The competitors awoke to a much windier day today in El Gouna, with the wind already blowing between 18 and 22 knots from their arrival at the competition site at the RRD Center, an ideal setting for the finals of the Qualifier League. Small Finals First in sequence was the Men’s Small Final, which saw 6 participants battle it out on the water. The wind conditions were ideal for 9 metre kites. The riders each had 7 trick attempts during their heat, and each of them strived to make the most of each attempt, with every point counting. It was Luis Alberto Cruz from the Dominican Republic, our former Cabarete event winner, who remained firmly in control throughout the 40 minute heat. He landed 6 tricks with solid scores and gained the advantage by landing an outstanding Backside 315, placing him just a fraction above French rider Arthur Guillebert, who also fought hard for a top position. Arthur was unlucky and had three crashes during his heat, but fortunately his trick scores were high enough for him to maintain his 2nd position. Gianmaria Coccoluto came in 3rd, after riding well but struggling to maintain the consistent scores that he needed. …
Qualifier League
Day Two at the El Gouna RRD Center Kiteboarding World Cup
Daybreak in El Gouna was accompanied by ideal wind conditions once again, a treat for competitors and spectators alike. It is the perfect example of why this location in Egypt is so popular for kiteboarding, and remains a firm favourite particularly for freestylers. However the wind conditions dropped slightly during the morning and put the competition on hold until 3pm, when it resumed and both the Men’s and Women’s semi-finals were completed. Men’s Semi-Finals The semi-finals for the Men were continued from yesterday, starting with the completion of Heat 11. As the wind strength was decreasing, the Men struggled to ride with power even on their biggest kites, however Anthar Racca from Mexico still managed to remain firmly in control, and landed 5 of his 6 trick attempts. His scores remained high enough to give him a good lead, and a position in the Qualifier League final. Val Garat from France joins him, as he finished a few points behind in second place. Both riders remain firmly on course for a good finish at this Qualifier Event, Anthar Racca who will be focused on gaining entry to the Elite League in 2018, and Val Garat who will be wanting to …
Day Two at the El Gouna RRD Center Kiteboarding World Cup
Daybreak in El Gouna was accompanied by ideal wind conditions once again, a treat for competitors and spectators alike. It is the perfect example of why this location in Egypt is so popular for kiteboarding, and remains a firm favourite particularly for freestylers. However the wind conditions dropped slightly during the morning and put the competition on hold until 3pm, when it resumed and both the Men’s and Women’s semi-finals were completed. Men’s Semi-Finals The semi-finals for the Men were continued from yesterday, starting with the completion of Heat 11. As the wind strength was decreasing, the Men struggled to ride with power even on their biggest kites, however Anthar Racca from Mexico still managed to remain firmly in control, and landed 5 of his 6 trick attempts. His scores remained high enough to give him a good lead, and a position in the Qualifier League final. Val Garat from France joins him, as he finished a few points behind in second place. Both riders remain firmly on course for a good finish at this Qualifier Event, Anthar Racca who will be focused on gaining entry to the Elite League in 2018, and Val Garat who will be wanting to …
El Gouna RRD Center Kiteboarding World Cup – Qualifier League – Day One
Day one in the idyllic freestyle spot of El Gouna started with a bang, with the renowned Egyptian winds blowing from the start. The skipper’s meeting was held at 7.30 am, and the heats commenced directly after. Heats 1 to 10 of the Men’s Qualifier were completed, and Heats 1 to 6 for the Women. Men’s Round 1 Heat 1 of the Men’s Qualifier League saw Dominican rider Luis Alberto Cruz dominate from the start. He successfully landed all of his tricks, which included a 317 and KGB. He was followed through to Round 3 by young up-and-coming rider Chistian Tio from the Philippines. Heat 2 saw the young Brazilian ripper Manoel Soares show some outstanding talent on the water, landing a massive 319 that scored him 8.17 points. His performance was exemplary, showing that the level of some of the Qualifier League riders is up to the level of the top Elite. Louka Pitot from Mauritius stomped a nice Front Blind Mobe and placed himself in second position, opening the door directly to Round 3. Heat 3 was a win for Italian North rider Gianmaria Coccoluto. Riding consistently, and landing an impressive Front Blind Mobe. German favourite Linus Erdmann …
WKL Texel – Qualifier Event – Day 3
The final day of the Qualifier League event started with a bang, as the heats kicked off at 8 am directly after the skipper’s meeting. This was the final day for the Qualifier League, so every moment of wind had to be used to its full potential. Men’s Qualifier Heat 3 was first in sequence. Maxime Chabloz from Switzerland started his heat with strength and power, and managed to take the win, despite crashing his last two tricks. French rider Louka Pitot followed though behind him managing to land 4 of his 6 trick attempts with consistent scores. Heat 4 went to Italian rider Gianmaria Coccoluto who showed his experience landing each of his 6 trick attempts including a nice Slim Chance 5. Young Colombian rider Juan Rodriguez will also join him in Round 3 after riding well and racking up some solid scores such as a 6.1 for his Heart Attack. Both riders passed directly to Round 3. The inconsistent wind conditions caused some delays with Heat 5, as it was postponed after the first three trick attempts. The on-shore wind conditions made it difficult to perform tricks, with the riders landing very close to the shore. After a …
WKL Texel – Qualifier League – Day 2
2017 Texel Brunotti Kiteboard World Cup – Day 2 – Qualifier League An early skipper’s meeting was called for Day 2 of the Qualifier League event, with the intention of starting the competition as early as possible, with the light conditions that were forecasted. The winds on the island of Texel continued to tease the riders and organisation throughout the day, with several moments where it looked like it was about to fill in. Several riders headed out to test the conditions, but it dropped again before there was a chance to commence competition. Finally at 6pm, the wind picked up and the Qualifier Event began, with Men’s heats 1 and 2 completed. Men’s Heat 1 saw Russian rider Sergey Borisov get off to a strong start, landing every single trick throughout his heat and giving him the win. His experience and confidence was visible from the first moment. Young Mexican rider Anthar Racca came in second, landing three solid tricks including a nice double heart-attack. He will be joining Borisov in Round 3. It was Tom Bridge from the UK who lead the way through Heat 2, landing a nice Back Mobe 5 and Front Blind Mobe, riding consistently …
WKL Texel – Qualifier Event – Day 1
Day One at the 2017 Texel Brunotti Kiteboarding World Cup The beautiful island of Texel, in the Netherlands, plays host to the Brunotti Kiteboarding World Cup. Texel is a wonderful location, that offers reliable wind conditions at this time of year. The Qualifier League will be first to commence, with the Elite League event following on Wednesday. The Qualifier League events are essential for any riders wishing to qualify for the 2018 Elite League. The battle holds some strong names in freestyle kiteboarding, such as Mexican rider Anthar Racca, Nicolas Delmas from France, Christian Tio from the Philippines or Linus Erdmann from Germany. On the ladies side, the level remains as high, with riders such as Spanish Rita Arnaus, Danish rider Therese Taabbel and local Dutch rider Vera Klabbers, all who are looking to secure their spot in the 2018 Elite League. Registration for the Qualifier League event took place from 8 am to 10 am, with 52 registered riders, 39 men and 13 women, from over 17 different nationalities. The ladders for the start of the Qualifier League are as follows: The Skipper’s meeting was held at midday, anticipating an afternoon start for competition, but unfortunately the suitable wind …
World Kiteboarding League – Leucate – Day Six
Day 6 commenced with extremely strong winds, as the Tramontana was blowing in full force. Temperatures were somewhat lower than what we had earlier in the week. The Women’s Semi-finals were completed, followed by the finals for the Qualifier League for both Men and Women. To end the day and take advantage of the strong winds, a Big Air Expression Session was held, as we are preparing to host the Big Air World Cup later in the year. The wind was strong and the conditions were challenging for the start of the Women’s Semi Finals. The ladies were riding 6 and 7 metre kites, and were often very overpowered. Annabel Van Westerop from the Netherlands showed a lot of experience and dominated her heat throughout. She was followed by Francesca Bagnoli from Italy who showed that passion and motivation can get you far. Both girls will now be in tomorrow’s final. Joining them will be Current World Champion Bruna Kajiya who won with her last trick, a nice slim chance scoring a 8.4 that left her pumping with adrenaline. Paula Novotna from the Czech Repulic came close but couldn’t land her 4th trick that she needed, so it was Annelous …
