LIVETICKER
Current discipline: Freestyle
Judging Criteria: 4-5 trick attempts, best 1 counts
Format: Pure Freestyle
Wind: 14-17 knots South Esterly
27-06-2021 12:30 – Happy Sunday beautiful people. Looks like the champions had quite the expression session last night, they are slowly making their way to the podium to be crowned the kings and queens of GKA Freestyle World Cup Tarifa 2021.
Each and every one of them showed up with courage, bringing everything they had to the roaring shores of this event and invited us to be entertained. Don’t forget to show them some love!
Thanks to all of the sponsors, organizers, and crew for hosting this event. Despite the challenging wind conditions, it was amazing to have the riders coming together at this iconic spot.
Special thanks to our greatest warrior Jaime Herraiz for making it all possible and keeping the spirit alive through tough times!
See you next year Tarifa!
26-06-2021 16:30 – Looks like the thermal was just there to cool us down after two days of non-stop action. That’s a wrap for today. The expression session will be moved to the dancefloor tonight and riders are released to celebrate their achievements.
We will meet at Bibo on Sunday for the official closing ceremony at 12:00 pm (CET).
26-06-2021 15:00 – The light thermal continues to ventilate the summer heat and the summer-dayze is kicking in. The riders remain in no rush, enjoying the chance to take it easy for the first time a while.
Next announcement- 16:30 pm
26-06-2021 14:00 – The Thermal still blowing a nice breeze onto the shoreline, enough to keep the vacationer’s drinks cool but not enough for the riders to fully express themselves. They don’t seem disappointed as they know the ocean is not the only playground to do that.
Next call: 14:30
26-06-2021 13:15 – Looks like the riders weren’t the only need that needed a little rest. The Levante must have given us its all as it failed to wake up this morning, leaving the shores for a nice little Thermal to creep in from the South East.
There is already a rainbow of kites dotted across the Moroccan skyline cruising into the summer Saturday mood.
Judges have moved the skippers meeting forward to 13:15 pm. There is no rush here today, as the riders get ready to have fun on the playground before taking it to the dancefloor tonight!
26-06-2021 12:00 – Good morning from sunny and breezy Tarifa!
Looks like Levante is slowly calming down to the level where riders can show their freestyle moves at the Expression Session. That’s the plan for today!
The riders will have 4-5 attempts to express themselves to the fullest in a disciple they are more than comfortable with. The judges will only count their best move!
The athletes look beyond stoked with their stage today. With the slow start to the Saturday, the riders had a chance to rest and reset after an intense couple of days.
They still have until 13:00 pm to regenerate that power before they put it to use on the playground.
Stay tuned for the next announcement at 13:00 pm (CET)
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The GKA Freestyle World Cup Tarifa 2021 | BIG AIR podium:
MEN:
1. A. Guillebert (FRA)
2. J. Burlando (ITA)
3. E. Jaspan (AUS)
4. A. Corniel (DOM)
WOMEN:
1. M. Sol (BRA)
2. P. Van Iersel (NLD)
3. H. Whiteley (GBR)
4. R. Arnaus (ESP)
25-06-2021 20:30 –These warriors have been perservering to climb up the ladder for 2 solid days hanging on strongly through the gnarly Levante. Up and above their comfort zone from the first day with the new pure big air format the conditions required.
Each and every one of them showed up with courage, bringing everything they had to the uninviting shores of this event and invited us to be entertained.
They all head back for a well-deserved drink. But we’re not done yet as they will be returning tomorrow for a Supersession, where they will have one last chance to express themselves on the battlefield in case they left anything behind!
Tomorrow skippers meeting: 11:30 am for a first possible start of the expression session at 12:00 am (CET)
Don’t celebrate too hard tonight!
The official celebration will be Sunday Afternoon. We will announce the time of the crowning tomorrow.
We will raise our glasses to all of the incredible people involved in bringing this event to life.
25-06-2021 20:o0 – The final gladiators head out for the last battle of the day!
Jeremy Burlando taking an early lead, new rookie on tour pulling move from move-in his dance with the big names in the final.
Adeuri Cornieu leaving the best till last until the final moments of the heat throwing a Kiteloop above the skylines of Africa, but it wasn’t high enough to take the 3rd position from Jaspan.
Arthur Guillebert has been in flames since the beginning of the event, showing that he can handle any conditions thrown at him. The flipping Frenchman hasn’t messed a beat since the first green flag that rose.
We are happy to crown the first World Cup title of his career; King Arthur Guilbert!
25-06-2021 19:50 –
TOP 4 WOMEN:
1st M. SOL (BRA)
2nd P. VAN IERSEL (NLD)
3rd H. WHITELEY (GBR)
4th R. ARNAUS (ESP)
25-06-2021 19:30 – Women’s final on the water. The wind is still neuking and the girls continue to battle the conditions move to move. Young Sol showing her dominance in the sport once again, totaling 20+ point averages back to back.
Pippa Van Iesel gave the Brazillian a run for her money, unfortunately, missed her last reach to the crown but strongly securing the second position.
Hannah Whiteley pushing through some tough Levante gusts pulling together a decent part of her repertoire and securing a place on the podim.
Rita coming in with Spanish fire from the semi-finals, couldn’t quite maintain the heat up as she struggled to land her bigger moves.
25-06-2021 19:20 – We are down to our final warriors, ready to take on the final battle claim the first crown of the year.
MEN’S FINALISTS:
J. BURLANDO (ITA)
A. CORNIEL (DOM)
A. GUILLEBERT (FRA)
E. JASPAN (AUS)
WOMEN’S FINALISTS:
H. WHITELEY (GBR)
P. VAN IERSEL (NLD)
R. ARNAUS(ESP)
M. SOL (BRA)
25-06-2021 19:00 – With only 2 spots left in the final battle, the pressure was on in the next heat. Looks like it was enough to crack young Serin as he came crashing off the ladder.
The remaining riders in the heat kept their game face on as they chased each other up the ladder. Jaspan was in the lead after adding a double to his first backroll.
Martinez was right behind him, Tic-taking his way up, but as the time was running out, Corniel flipped his way in front of him sending us all squinting into the sun with his massive Kiteloop Frontroll. Posito persisted, answering back with one of his own, but it wasn’t enough to overtake his fellow Colombian.
Corniel nearly looped his way past Jaspan with his last Kiteloop of the heat, but Jaspan held his ground giving the audience one last thrill with the variety of his last Frontroll Contraloop.
25-06-2021 18:30 – We’re almost there folks, all the warriors have managed to power climb up the ladder to the finals!
Garat was back to kick off the first heat of the men’s semis with a Double Frontroll Kite loop that made a statement that he was ready to take his second chance to the crown.
Each rider answered back shortly after, reminding Garat wasn’t the only one that was ready. Guillebert showed just how ready he was, surpassing Garats double continuing to boosting up his score flipping the audience all over the place as they couldn’t keep their eyes off the machine!
The remaining riders continued to climb their way to the new heights Guillebert was flying to, but as they were gaining ground so was he, determined to be the first to the crown.
Garat persistantly looped his way closer, not ready to give up, but Burlando managed to gain the height he needed doubling the altitude of his previous double Backroll Kiteloop at the last moment to take him to the finals!
25-06-2021 17:40 – It didn’t get any cooler in the next heat. We’re all scorching after that!
That battle could have been a Final! The conquering queens that caught our attention in their previous performance were drawn to face each other in the last heat of the Semis.
Sol showed her confidence upon entry, as she kicked the heat off with a Double Frontroll Board-off without breaking a sweat.
She must have made her rivals nervous as they all struggled to answer back at that volume. Sol didn’t stop there as she looped her way even higher, scooping us speechless with her smooth execution.
Whiteley held her ground, slowly adapting to the heat Sol was emitting. Sol continued to roll over her competitors, landing another double smoothly once again, but Whiteley bit back with a substantial board off, showing she wasn’t ready to roll over yet.
Sol clearly wasn’t expecting that, as she struggled to locate that confidence in her next three attempts. Whitely continued to hold her ground, gaining points on the undefeated Sol.
What a comeback! Whiteley looped her way up to Sol’s level in the final minutes of the heat, nearly overtaking sol previous attempt. But Sol wasn’t having any of it, looping back into action to ensure she could claim the Kiteloops.
It’s going to be a feisty final for the women this time!
25-06-2021 17:20 – And now, the Ladies take their turn with a smile on their face as they know what they are up for and know they can handle it.
What a show they put on as they answered each other back consistently throughout the heat. Leon was the first to turn the heat up a notch with her double backroll, but both Arnaus and Kajiya showed they were used to the warmth as they met the Spanish Señorita there without breaking a sweat.
It was Arnaus who cranked the heat up all the way in her last 2 trick attempts looping the backrolls to another level scoring her a fiery 7.5 the extra spice that she needed to make it through to the final battle.
Van Iersel attempted to loop up there with her in her last trick, proving that she too can handle the heat of a queen. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to prove herself worthier than Arnaus, but it was enough to give her another chance to and take her though the final battle!
25-06-2021 16:50 – We are flying up the ladder with this wind 🔥
Meet the men’s semi-finalists!
Semi-final 1:
V. Garat
K.Mahmoud
A.Guillebert
J.Burlando
Semi-final 2:
E.Jaspan
A.Corniel
P.Serin
P.Martinez
25-06-2021 16:30 – Wow what a way to send us to the Semi-Finals! The Levante may be driving us crazy here on the nuking shores of Tarifa, but what we just saw in that heat was downright INSANE. The riders just took the scores stratospherical.
Mahmoud clearly found the portal to another planet down in Egypt, he was the first to set the bar with his Kiteloop Double Frontroll, raising the trick score to a high 8.43! With Martinez right behind him, he maintained his position till the end pulling a double boogie loop so big that he ran out of comp ground. The entire shore was boogying to that one as they cheered loud enough to reach the Alien.
Martinez must have found another portal in DR as he flew through it with his last 2 tricks, defying gravity with his unexplainable Kiteloop Frontroll scoring a 9.7 highest scoring trick of the day so far!
Unfortunately for the audience, Mascher of mischief Oswald smith wasn’t feeling mischievous enough to follow them up to space.
25-06-2021 16:00 – After Coccoluttos last performance the eyes were peeled on him as the audience wondered if the Colombian had anything left for them in his secret pocket. He clearly wasn’t expecting the stash of front rolls the flipping Frenchmen spun out. Between Serin & Garat they seemed to have spun their competitors dizzy as there was a pause in flips from their competitors for a couple of rounds.
As the time ran out and Rodriguez fell behind, he realized it was time to whip out what he had been storing for us in his back pocket, doubling up the Kiteloop Backrolls of the heat. But doubling up wasn’t enough to overtake the French men.
Garat and Serin tailed each other closely in the lead, Serin’s trick leaving him one step closer than Garat to the finish line. Serin is flipping straight to the finals, but it’s not over for Garat just yet, as he gets another chance to overtake in the Semi’s!
25-06-2021 15:30 – We are flying up the ladder with this wind. Both Dominicans, Corniel, and Del Rosario just conquered the battlefield once again each determined to be the one to take the crown back to their DR and make their country proud.
Burlando splashed that dream out of the water by just a few winning points.
25-06-2021 15:00 – Flipping straight back into the Men’s round 5, We had a chance to understand Lambrecht’s progression as Pitot promptly boosted up and away to the dunes capturing the judge’s attention consistently throughout his heat.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to maintain it, as Fellow French man Aubert made all of us dizzy drawing our eyes to his unmissable Kiteloop Frontrolls he kept banging out like a machine gun.
Jaspan fired back and hit the target with the highest scoring one, but it wasn’t enough to take the flipping Frenchman down this time.
25-06-2021 14:40 –Lambrecht had been training hard under Pitot’s wing and was disappointed she didn’t get the chance to show us what she’s learned in her challenging heat yesterday. Although the conditions today are tougher, she took her second chance with a smile and came back with a bang! She must have been taking good notes from Pitot as she dominated the battlefield with confidence, variety, and power taking the scores up and over the men’s category. What a queen. She will continue her climb to the throne in the Semis.
25-06-2021 14:30 – Wow we just flew through those 2 rounds, Rita kicking us off with a solid heat, game face on she appeared fully focused on timing, as she found the perfect moments to show her confidence in riding. Rosa hasn’t had easy heats this competition, but she held her ground nicely throughout the duration of the heat. Rits spun her way to the Semi’s with an uncannily smooth backroll, that made us question the hectic conditions for a split second.
25-06-2021 14:00 – The judges continued to progress into the Women’s competition, to ensure they get their time on the battlefield to climb up the ladder. They’ve been watching the Men struggle to hold on to their smallest kites all morning, building their nerves heat at a time.
But the show much go on! And these queens have decided to prove to us the only limits are those you set in your mind. Mad respect to these inspiring woman.
25-06-2021 13:30 – Silent but deadly Coccoluto was far from silent in this re-run. Italian stallion rode those white caps like a boss, terminating the battlefield from the green flag get-go. You could tell Rodriguez who was confidently holding his first place, wasn’t so sure anymore as he began to defend his position. He put up a fair fight looping back at Coccoluto each time. He almost caught up when he pulled a massive Kiteloop Frontroll in the remaining minutes. But Coccoluto must be hiding some deep pockets in his suit to store all those moves. He finished us off by taking one foot out to step his way over to the next round.
25-06-2021 13:00 – In Heat 17 Tack and Cloetens let Rodriguez & Martinez take the stage, as they were not up to the risk of the battle today. Martinez however seemed to have no problem with risk factors as he showed us in his incredible performance, scoring the highest scores of the day! Rodriguez brought the spice from Colombia and persevered to answer back consistently, but it wasn’t quite spicy enough to steal the flavor. Martinez is going full force ahead to round 5!
25-06-2021 12:40 – Apologies for the silence, we just experienced a slight technical malfunction as the wind showed the judges its wrath by nearly blowing down the judge tower.
The containers are now a safe place, and we are finishing off Heat 17 as we speak. Judges plan to rerun Heat 16 after that due to a system failure in the scoring, causing the riders to mistakenly strategize.
Judges are trying to be as considerate as they can with the conditions at hand.
25-06-2021 11:30 – We shortly followed into heat 16, and all eyes are on the battlefield as the warriors are known to conquer. Initially, the battle was between Mario and Rodriguez as they answered each other back with their Loops, but by the third trick, Calcano stepped up and overtook Mario when he one-upped his last Kiteloop Backroll.
Mario worked his way back up in his next trick attempt, pulling the first board off of the day. But Calcano didn’t give up then as he responded with one of his own. Not quite managing to get the Frontroll in, he fell behind.
Woaaah what was that! Coccolutto silently shadowed his competitors, not calling any attention to him until he unexpectedly took over the stage with a HUGE Kiteloop, scoring him the highest score of the day! But he wasn’t done there, he proceeded to claim his place pulling off another Kiteloop Frontroll.
You could tell Rodriguez who was confidently holding his first place, wasn’t so sure anymore as he began to defend his position.
Calcano wasn’t going to let Coccolutto claim the overtake as he looped his way back up and over to second place. Mario Followed right behind him, consistently landing his remaining tricks, but the consistency wasn’t enough to claim the stage.
That was a close battle!
25-06-2021 11:00 – As the green flag went up the action turned on, as brave Cruz showed the wind who’s boss with a huge Double Sent Pass which was enough to pass him through to the next round. Looks like he brought his Dominican heat today!
25-06-2021 10:30 – Good morning ladies and gentlemen! Currently reporting to you sheltered in a container as the sandstorm continues to blast. The angry wind has coated the remaining blue of the ocean with whirling whitecaps all the way to the shoreline.
The Atmosphere on the beach is intense as the riders huddled behind the gear container, in an attempt to hear the judges over the loud Levante in the first skippers’ meeting.
Due to the dangerously overpowered conditions for any form of Freestyle, it was no surprise to the riders when the judges announced the format of the day to be pure Big-Air. The talk went straight to safety measures.
Judging by today’s conditions the primary battle would continue to be between the riders and the wind. With that in mind, the Judges decided on changing the rules to one man on the battlefield at a time to ensure the safety of the riders. The athletes competing in the heat would conquer the battlefield 7 times, returning to the shore after each trick attempt, clearing the competition area for the next competitor to take the stage.
The judges will be counting the best 3 tricks.
The competitors in Heat 15 are currently attempting to zone out from this madness, and zone into their warrior mode as they get ready to head out to the war zone for the first battle of the day.
I hope you guys have an extra pair of pants near, as today could get gnarly! Stay tuned.
FPS: 10:45 am (CET)
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24-06-2021 19:00 – After Manu’s scare, the judges decided to call off Heat 15 and send the riders home for the day as the conditions simply became too risky. The sandblasted warriors head home for a well-deserved rest after the fair battle they persevered through today with the gnarly conditions we experienced.
Judging by the forecast they need all the rest they can get. I can guarantee you they will all be mentally preparing over the night for the rough day that follows tomorrow.
We’ll be meeting back here early morning with a first possible start scheduled at 10:00 am sharp.
24-06-2021 18:15 – Del Rosario spurred the last round of the day into action with an outrageous Kiteloop Backroll, but Pitot’s game was on point as he answered back strong with all of his tricks, scoring the points he needed to take home heat 14 with Rosario & Krikken closely falling on his tail.
Just as we were thanking the lucky stars we hadn’t experienced any injuries, Defyffer made us bite our young & hold our breath with the beating he took in the following heat. Luckily, his ribs survived, But the warrior left the water winded, leaving him defeated in this competition. Cruz took home heat 15 with his last trick with his double sent past sending him to the next round
24-06-2021 17:30 – Mikaili Sol, our youngest woman on tour, once again demonstrated that there was no age limit for sending it. Her first time on the water today, warming up with her first two trick attempts, by the thirds and fourth you could tell she was comfortable but no one was ready for her HUGE Frontroll Board off she had been keeping for us in her back pocket scoring a solid 8.
These riders really lived up to their names in today’s performance. Although fellow Brazilian Rosa (Rose) had a sweet heat, Sol (Sun) burned too bright for Rosas flower to blossom.
Looks like young Sol will be taking home the highest score of the day for the women, as the judges release them for the day.
24-06-2021 17:00 – In the next heat was a woman on woman as Lambrecht took on Mrs. Kajya. Unfortunately, she only managed to land one of her tricks, making it easier for Kajya to wipe her out of this round and boost her up the ladder.
Heat 5 was a thrilling one, as our three queens Arnaus, Novotna & Whitely, all known for pushing the girls level higher put on a show! Novotna struggled to capture the Judge’s attention enough this time, as Whitely whipped out that power she had been keeping in her back pocket. Unlike most of our riders here, it was the purple forecast that brought her back to this battlefield. Rita demonstrated how her off-the-water training really pays off with her massive Kiteloop Backroll, winning her the highest-scoring trick of the women division so far! But Hannah’s consistency gave her what she needed to progress to the next round.
24-06-2021 16:30 – Leon rode that excitement straight into the water, kicking off the women’s division with a banging total score of 15.08! She’s FLYING to the next round! Van Eirsel right behind her, doing her best to throw her tricks in these hectic conditions! Unfortunately, Potter couldn’t quite keep up with these two warriors in this battle.
24-06-2021 16:10 – That last heat kicked the women straight into the action as they head out to the battlefield as we speak. Let’s hope they keep the excitement up for the long evening ahead!
24-06-2021 15:50 – Oswald Smith kicks the comp back into action, riding a gust perfectly boosting up and above the judge tower pulling a massive Kite loop Backroll to show the spectators in the beach bars what they’re missing out on down on the shores. The cheers are finally starting to overpower the wind! Master of Mischief is causing some serious havoc on the nuking shores of Tarifa as he continues to show us what this big air is all about. That’s 18.7 points Mr. Smith will be taking home in his back pocket.
Unfortunately, Garat couldn’t top Smiths practice in gusty shores of Capetown with those of France this time. He executed his tricks nicely, however couldn’t quite obtain as much power as Smith, leaving him in 2nd place with a total score of 9.48, Corniel falling 2 points behind that.
24-06-2021 15:20 – It’s been a long day already, and it’s nowhere near done! The judges are giving the sandblasted riders a 30-minute break before continuing into the final men’s heat…for now. The Women have been preserving and controlling their nerves as the wind has gusted us into lunchtime. It’s now their turn to put that excitement into action and take on the battlefield. After Heat 13, eyes on them!
24-06-2021 15:00 – Tack is back, and he’s not as stoked on today’s conditions as he was yesterday. Recently he’s been using his smaller kites for waves, apparently, it’s been a while he rode in these conditions. Unfortunately, you could tell he wasn’t having as much fun on the playground as his last game.
Garat on the other hand has clearly been using his smaller big air kites and boards with straps regularly, as he shows us with his solid Kiteloop Board-off. Off he spins into the next round!
24-06-2021 14:30 – Once again the French Riders prove to be used to these conditions as Serin land all 7 trick attempts smoothly, with spicy Kiteloop Backroll spinning the judges head towards him. I think our local boy Cloetens must have seen that as he answered back with a giant Kiteloop Frontroll scoring a high score of 8.53 . Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to boost him to first place.
24-06-2021 13:50 – The Dominican Corniel really dominated the scene there showing immense confidence with his Kiteroll Frontroll Board off. That was enough for him to claim that heat by 6 points, boosting him to the next round.
24-06-2021 13:40 – Scores are now getting higher as we climb our way up the Ladder into Heat 9. The conditions aren’t getting any easier folks, but the riders are getting familiar with them and strategizing accordingly.
24-06-2021 13:30 –
RESULT:
Bourlando: 17.03
Guiliano: 14.86
Pitot: 10.7
24-06-2021 13:25 –
RESULT:
Jaspan: 9.07
Cchabloz: 6.43
Ouhmid: 4.5
24-06-2021 13:13 – Heat 7 is on, warriors are out on the water as we speak.
24-06-2021 12:40 – Due to the extreme conditions, the judges have decided to restart from heat 7, cutting the riders some slack, giving them another chance to adjust to the pure Big Air format.
24-06-2021 12:15 – Woah Woah Woah what’s going on, we’ve been blown out of the purple zone to the stratosphere! With the wind now gusting beyond measures, the judges have decided to adapt the rules once again, completely blowing the remaining elements of Freestyle out of the focus. This is primarily for the safety of our brave competitors!
New rules: PURE BIG AIR! 3 Big Air tricks count in the final score.
Heat 7 is on. Strap in, it’s about to get nuclear.
24-06-2021 12:10 – Unfortunately for De pfyffer, these conditions are more familiar to the training grounds in France than his very own shores of Tarifa. Guilbert proves that with his performance, taking the winning points to push him to the next round.
RESULT:
Manu: 6.03
Del Rosatio: 10.4
Guillbert: 11.73
24-06-2021 12:03 – There is nothing stable about the current condition of the shore. The wind is gusting beyond the pro’s anticipation and the spectators are in between excited and nervous, as they attempt to keep their eyes open with the sand storm.
You can tell the difference from yesterday’s scores. The battlefield is becoming gnarlier by the second, but the warriors are persevering. The battle has shifted from between each other to themselves versus the gusts!
24-06-2021 11:30 – The gusting Levante is really dominating the scene here, making it extremely difficult for the riders to claim the stage. Judges called the riders into a skippers meeting to adapt the criteria to the current conditions, leaning more towards Big Air favored elements.
New rules: 1 Freestyle 3 Big Air tricks.
Now informed riders from Round 3 are back in the water ready to ride those gusts even higher!
24-06-2021 11:20 – Franco & Goetgebeurg had a particularly hard time. The gust must have blown Franco’s confidence we experienced yesterday out of his system as he couldn’t quite land any of his tricks!
Calcano managed to keep his head together as he landed 5 of his 7 attempts relatively smoothly. His powerful Backmobe won him his highest score.
France must have prepared Krikken well for these conditions as he managed to pull most of his tricks with that extra ‘umf’ he needed to get him the winning points.
RESULT:
Goetbeurg: 3.2
Franco: 0
Calcano: 10.97
Krikken: 13.41
24-06-2021 11:03 – The first riders on the water are struggling with the outrageously gusty conditions on the inside as the wind continued to settle in. Although wind chop provides epic ramps, let’s not forget that landings can be pretty gnarly in these gusty choppy conditions.
But it’s all part of the game in separating the best from the rest! Timing tricks are essential, these experienced athletes know how to ride the gusts and avoid the gust riding them.
24-06-2021 10:45 – 3, 2 1 Action! Green flag up & The first heat is in the water! Keep your eye on the live scoring below!
24-06-2021 10:30 – The shorelines continue to gust adrenaline into our systems. It’s time for action. The red flag will be up in 10 minutes! Strap in & get ready for action.
24-06-2021 10:15 – First possible start pushed back to 10:45 am (CET)
24-06-2021 09:50 – First possible start at 10:15 am (CET), Make sure you have your popcorn ready!
24-06-2021 09:30 – Good morning from the nuking shores of Tarifa! The wind has blown the riders into action right away. The athletes competing in the first couple of heats have already set up their quiver and are blasting their zone-in playlist as we speak.
Todays rules will be: 7 trick attempts, best 4 counting (2 Freestyle 2 Big Air tricks)
We will kick off right where we left off, and plan to power through as much of the ladder as the conditions allow. Based on yesterday’s feedback from the riders, the judges have decided to thread the women’s heats between the men’s, intending on preserving all of the athlete’s energy throughout the day to ensure their best performance.
M5-13
W4-7
M14-17
W8-9
M18-21
W10-11 (semi-final woman)
M22-23 (semi-final men)
W12 (final woman)
M24 (final men)
Around 13:30 they are planning to make a 30 minutes lunch break, but don’t worry, so I hope you have an appetite for action!
24-06-2021 09:00 | DAY 2 … 3, 2, 1 ACTION!
17:40 – As the wind continues to change direction, the Poniente continues to fade. Judges have released the Riders for the day, sending them home to rest for the big day tomorrow.
Skippers meeting 9:00 am sharp, resuming where we left off with Men’s heat 5, with an early first possible start at 10:00 am (CET).
17:30 – Another local legend Manu Depfyffer woke up the crowds with a massive KGB, and continued making his Hometown proud performing consistently throughout the rest of the heat. You can tell the support is strong when the local boys are on the water, as the cheers crank up a couple of notches.
Krikken definitely earnt some cheers with his Double Hinterberger FS3 but struggled to keep his confidence up over the loud cheers of De Pfyffers friends & family on the shores.
Looks like Berti had a tough one as he struggled with the light wind, not able to make it through.
RESULT:
Manu: 20.1
Krikken: 16.97
Berti: 9.13
17:00 – Jaspan clearly had no jetlag from his journey from Australia. He took a very smooth lead really impressing the judges with the technical difficulty of his executed tricks. Our Dominican Calcano held his place landing 7 different tricks, but unfortunately, it seems Doronti didn’t come on his Italian Stallion to this event and couldn’t quite reach the next round.
RESULT:
Jaspan: 22.9
Calcano: 19.04
Doronti: 10.93
16:50 – Looks like it was just a power nap! The wind is back up & Heat 3 is ON!
16:30 – Unfortunately the wind is deciding to have a little siesta, so the judges have put the next heat on standby. Stay tuned!
16:15 – Cloetens welcomes us to his hometown with an impressive KGB right on the shore, really amping up the volume in the audience with his Double Hinterberger Frontside 3. You can tell this is his home spot, as he continued to land his 7 tricks, taking the win with great confidence and variety.
His bestie Franco there right behind him taking second place, Seer leaving the stage with third. Unfortunately, he could not steal the spotlight from the pair of them.
RESULT:
Jerome: 23.33
Franco: 15.8
Seer: 11.27
16:00 – Heat two is on, and local boys Jerome Cloetens and Nico Franco turn their training spot into the battlefield real quick! Lucas Seer will be performing his first time on this stage with a couple of comfortable competitors. Let’s see if he can steal the spotlight!
15:45 – Tack takes the win by 10 points with a beautiful Moby dick, really preserving his legendary name in his first heat of the day.
RESULT:
Tack: 24.61
Gouetgebuerg: 14.4
Galliart: 11
15:30 – What a tease! Due to a slight technical malfunction with the live scoring, the judges were forced to pause the heat for a minute, but the green flag rose back up shortly and the riders are now nice and warm, ready for take 2! Tack once again spurred the heat back to action, pulling a massive Backmobe with a cheeky grab for that extra spice.
Goetgebuer came back with a nice slim, landing 4 of his 7 attempts so far. It looks like safe might just get him through this round, as the pressure seems to have got to Galliart with 3 crashes so far.
15:15 – First appearance back on the freestyle battlefield and Tack is already taking the center stage pulling an impressive slim 7 as his first trick. Looks like he’s still got it folks!
Goetgebuer is playing it safe, getting his variety in but safe will not be enough to take this heat! He better kick it up a notch if he wants to keep up with the Steeze Maestro Tack who just topped his BS315 with 3 points!
Galiart spun some heads with the first KGB of the day, overtaking Goetgebuers variety.
The wind is filling in and powering up the electric energy here on the stadium shores of Tarifa.
15:00 – And we are on! Action rolling – keep your eye on the live scoring below to check who is on the water and how they are impressing the judges!
14:35 – The Bouys have been placed and the whitecaps are making an appearance. First possible start 15:00 pm (CET)
14:15 – The riders are setting up as wind continues to slowly fill in, blowing the first possible start to 14:45 pm (CET) – Stay tuned!
13:00 – The breeze has arrived and the foilers are already out to play. First possible start at 14:00 pm (CET)
12:30 – Women are released for the day, but the sun is out and the vibe is alive down here. Men are still on hold with a first possible start at 13:30 pm (CET). I’ll keep you posted.
10:50 – Due to the light conditions, the judges have decided to not rush into the competition today, and preserve the rider’s energy for the big forecast ahead.
However, they are not released yet, ensuring they are ready for the wind’s early arrival!
The Riders are taking advantage of this time to get familiar with the judging criteria and arrive on the same page.
Judges have already introduced the Mixed format, where Freestyle and Big Air tricks count towards the final score, the weight given to each category will be announced by the Head Judge (Alvaro Onieva) and in the Official Notice Board at least thirty (30) minutes before the start of the heat.
There will definitely be prevailing elements of big air in the judging by the purple forecast.
With 7 trick attempts, the best 4 counted, the riders are off to plan their moves to be ready for action at the wind’s disposal.
10:00 – Good morning everyone from our cloudy shores of Tarifa! The GKA Freestyle World Cup Tarifa is back! What better place to hold the first event of 2021 than the OG Mecca of kiteboarding.
It looks like it will be a slow start today here at the Tarifa Kite Pro. The wind has yet to wake up, but the riders are on the scene getting amped for the week ahead.
We have a total of 40 riders raging across 16 different nationalities registered to bring their skills to the stadium shores. With the forecast for the upcoming days in the purple zone, you better strap in, we’re in for a treat!
The first skippers’ meeting is about to kick off. Stay tuned!
22-06-2021 09:00 Welcome to registration day of the GKA Freestyle World Cup Tarifa 2021. More information coming soon!