The 29th Concurs de Castells is now history with another win by Castellers de Vilafranca, the second in a row and the 13th overall. The Concurs de Castells was truly memorable thanks to a spectacular neck and neck between the 3 'colles' that came to an end in the fourth round thanks to a 9de9f with 3 'enxanetes' by the colla from Alt Penedès.
The Verds completed a 3de10fm in the first round. In the second round, they tried to complete a 9de9f, but had to abort it. In the third round, they partially completed a 4de9fa. Finally, the colla managed by Àngel Grau partially completed the 9de9f, which became the very first one in the Tarraco Arena. Castellers de Vilafranca ended their performance by partially completing a 4de10fm.
Their 'cap de colla', Àngel Grau, congratulated the 2 colles that fought them, specially the Colla Vella. “We’re happy to come to Tarragona and compete, and we love doing so up until the very end”. Grau was very happy to have brought 1.200 people from Vilafranca to TAP.
Second came a brave Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls, which completed the 4de9sf in the first round. Following the so-called “castell total”, they unsuccessfully tried to complete the 4de10fm. Trying to keep up with Castellers de Vilafranca, the colla located at Portal Nou in Valls partially completed the 4de9fa. In the fourth round, and trying to surpass Jove de Tarragona in the second place and achieving the final victory, the Colla Vella partially completed an epic 4de10fm.
Manel Urbano, 'cap de colla' of the 'rosats', was happy to have brought back a 'castell' as special as it is the 4de9sf, as well as the partially completed 4de10fm. Urbano lamented “not having been able to win”, but was very pleased with the great involvement and great results of the 'colla'.
An excellent Colla Jove Xiquets de Tarragona came third, after an impressive start with a completed 2de9fm. In the second round, the 'colla' located at Cós del Bou in Tarragona performed the 3de10fm, the second one of the day in TAP. In the third round, the colla managed by Adrià Calvet partially completed the 5de9f, which ended up securing the third place for them in one of the most disputed and exciting Concurs ever, and their personal best.
Their 'cap de colla', Adrià Calvet, said that Jove “has kept the 'colla' alive until the very last round. We’re very happy for the image we’ve shown”. Calvet hopes that, in 2 years, “we’ll be capable of competing with the 2 ‘monsters’ that are Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls and Castellers de Vilafranca”.
Colla Joves Xiquets de Valls had also shown strong possibilities for podium until the fourth round, but failed to complete the 3de10fm after 2 close attempts and had to settle on the fourth position.
On the other hand, Rubén Viñuales, Major of Tarragona, was very pleased with how the Concurs had developed, and said that it had been an incredible Concurs de Castells, both in Torredembarra and TAP. The Major congratulated the 42 participating colles and highlighted the great impact the Concurs has, with over 400 authorised media from 15 different countries.
Numbers from the Sunday event of the Concurs de Castells
• 11 colles completed, at least, a 9-floor 'castell'. Overall, twenty-two 9-floor or more castells were performed, 14 of which totally completed.
• No 'colles' from the Saturday event surpassed any 'colles' from the Sunday event, something that had happened in the past.
• Out of the 12 colles that performed at TAP on Sunday, 8 achieved their best performance of the season. All 8 of them achieved a castell not seen yet this season. In the case of Castellers de Vilafranca, Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls and Xiquets de Reus, it was 2 'castells' not seen yet this season.
• The 9de9f partially completed by Castellers de Vilafranca was seen in TAP for the first time ever, and it is their second in their history.
• Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls and Castellers de Vilafranca partially completed the 4de10fm, a castell not seen in TAP since 2018.
• The 2de9fm and 3de10fm were completed in TAP by Colla Jove Xiquets de Tarragona for the first time.
• The p8fm by Colla Joves Xiquets de Valls was the third to have ever been completed in the history of Concurs, a construction not see since 2008. Previously, it had been completed twice by Castellers de Vilafranca. The Joves completed it in 2014. The 'vermells' also partially completed the only 2de8sf of the event.
• Moixiganguers d’Igualada completed, for the first time in their history, the 4de9f, together with a 3de9f and 5de8, which became the first “magic triplet” of the 'colla'.
• Nens del Vendrell brought back the 4de9f, something they hadn’t achieved since 2017. Also, this was the first 9-floor 'castell' completed since then and, at the same time, the first they have ever completed in the Concurs de Castells.
• The 4de9f by Nens and the 3de9f by Xiquets de Reus are the first 9-floor 'castells' completed by these colles after the pandemic.
Health interventions
Due to falls and other incidents ended with 149 health interventions and 25 transfers to hospital, 17 of which were soon back to the plaça.
Gralles Competition
The jury of the Concurs de Grups de Gralles picked Xiquets de Tarragona as the winners of the Inxa d’Honor. Second came Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls, followed by Xiquets de Reus.
The rest of the 'colles' that had made it to the final of the Gralles Competition were Castellers de Mollet, Castellers de Sant Cugat and Colla Jove de Castellers de Sitges from the Saturday event, and Castellers d’Altafulla from the Torredembarra event held last Sunday.
