only loaded when it already seemed resolved. A cruel ending for the 'matalassers' (nickname for the Xiquets de Tarragona).

The square

The Colla Vella started with a 4d9sf, also their seventh of the season, before facing one of their main objectives: the 4d10fm. After an initial dismantled base, they went back to it and loaded it, but it fell when the children had already exited. But the great pink moment was yet to come: the 3d9sf, an absolute beast. It had only been loaded twice, for the Santa Úrsula festival in 2019, and had never been fully completed. The Vella went to the Competition with all guns blazing. And they loaded it.

The entire TAP stood up. Goosebumps, shouts, applause. One of those moments when the competition disappears and only the greatness of the castell remains. And the pink team still played one last card. After the attempt at the pd9fmp by the greens, they tried the 4d10fm again, but dismantled the base in a maneuver also conditioned by knowing what their rivals were doing. With the 9d9f completed by the greens, Manel Urbano's team decided to end their competition there.

The Moixiganguers d’Igualada completed a 4d9f, their second of the season, with extraordinary solvency. They then tried the 3d9f, which gave way when the children were exiting, and in the third round the 5d8 arrived. With the triplet secured, they ended up taking a risk with a 2d9fm, without success.

The great catharsis

The great catharsis, however, was led by the Jove de Tarragona. The 'liles' (purples) began with their signature castle, the 5d9f, with a huge base and a very fast group of children. Everything was ready for the big moment. The first 4d10fm in Jove's history. The castle went up tremulously. The trunk worked to the limit. But it held. They loaded it. When the children began to exit, it gave way. The TAP exploded. The stands, standing. A true collective catharsis. That loading placed the purples in second position and turned a dream pursued for years into reality. And they still had the strength to remove another thorn: the 2d9fm, loaded by the Jove at the 2024 Contest. This time they unloaded it.

The Xiquets de Reus also experienced a day to remember forever. They completed the 3d9f, their second of the season, but the moment that will remain etched came with the 4d9f. Those in the hazelnut-colored shirts unloaded it for the first time in history. The celebration was immense. They closed their performance with the 5d8. The Vila de Gràcia also wrote an important page. After the 2d8f, the 5d8, and two dismantled bases, they managed to unload the 3d9f. The first of the season. And the first they had done since August 2018. An enormous joy for a group that had waited eight years to see this castle completed again.

The Castellers de Sant Pere i Sant Pau began with an impeccable 5d8, their third of the season and their ceiling since the 2024 Contest. They added the 4d8a, their fifth of the year, and wanted to take one more step with the first attempt in their history of the 3d9f. They reached the 'dosos' (the level of the two), but the structure gave way. They closed their performance with the 3d8. The Capgrossos de Mataró completed the 4d9f, their second of the season, and a 5d8 before culminating their performance with the 3d9f, the first unloaded of the year.

Ready to risk it all

And while all these stories were being written, the Castellers de Vilafranca continued to build their own. The greens arrived in Tarragona ready to risk it all. The 3d10fm, the first ten-story human tower of the season and the fifth of the year, unleashed madness. Afterward, they faced the 4d10fm. A long, tense, hard-worked tower, with moments where it seemed it might break. But the greens saved it. The successful unloading placed them in first place again. And they still hadn't had enough.

Vilafranca went looking for the pd9fmp, a structure that had only been loaded once in history, during the All Saints' Day celebration in 2022, and which the same greens had successfully unloaded for Sant Fèlix this year. The risk was maximum. The pillar remained an attempt. But the message from the greens had already been sent. And as if that were not enough, and after the dismantled base of the 4d10fm by the pinks, Àngel Grau's group successfully unloaded the first 9d9f in history. A tower that confirmed their victory.