Jesus Escacho Alarcon - Shooter | Petanque Player Profile

The Young Spaniard Who Won the World

When Jesús Escacho Alarcón arrived at the 2022 FIPJP Singles World Championship in Karlslunde, Denmark, he was 20 years old. He left as world champion, beating Italy's Diego Rizzi 13-8 in the final. Two years later, in June 2024, he won the European singles title in Martigny, Switzerland, beating Sweden's Ivar Liljegren in the final. And in June 2026, on home soil in Lorca, he became European doublette champion with José Luis Guasch.

His world title was a landmark for Spanish pétanque, a nation that has long been competitive in the sport but had rarely produced the world's best individual player. It also showed how international and how young the elite game has become.

Early Career - Rising Through Spanish Pétanque

Born in Zaragoza, Escacho took up pétanque at 14, introduced to the game by his brother, and settled in Las Torres de Cotillas in the Region of Murcia. His shooting stood out early. At European youth level he won bronze in junior triplette at El Ejido in 2018, then European Espoirs precision shooting gold at Saint-Pierre-lès-Elbeuf in 2019 and again in Palma de Mallorca in 2022.

His senior breakthrough came at the 2021 World Championships in Santa Susanna (Barcelona), where he won triplette silver with the brothers Javier and Alejandro Cárdenas and José Luis Guasch, plus bronze in precision shooting. The same year he was Spanish precision shooting champion. With Petanca La Salceda he won the Spanish Club League, retaining the title in 2024.

Playing Style - Youth, Speed, and Precision

Escacho is a right-handed shooter. His primary role is to remove opposing boules, clearing the way for his partners or, in singles, neutralising his opponent's best placements. Observers of his 2024 European final noted that he played an even more attacking game than Liljegren, himself a famously offensive player.

In the singles format, where he won his world title, a player must do everything: shoot, point and manage strategy without teammates. His results in singles, doublette, triplette and precision shooting show a complete player rather than a pure specialist.

Equipment - Obut RCC

Escacho is a Team Obut player. Obut's official team page, last updated August 2026, lists his set as the Obut RCC in 73 mm and 690 g. The RCC ("Rebond Contrôlé Carbone") is Obut's high-end carbon-steel competition boule, designed to absorb impact and limit rebound on direct shots, which suits a shooter who wants his boules to stay where they land. He also credits Obut, alongside his main sponsor Patatas Gómez, in his own posts.

Some older sources link him with Oddeka boules, but Obut's own team page is the most recent confirmation of his equipment.

Shop the Obut RCC, the boule Escacho plays with:

Featured

Obut

Obut RCC

Rebond Contrôlé Carbone. The top-tier shooter's boule featuring advanced anti-rebound technology for elite performance on difficult terrain.

• New technology Carbon Alloy
• Amorti+ Hardness
• Optimized for shooters

Specifications

Material

High-tech Carbon Alloy

Hardness

Amorti+ (Elite soft behavior)

Finish

Satin Black (matte)

Diameter

72 - 76 mm

Weight

680 - 710 g

Grip Pattern

Available smooth or striated

Best Price€220

Achievements

• 2022 World Champion, Singles - Karlslunde, Denmark, beating Diego Rizzi 13-8 in the final at age 20.
• 2024 European Champion, Singles - Martigny, Switzerland, beating Ivar Liljegren in the final.
• 2026 European Champion, Men's Doublette - Lorca, Spain, with José Luis Guasch, beating Italy in the final.
• 2026 European Championship Bronze, Mixed Doublette - Lorca, with Melani Homar.
• World Championship Silver, Triplette - 2021 (Santa Susanna) and 2023.
• World Championship Bronze, Precision Shooting - 2021 (Santa Susanna) and 2024 (Dijon, France).
• 2022 European Championship Silver, Singles - 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
• European Espoirs titles - precision shooting gold in 2019 and 2022, triplette silver in 2023 (Monaco).
• Spanish titles - Obut credits him with 8 Spanish championships, including the 2021 precision shooting title, plus the Spanish Club League with Petanca La Salceda.
• 2025 World Games (Chengdu, China) - Represented Spain in men's precision shooting and in mixed pétanque doubles alongside Sara Díaz.

Legacy - A New Era for Spanish Pétanque

Escacho's world title established Spain as a nation capable of producing the world's best singles player, and his later results proved it was no one-off. By 2026 he had won European gold in both singles and doublette and medalled at every level from youth championships to the World Games.

He is also one of the few Spanish players able to live from the sport, thanks to his sponsors. Still in his mid-twenties, he remains the standard-bearer for Spanish pétanque on the international circuit, with plenty of time to add to an already remarkable record.