Delannoy reclaims crown in day of upsets

• French teenager secures world title ahead of final tour stop

• Danish debutant takes world cup win at first time of asking

Copa Kitley GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Ibiraquera 2024
19–26 October, 2024 | Ibiraquera, Brazil

France’s Capucine Delannoy recaptured the world title she lost a year ago in a dramatic day at the Copa Kitley GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Ibiraquera, in southern Brazil.

At the fourth of five scheduled tour stops, 18-year-old Delannoy built on her work of earlier in the season to reclaim the crown, even though she could only finish third in Brazil.

“Getting the title before my final event was really my goal here and I’m just so happy,” said Delannoy. “I’ve worked the whole year for this. My dad, my coach, so many people helped me to get here. Then it goes so quickly; 10 minutes and you can win or lose it. Well, I won it and I’m really, really happy.”

Delannoy was defeated in the semi-final by a Dane based in Australia, Yasmina Bujanow, who went on to win in her first world cup competition at the first attempt with stunning surfing, even in the tricky conditions.

Bujanow had come from behind in the heat against the French teenager to win with a big wave score late in the heat. She then went on to put on a masterclass in the final, with the biggest wave scores and highest heat total of women’s contest.

‘Dream come true’

“I was not expecting it,” said Bujanow. “It’s kind of like a dream come true. The wind picked up a little bit in the final, which was good for myself. I think the waves actually got better, or my selection did. I felt quite good after my first wave. It put me in a good mindset.”

On the sixth day of the Ibiraquera world cup, which is the penultimate Kite-Surf call on the Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour, the focus was on the women’s competition, though the men did get on the water later in the day.

By the quarter-finals the Brazilians were on a roll. The national champion, Sophia Abreu, swept aside her compatriot Jalila Paulino, while Kesiane Rodrigues was equally dismissive of her Swiss opponent, Simona Schatzmann. Only Serena Luz came to grief at the hands of Capucine Delannoy.

One of the big upsets came when world ranked number three, Camille Losserand (SUI), was taken out by Yasmina Bujanow by the finest of margins, 0.06 of a point. It was a sign of bigger things to come.

The semi-finals saw Bujanow march on past Delannoy. The other semi was an all-Brazilian affair that pitted Sophia Abreu against Kesiane Rodrigues. Abreu did enough in the faltering breeze to ease past her fellow countrywoman to book a finals’ berth.

Slight upset

What may have looked may have looked close on paper turned into a rout. Abreu had no answers for Bujanow, who opened with an 8.0 from a possible 10. She backed it up with a 7.00 wave and then closed it out with an 8.10 for a remarkable heat and stunning win.

The men got their chance in a gathering 20 knots of breeze and better waves. One of the day’s big shocks came when Brazil’s Sebastian Riberio, one of the strongest backside surfers, was upstaged by Théo Demanez (FRA) by the merest fraction of a point and sent out.

The Spanish-Cape Verdean Matchu Lopes, after several disappointing events, seemed like a man on mission intent on setting matters to right. Lopes charged his heats and set up a Round 3 match-up against big wave surfer Clément Roseyro (FRA).

Another mouthwatering showdown to come is Australia’s James Carew, winner of the last two stops, against Brazil’s Pedro Matos, who always looks dangerous whether on home waters or not. Be sure to join us here for what will be a thrilling climax.

words: Ian MacKinnon
images: Svetlana Romantsova

Copa Kitley GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Ibiraquera 2024 results

Women
1 Yasmina Bujanow (DEN/AUS)
2 Sophia Abreu (BRA)
3 Capucine Delannoy (FRA)
4 Kesiane Rodrigues (BRA)

Event information

• Location: Ibiraquera, Brazil
• Dates: 19—26 October, 2024
• All event information here.

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Liveticker will be updated throughout the day. Event highlight video will be published next morning. Written reports will be posted to the website at the end of the competition day.

Spot Info: Ibiraquera
Ibiraquera has a sandy beach-break that behaves like a point-break. An island in front of the beach shapes the seabed to make perfect right-handers that break about 200 metres off-shore. The swell can be big, from 1 to 2.5 metres, that provide big faces all year round. But the best months are September to March. The sandy bottom means there are no hazards or rocks downwind.

Weather
Ibiraquera in October has a mixed, mainly dry climate. The air temperature during day can be between highs of 27°C and lows of 20°C. The water temperature is warm, so a shorty wetsuit or board-shorts and lycra is all that is needed. Sunrise is approximately 05.30h and sunset is 18.30h.

Wind
In October the wind blows 22 to 25 knots, predominantly north-easterly, but it can come from the east, south-east and south.