LIVETICKER DAY 8 (of 10) – KITE-SURF DAY 1 (GMT+1)

Current discipline: Kite-Surf 
Judging Criteria:  Pure wave / 20 minute heats 
Format: Now: Double elimination. Up to 15 waves will be scored, the top two scores count. Judges looking for power and fluidity throughout the turns and connecting sections
Earlier in the day: single elimination ran to the final. 
Wind: Light – 11 and 12m kites
Waves: Small, but cleaning up in sections and offering long ride possibilities  

Note: This liveticker automatically updates every couple of minutes if ticker is online!
You’ll find the live heats and ladders by scrolling down this page
If you want to see previous individual wave scores, click here and scroll all the way down to Mens Kitesurf 2

Report: Jim Gaunt

20.00 – Day has finished.

19.50 – WOMEN’S DOUBLE ELIMINATION
Having lost in the first round against single elimination winner, our current tour leader, Carla Herrera started her fight back from the start of the doubles and has safely come through two heats against Australian Frances Kelly and Susanne Schwartztrauber. It’s now back to back heats in this double elimination structure – win your heat and fight against the next highest finishing single elimination rider. Up next for Carla it’s Peri Roberts when we resume tomorrow. 

19.15 – Wrapping up the MEN’S DOUBLE ELIMINATION so far:
Three double heats ran: 
18A: Beqqali beat Amores
18B: Harney beat Lafdali
19A: Mansour beat Delannoy (in a very close heat – big upset here!)
19B: Bouceta beat Afonso 
20A: Daniel Weber beat Rayban
20B: Abadjiev beat Bentajar 

18.30 – If you’re just joining us the early heats of the double elimination have just started as the crew try to eek the max out of the small conditions while they’re there to give everyone as much of a chance as possible in this competition with just two days to go. Find the heat scores below and the elimination ladder further down the page ‘Kitesurf 2’. Find out how Mitu Monteiro has just won the men’s single elimination and projected himself directly to the double elimination final in this liveticker report just below! 

17.45 – MEN’S SINGLE ELIMINATION FINAL
Mitu Monteiro (CV) V Reece Myerscough (CAN)
In his first ever final Reece continued what we’d seen so far today in terms of getting some scores in the bag very early, but they were nothing compared to Mitu’s second wave. Turn after turn and then an air off the lip that he combined into a 360 in the wave on landing and then continued to smash the small wave to bits on the inside. 8.37 points. That’s very big in these conditions again.

Reece found one that he worked all the way to the inside… the score didn’t drop for a while, meanwhile Mitu was on another workable wave and producing so many off-the-lips on one wave, unbelievable.

When Reece’s score finally dropped of 7.2 it put him into the lead momentarily with 11.97. Then Mitu’s wave popped up on the board and the Cape Verdean was back in front, a 7.43 boosted him up to 15.8 for his two wave average. Eight minutes to go…

Reece had far more waves on his score sheet than Mitu who only had three, and a 6.97 on his eight wave brought the Canadian closer, 14.17 to 15.8.

But a winner here two year ago and winner of the first event of the season in Cape Verde, Mitu put in the killer blow with just two minutes to go in the heat. Within that ride he packed in two of the biggest and most explosive hits we’ve seen all day. An 8.47 dropped and his two wave average went up to 16.84 – the new highest heat score of the day.

Reece needed a high 9 to increase his two wave average score to catch Mitu, but it just wasn’t possible in the swells that came in at the end.
MITU WINS SINGLE ELIMINATION: 16.84 to 14.17

17.20 – MEN’S MIN-FINAL
James Carew (AUS) V Pedro Matos (BRA)
Duotone team mates, room mates, travel mates… yes, they know each other’s riding well. Australia versus Brazil. 20 and 21 years old respectively.
Just over one point difference between them with half the 15 minute heat to go. Pedro ahead on 13.13 to 12.1.
Once again it was about scratching for what looked like the best lump out the back and then hoping it would keep opening up into the bay. Pedro’s first 8.23 wave had done the most damage so far and the Brazilian is of course very keen to make his first podium.
He hammered another wave all the way in on his third wave… an 8.4. Big. 16.63 points from two waves – highest heat score of the day.
James put in a big effort at the end on a small wave, but it wasn’t enough. Pedro only got three waves in the heat, but big scores. Congrats to the Brazilian. 
MATOS WINS AND FINISHES THIRD IN THE SINGLE ELIMINATION: 16.63 to 12.36

MEN’S ONE HEAT BREAK:
17.00 -WOMEN’S DOUBLE ELIMINATION FIRST HEAT

So while the guys had a well earned break before the mini-final, the women got their double elimination to a start with this heat:

S Schwartztrauber (GER) V A Pobedinska (POL)
Pobedinska here in her debut event on tour found it hard against the German rider who has been a regular this year. Susanne finding much more wave finding success and wins.
SCHWARZBRAUNER WINS: 8.9 to 3.33

16.35 – SEMI FINAL 2:
Pedro Matos (BRA) V Reece Myerscough (CAN)

Well, well, well… Reece Myerscough in his first semi-final is still fully lit, having taken out Airton Cozzolino in the quarter final, after just three waves in this semi final he had a 7.2 and 8.2 giving him a 15.4 lead that would have already won semi-final 1. He just looks so comfortable burning turns and smashing the sections here. It must be just like home in Canada. Very very powerful indeed, multiple turns and never running far out front of the wave.

Pedro is pure class when it comes to frontside cross / cross-offshore wave riding though and a 6.3 and 2.77 brought him closer: 9.07 after three waves.

Pedro then got another 6 on his fourth wave, while Reece’s early seven wave barrage had ceased for a few minutes, so it was 12.73 to 15.47 with four minutes to go in Reece’s favour. Pedro was going to need a 9.05 if he wanted the lead on one wave… He got a 9.07 yesterday…

Pedro did manage to find a pretty good one and after a few turns it really opened up. Right this was his chance. He milked it for all it was worth. Both these riders shooting frothier first final. It was an incredible repeated full deconstruction of the wave with various cuts, hammer blows and tail first exits, but in the end it was only a 7.93 which wasn’t enough.

Reece meanwhile on his way in got super close to a full wave 360, something we haven’t yet seen in GKA competition. He’s on fire. Look out Mitu Monteiro!
REECE WINS AND GOES THROUGH TO THE FINAL: 15.47 to 14.36

16.15 – SEMI FINAL 1 RE-RUN:
Mitu Monteiro (CV) V James Carew (AUS)

The heat re-started and the scores were reset to zero… and suddenly Mitu Monteiro hooked into literally the best wave that came into the bay all afternoon right at the start. Bam bam bam, into the lip every time, what a pro Mitu is. Totally fluid and smooth, excellent kite control – an 8.7 points for him.

Carew had clocked up a couple of average waves, but already the conditions in this heat were looking a bit better. His third wave was worked to death in this big battle to reach the final – two guys at the top of the GKA tree – and he got a 7.63 for that.

If you looked at Mitu’s first two wave scores of 8.7 and then a 6.67 you’d think that the conditions were pretty epic, but in reality these guys were picking out the better waves and maximising their potential. This really makes you want to get out there because it looks like a spot you might ride at home. I would bet no one rides it like these guys though!

The conditions in the mid section of the bay looked to be cleaning up now suddenly in this mid tide state… fingers crossed for the rest of the day.

Just at the end a flurry of activity. James worked a wave over 100 yards with what must have been ten turns, including open face cutbacks, fins out, powerful sprays, pumping through sections… it was fairly small but a super technical ride and his legs must have been burning after that. He got 8.2 and just put himself ahead 15.9 to 15.37. So close!

Mitu caught only his fifth and final wave right at the end and it was a nervy wait for his score to drop, but it was 7.23 and literally by a whisker gave him the win.
MITU WINS AND GOES TO THE FINAL: 15.93 to 15.9!

15.37 – SEMI FINAL UPDATE (CURRENTLY CANCELLED):
Mitu Monteiro (CV) V James Carew (AUS)

A game of patience here with light winds and quite scarce conditions. Just two waves each in the first ten minutes of this 20 minute heat… but that’s the game. James Carew leading at that point with an 8.83 total versus 3.57. The Australian’s lead telling from a 6.13 scoring second wave that allows for multiple turns and critically he managed to get his fins out the top with nearly each turn – with no margin for error in that approach in these small waves, so a deserved high score for that.

Five minutes to go, the heat was cancelled due to poor conditions.

15.15  – Carew V Monteiro semi final is on now, scroll down for the livestream and live heat scores 

14.00 – A protest has been lodged with the judges and it’s taking some time to sort out – which is another reason for the delay. Hang in there! 

13.30 – Event on hold while awaiting improving conditions for the semi-finals: 
Mitu Monteiro V James Carew
Pedro Matos V Reece Myerscough 

13.05 – 4th Quarter final – heat 14B 
Reece Myerscough (CAN) V Airton Cozzolino (CV)
The championship leader is out of the singles! Reece Myerscough was one of the top performers yesterday and held his cool and worked hard throughout the heat here. The biggest win of the Canadian’s career came from solid top to bottom power moves up and down each wave, on and off the foam ball and making every single little section he could find count. He had the highest heat score of the day from two waves with 15.73 and he needed it because Airton was very high too by today’s standards at 14.4.
Remember, this is the single elimination, so Airton will get a second chance to work his way back up in the double elimination – but one man licking his lips is second placed riders on the tour James Carew – who’s up next in the semi-finals!
MYERSCOUGH WINS: 15.73 to 14.4 

12.40 – Quarter final heat 14A
Pedro Matos (BRA) V Keahi de Aboitiz (AUS)
The Brazilian knocked Keahi out on the very last wave of the heat, getting the highest wave score of the heat – 6.6. This heat was super close all the way through and tightly contested with very even skills. You could say it was an upset, but Pedro was the highest scorer yesterday and been on the up and up all season. The waves are small today, but both Pedro and Keahi caught a few from way out back where the wave first forms steeply, then stayed connected through the flatter section and cranked out more turns right on the inside. Pedro found the best wave and held his nerve all the way along it. He should be stoked.
MATOS WINS: 12.13 to 11.1 

12.15 – Quarter final heat 13A
Mitu Monteiro (CV) V Anderson Reboucas (BRA)
Mitu Monteiro worked the mushy waves best, despite an innovative switched up approach from the Brazilian, riding frontside and backside!
MONTEIRO WINS

Quarter final heat 13B
James Carew (AUS) V Oscar Perrineau (FRA)
16 year-old Oscar Perrineau caught the biggest and cleanest wave of the heat right at the end and after three good smacks unfortunately just lost his balance in the white water… but it brought him very close to the current number two on tour. Australian Carew however worked the waves harder and for longer, often all the way into the sand. Close though:
CAREW WINS: 11.03 to 10.3

12.04 – QUARTER FINAL LINE-UP – MEN’S SINGLE ELIMINATION:
Heat 13A: Anderson Reboucas (BRA) V Mitu Monteiro (CV)
Heat 13B: Oscar Perrineau (FRA) V James Carew (AUS)
Heat 14A: Pedro Matos (BRA) V Keahi de Aboitiz (AUS)
Heat 14B: Reece Myerscough (CAN) V Airton Cozzolino (CV) 

12.00 – Quick update on the action so far:
We’re now into man-on-man heats for the quarter finals, but we saw the last heats of round 2 on the water first:

Last heats of Round 2:
HEAT 12A
Reece Myerscough continued his very positive form of yesterday, going through against Spaniard Kiko Roig Torres 11.6 to 5.46

HEAT 12B
On the water at the same time as heat 12A, Airton interestingly would have lost to Reece looking at the scores, but he did enough to go through against Jorn Donat 10.4 to 3.44

 

11.43 – Still high tide here, so expect the waves to steepen up a bit on the drop, but the wind conditions are more consistent with riders on tens and elevens at the moment. 

11.30 – Good morning everyone and welcome to Westpoint in Dakhla. Action is on! Scroll down for live heat info. 

We saw some inspirational light wind wave performance yesterday as we continued the men’s round one and two single elimination. Read about that here! 

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Find yesterday’s liveticker heat notes here.
Find day one kite-surf liveticker information here.