GKA Kite World Tour
Jeep Tarifa Pro – Kite-Surf World Tour – Day 3 Action

Jeep Tarifa Pro – Kite-Surf World Tour – Day 3 Action

28th June 2018

THE KSWT STRAPLESS CREW’S LATE-LATE SHOW AT THEIR SPIRITUAL CONTEST HOME!

Once again we were waiting till the late afternoon but the GKA Kite-Surf World Tour riders were finally called upon to create the show with their strapless skills in around 15-18 knots. At the site of the first world strapless competition five years ago, the big upset for the crowds was Simon Joosten from Barbados ousting Keahi de Aboitiz from the single elimination in his first heat!

 

 

Among the other highlights, Matchu Lopes pieced together a complicated new trick, called a front roll to rodeo with a board varial revert… we think! Anyway, the crowd loved it and we hope to see it again (look out for the video)! Then, in quickly dropping winds, Airton Cozzolino stepped up in the final heat of round two to prove that he barely needs wind to stomp tricks, like his signature flat 3 and more.

The other positive: with just 16 riders left in the single elimination, a valid result stands for those riders and they can take points away. If the Poniente and thermal combine positively again tomorrow, we will have both the Air Games and Kite-Surf World Tour running alongside each other!

All photos: Toby Bromwich

Click to enlarge the gallery.

Keahi de Aboitiz suffered a shock exit in his first heat (round two) at the hands of Barbadian Simon Jooster!
Due to the way the draw fell with 33 riders, there was just one heat to run in round one – Anderson Reboucas V Fonsy Delgado. Anderson took it… and went on to face Airton… where his charge was cruelly halted!
Keahi’s back roll stalefish
Anderson Reboucas
Paulino Pereira Portuguese pep-talk!
Charlotte Carpentier is ready for the women’s event!
Fonsy Delgado
Jan Marcos Riveras – a crowd favourite on his adopted home soil
Italian Toni Ciliberto rides the rodeo in close
Jan Marcos managed to find more powered moves than most could muster with this board-off kite loop
Gustavo Arrojo, another local favourite, advanced through to round 3 after victory over Portuguese rider Rafael de Costa who is new to the tour this year
Gustavoooooo!
And again… do you think he’s enjoying the home town show??
Canadian Reece Myerscough is rapidly improving, vitalised by world tour competition
Matchu Lopes demonstrated assured flow in conditions where lighter conditions made it extremely technical to look poised, linking trick to trick
Reece Mysercough
Matchu in front of the Valdevaqueros fans
Matchu managed to produce a new move he’s been working on in these tough-to-shred conditions: a front roll to rodeo with a board varial revert – it seemed to go on forever!
Cape Verdean Luis Brito
Brazilian Sebastian Ribeiro’s freestyle game is massively improving and he’s become a leading contender on this tour. Struggling a little in the light wind, he’s still become way more than a wave slayer, but lost to David Marin
Local favourite Jhon Palacios… needing a little luck here!
Mitu Monteiro wasn’t at his cleanest, but did enough against Jhon Palacios to advance to round 3
Probably the most improved strapless freestyle riders on the tour this year is Brazilian wave phenomenon, Pedro Matos.
Mitu – board-off kite loop – which were tricky in terms of height in these lighter winds
Frenchman Ralph Boelen did well to squeeze out young St Maarten hotshot Theo Demanez!
Ribeiro rotates
Ribeiro…
Theo Demanez who lost a close battle with Ralph Boelen
Ribeiro goes with the flow!
When Airton took to the water in the last heat of the day, he gestured to the judges before the heat that he didn’t have much power… when the green flag flew, do you think it mattered?!
Airton drew from a big bag of tricks despite the low winds
Aaaand again…
Charlotte Carpentier heading out to warm up for the upcoming women’s competition