One last blast in the Best Trick competition on Day Five in Fuerteventura
Woensdag 24 juli, 2019
Woord: Matt Pearce / / foto’s: Svetlana Romantsova
Het was vandaag de laatste dag in Sotavento op het GKA Freestyle Wereld Kampioenschap Fuerteventura. Na vier dagen genadeloze wind (het heeft sinds het begin van het event non-stop gewaaid), smachten sommige kiters toch nog naar meer dus het was tijd voor de beste trick competitie.
There would be three heats – strapless freestyle, men’s twintip and women’s twintip – and riders would have five trick attempts each. Scores were awarded for 50% height and 50% technical ability and, with the wind pushing past 30 knots and into big air territory, that meant the competitors would be able to ride to the conditions and send it!
Pippa van Iersel won the women’s heat against Alexandra Torres with some sizeable kiteloops, and it was a strong showing from the young Dutch rider whose winters in Cape Town and summers in Tarifa have helped her develop her boosting ability.
In the strapless freestyle heat, Kiko Roig Torres built on his already standalone performances in yesterday’s team Big Air event with a convincing win. Big rotations and cleanly executed landings set him apart, but some close scores from Pedro Matos and Anderson Reboucas kept him on his toes.
The third and final heat was a seven man clash in which the male twintip riders showed a really diverse range of styles. Some opted for old school moves like board-offs and deadmans, while others went for freestyle-influenced tricks or kiteloop / megaloop variations.
Arthur Guillebert won the heat with a massive backside 317, but he was pushed all the way by Lewis Crathern who scored three tricks over 7 points while also sticking the best loop of the heat. Lewis might well have beaten Arthur on his last trick attempt, but a lull in the wind thwarted him as he lined up for a boogie loop resulting in a low score with no more chances available to him.
Lewis had to settle for second while Nelson Gomez from Colombia took third with a trick far older than he is himself – a massive deadman board-off!
It was a fitting end to an awesome event where the conditions have delivered day after day. The action on the water has been stellar, with Adeuri Corniel and Paula Novotna surging to victory ahead of the usual suspects in their divisions.
The overall rankings have now shifted with Maxime Chabloz moving into first place ahead of Carlos Mario as Pippa van Iersel closes in on Mikaili Sol at the top of the women’s table.
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