Thursday 27th June
Report: Matt Pearce / All photos: Svetlana Romantsovaย
The Double Eliminations wrapped up today at the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Sylt with Airton Cozzolino and Carla Herrera Oriaย defending their Single Elimination victories and winning the Doubles!
Frances Kelly takes this one without too much trouble ahead of Cape Verdean rider Irati Fonseca Kohler.
With more points available for wave riding, the criteria plays into Sonja’s hands today and she wins this heat comfortably with consistent rides on the inside section.
Canadian rider Frances who won the first heat now takes on the younger Delannoy sibling.
Capucine is riding well and sticks a nice backroll on her outbound tack in the opening minutes and comes close to a board-off straight off. A very strong start from the 14 year-old and she’s finding some rideable faces on the inside to for the occasional one-hit wonder.
However, Frances is stacking up more consistent wave rides and with three minutes to go she leads the heat.
Capucine’s strapless freestyle tricks give her the edge and she wins the heat with a solid ‘overall impression score’ of 6.0.
This heat should be big!
Kiko is using the kickers well but struggling with his landings a little while Paulino takes a smarter approach, opting for shuvit variations in the flat water on the inside and making much more of the waves to win the heat.
A challenging heat coming up here for Camille who won six heats in yesterday’s early doubles heat with a broken finger! Jan Marcos has been on impressive form though and he charge into this heat like a section-seeking missile with a raking bottom turn and a pumping cutback off the lip.
Jan Marcos firing on all cylinders in this one and launches off the lip, fires into a board-off kiteloop, and lands on the same wave. Camille is not answering back here and he needs to up the pace if he wants to catch Jan Marcos.
In the last two minutes, Camille mounts a comeback and adds a few more points to his total with tight hacks on the inside but it’s too little too late.
Camille scored higher for technical difficultly in this heat, but Jan Marcos takes it with a higher overall score.
Sonja opens with a high wave score of 6.7 and continues with more wave-focused attacks. Capucine has the ability to win when it comes to strapless freestyle, but she’s not making good on that opportunity.
However, although Capucine rode better in her first heat today, she’s still managed to utilise her strapless freestyle level and takes the win!
Whatever happens in her next heat, she has been super impressive at this event. A really talented young rider, we’ll be seeing more of her no doubt at events to come on this year’s tour.
Two seasoned tour titans facing off here. Paulino opens with a nice wave, his more aggressive style contrasting with Jan Marcos’ flowing approach.
Paulino has the edge in the waves, but Jan Marcos is doing more strapless freestyle and he lands a nice, floaty board-off backroll.
Paulino getting transfixed on wave points, but he’s shredding and finds a clean face on which to slide through a textbook wave 360 just before the wave implodes in the shore break.
He does another one later in the heat, and he’s put together an epic display of what can be done in crumbling shore break conditions, but Jan Marcos had the upper hand in the freestyle stakes.
Riveras wins by 1.5 points. It wasn’t an easy win, but he goes through to the next round in which he’ll take on James Carew.
Peri gets a decent score on her first wave but she’s underpowered on an eight while Capucine is looking much more comfortable on a nine.
Peri’s linking up some very clean, pure surf toeside turns on the faces when they appear though and is steadily building a lead on Capucine in this heat and she holds on to that lead to win the heat convincingly.
Jan Marcos Riveras has an uncanny ability to do well in double eliminations and he’s off to a flyer in this heat. A big, floaty front roll board-off in the early stages gets him out in front of James and he follows that up with one of the better waves of the day so far.
James finding fewer waves, but when he does he makes a lot out of them and he’s the only rider who’s managed aerials off the lip during today’s heats.
He also stomps a board-off kite loop off a kicker and lands on the same wave which was probably the standout trick of the heat just for the pure stylishness of the execution.
Jan Marcos is keeping up a higher work rate, but Carew is scoring the highest wave rides of the day and doing some interesting trick variations, including a 360 shuvit transition which is a new one!
Carew’s been the standout rider of the day so far and he wins this heat for the chance to take on Simon Joosten for third (and then perhaps Mitu for second and beyond!).
Roberts has an equipment issue on the beach and misses the first minute while Schwarztrauber notches up her first wave ride and comes close on a backroll. Susanne keeps up the pace with more rides, but Peri gets a solid six point scorer for a nice toeside ride and pulls ahead.
Susanne doesn’t back down, and she manages some nice front hand turns on her last two waves. None of her waves are as high as Peri’s, but she’s using her time efficiently and getting in more hits which gives her the extra points needed.
Susanne wins the heat to secure third overall and she now has a chance to go higher and take on Charlotte Carpentier for third in the next heat.
Two of the men’s division’s most dynamic, powerful riders meet in this heat. Joosten’s trying to hold on to third and earn a chance to try for second against Mitu while Carew has nothing to lose and is out to unseat Simon.
Carew kicks things off with a kiteloop board-off and Joosten answer’s with a faultless kiteloop backroll.
Carew then looks to the waves for some points with a nice floater but Joosten much more focused on freestyle and does a kiteloop backroll board-off which is a high point scorer for him.
Simon now looking for some wave scores, but while he perhaps has the advantage in the freestyle arena, James is leading in the waves.
Joosten does the highest trick of the event (literally, in terms of height) with a big kiteloop rodeo but the buzzer has already sounded and, as the scores come in, it’s James Carew who’ll go through to the next heat against Mitu Monteiro.
Schwarztrauber comes close on a backroll more than once and is riding well on her front hand but Carpentier is the more experienced competitor and it shows.
She seeks out some solid opportunities in the waves and her technical ability gives her the edge in this one. Carpentier wins and, with second place secure, will take on Carla for first.
Mitu Monteiro just couldn’t seem to get into gear in this heat. James Carew, emboldened by his win against Joosten, kept the charge from early on with some big kiteloop variations.
Both riders were holding nothing back in this one, and so there were some big crashes along the way, but Carew was more regularly sticking his landings.
He also made more of the waves on offer, and finished with a 7.57 point ride to seal the deal over the Maestro.
Mitu’s out. Carew goes through to the final against Airton!
Bit of a slow start to this heat but then Carla snaps into action. Two decent scoring waves followed by a board-off front roll gave her an early lead on Charlotte.
She backs that up with a stylish air reverse but her wave riding is scoring her the most points and this is an area of her riding that’s really improved of late. Fluid toeside riding in shifting onshore conditions is not easy, but she’s making it work.
Charlotte tries to keep up some momentum, but she can’t rise to it. Carla wins hands down with an 8 point lead and a big overall impression score!
An awesome performance for the Spanish rider after a disappointing start to her season in Cape Verde!
UPDATE – After a challenge from Mitu Monteiro about the result of the last heat, the battle for second place and above is now being re-run!
Mitu explodes off the starting blocks with a huge backroll board-off but James Carew takes an early lead with a high scoring wave. He follows that up with a front roll tick tack and he’s clearly determined to hold on to his ticket to the final.
On the second attempt, Mitu lands a super clean backroll rodeo finger flip and he’s leading the heat on technical ability but James is making more from the wave portion of the scoring.
Mitu now closing the gap though after stacking up some strapless freestyle scores and is shifting focus to the waves but he’s still throwing freestyle tricks for good measure and lands the best kiteloop backroll of the event with just two minutes left on the clock.
This is going to be tight!
Carew does a clean 360 shuvit off the wave but then Mitu sticks a backroll board-spin into a finger flip just before the buzzer. It’s impossible to tell who might have taken this heat right now.
However, as the scores go live it becomes clear – James has taken the heat this time by a super tight margin. Nail biting stuff, but it’s the young Aussie who’ll now take on Airton for the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Sylt title.
The final showdown is on! Both riders open up with super tight, precise front hand wave riding, absolutely raking into bottom turns and wringing every last turn out of the shore break.
Carew hooks into one, airs off the lip into a board-off, and lands it! Not totally clean, but the crowd love it and it’s an innovative move. He follows that up with a smooth front roll but Airton one-ups him with a big backroll board-off.
With a little over two minutes to go, James leads the heats but Airton is yet to break out a handlepass and he’s always got that up his sleeve. But can he do it in these choppy conditions?
Both riders are channeling so much power into each and every hack, and seamlessly integrating strapless freestyle tricks and wave riding.
As the buzzer goes it’s impossible to know who’s taken this one yet again, and Airton didn’t go for the 313 so it’s super tense as we wait for the final scores to come in.
If Airton’s won then it’s all over, but if Carew’s taken it then the heat will run again as a defending single elimination winner always gets another chance to defend their position if a challenger beats them in the doubles.
The scores come in though and the answer is clear – Airton takes it by just 0.27 points. An ultra-tight margin, but it’s enough!
1: Airton Cozzolino (CPV)
2: James Carew (AUS)
3: Mitu Monteiro (CPV)
4: Simon Joosten (BRB)
5: Jan Marcos Riveras (DOM)
1: Carla Herrera Oria (ESP)
2: Charlotte Carpentier (FRA)
3: Susanne Schwarztrauber (DEU)
4: Peri Roberts (AUS)
5: Capucin Delannoy (FRA)
Thatโs a wrap for the Copa Kitley GKA Freestyle Kite World Cup Cauipe 2024. Epic performances from all of our athletes ๐๐ผ
๐ฅ @maxime_chabloz ๐จ๐ญ
๐ฅ @arthurguillebert ๐ซ๐ท
๐ฅ @flyfinni ๐ฉ๐ช
๐ฅ @brunakajiya ๐ง๐ท
๐ฅ @ritaarnaus ๐ช๐ธ
๐ฅ @bagnoli_francesca ๐ฎ๐น
Next up ๐๐ผ The final showdown in Qatar!
๐ท @romantsovaphoto
#gkakiteworldtour #gkafreestyle #gkacauipe #qatarairways #gkaxqa @qatarairways @revistakitley
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'World first' tricks in competition set the bar high as second tour stop opens in Brazilian lagoon
Tour ready to kick into high gear at second stop in perfect conditions of Cauipe
