Women’s contest finely poised for a big finale after a day of action in tricky conditions in Morocco
GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Dakhla 2024
29 Sept—06 Oct, 2024 | Oum Lamboiur, Dakhla
The women’s contest at the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Dakhla, in Morocco, is finely poised at the semi-final stage after a day of action when the Brazilian athletes tore up the waves in tricky conditions.
World number three, Brazil’s Kesiane Rodrigues, was on fire as she carved a path through the field scoring a remarkable 9.57 out of 10 from one of the meagre waves on offer in one heat, taking her total to 19.07.
Her compatriot, Serena Luz, was not quite so consistent, but still chalked up a huge 9.07 for one wave on a day when the women were scavenging for anything they could get in the sets that were few and far between.
Day five of the competition, the third stop of the Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour in the Kite-Surf discipline, was dedicated to the women after the men’s contest was completed on the third day with a win for Australia’s James Carew.
The women’s competition, with 14 athletes in running, opened slowly with an uncharacteristically misty pall shrouding the Oum Lamboiur break. The wind in the 15 to 18 knots range saw the athletes out on 12m kites as they hunted the waves.
Slayed two waves
France’s Astrid Cheylus, a junior Freeride skiing world champion, returned to Dakhla and had a good run, forging her way to the quarter-finals before she came to grief at the hands of her compatriot, Clémence Derrien.
The Brazilian contingent was out in force with four athletes. Luiza Neto also charged through her heats with some strong performances to reach the quarter-finals.
One of the biggest heats came as early as Round 3, when Capucine Delannoy (FRA) came up against Cheylus and another Brazilian, Serena Luz. Luz put the biggest wave score of the day to that point on the board, but Delannoy’s total was the highest, though it was a non-elimination round.
In the opening quarter-final France’s Charlotte Carpentier found herself up against a charging Kesiane Rodrigues, who had slayed two waves for 8-point plus scores in an earlier heat. Rodrigues again turned it on, earning 19.07 out of a possible 20 and the win.
Big upset
Right afterwards Serena Luz staged a bit of coup with a big upset. She unseated world number two, Switzerland’s Camille Losserand, who was edged out by a fraction of a point in a contentious heat.
Capucine Delannoy did not display the fireworks of some of her rivals, but her consistently high scores in the seven and eights ensured that she advanced to the quarter-final, where she made short work of the Brazilian Luiza Neto.
Delannoy, the tour leader thanks to her win in Sylt, Germany, in August, now faces her fellow countrywoman, Clémence Derrien, in the semi-final.
Brazilians Kesiane Rodrigues and Serena Luz face-off in the other semi-final. But an attempt to get the heat away in the fading conditions was halted and the contest is poised for the closing showdowns.
Join us again to see who will be crowned the queen of Dakhla.
words: Ian MacKinnon
images: Zakaria Taberkant / Chris Besson
Spot Info: Oum Lamboiur, Dakhla
Dakhla Westpoint at the point where the hotel is situated. The town sits on the edge of the Sahara desert. North-westerly swells wrap around the point producing a long right-handed break with hollow sections that run into the sandy bay. The northerly breezes can be tricky under the point, but punchy and strong on the inside towards the beach. Westpoint is on the end of a long promontory at the head of Dakhla’s shallow, flatwater lagoon, which gets breezes of 20 to 30 knots nearly all year round.
Weather
Dakhla at the end of September/early October has a dry climate. The air temperature during day can be between 24°C the highest temperatures and lowest of 18°C. The water temperature of the sea is around 20°C, so bringing a wetsuit is recommended. Sunrise is approximately 08.00h and sunset is 20.00h.
Wind
North winds blow side offshore at Westpoint with 15 to 25 knots.
Event information
- Location: Oum Lamboiur, Westpoint, Dakhla
- Dates: 29 September—06 August
- All event information here.
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