Jeep Tarifa Pro – Kite-Surf World Tour – Day 3 Action
Published 28th June 2018 by Danny
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
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The GKA ProAm Challenge is far more than just a race, but a community event that will allow you the opportunity to get to know all of your favourite brands and test the very latest equipment.
Have you registered yet? The GKA ProAm Challenge and GKA Test Event, which will run side-by-side, will seek to unite kiteboarding amateurs, professionals and the industry in an effort to advance the sport and make it more inclusive.
www.gkaproam.com/register
Are you ready? Save the dates! 👉🏼 📆 29 August to 1 September in Dunkerque, France.
What better location for our Qatar Airways GKA Awards than beautiful Cape Town? Here are 5 things about Cape Town that maybe you didn’t know! Can you add some more to our list? Let us know in the comments!
The GKA ProAm Challenge is far more than just a race, but a community event that will allow you the opportunity to get to know all of your favourite brands and test the very latest equipment. Have you registered yet? The GKA ProAm Race and GKA Test Event, which will run side-by-side, will seek to unite kiteboarding amateurs, professionals and the industry in an effort to advance the sport and make it more inclusive. All the biggest brands in kiteboarding will there, so why not join us?
Are you ready? Save the dates!
👉🏼 📆 29 August to 1 September in Dunkerque, France.
The Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour is excited to return once again to Sylt, Germany for the Defender GKA Kite World Cup Sylt featuring two disciplines - Kite-Surf and Hydrofoil Big Air. At this event will also crown for the first time ever our GKA Hydrofoil Big Air European Champion 👑
Sylt is Germany’s fourth largest and northern-most island. It is famed for its nature reserve, untamed beauty and 40kms of sandy beaches, making it a perfect destination for this World Cup event!
Don’t forget that you will be able to watch everything live on 👉🏼 www.gkakiteworldtour.com/live 📅 Sylt, Germany 📍22-27 August 2024
The moment you have all been waiting for is finally here, and no, we are not referring to the weekend or any upcoming holiday that brings a twinkle to your eyes. We are talking about one of the greatest kite events since the dawn of mankind. While there are many great kiteboarding locations around the globe, perhaps one of the most historical and elusive is that of Hood River, Oregon, the birthplace of park riding and the pinnacle force that sustains its continuation.
This year the Kite Park League is proud to announce a new partnership with THE QATAR AIRWAYS GKA KITE WORLD TOUR to present THE QATAR AIRWAYS GKA KITE PARK LEAGUE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2024.
The event will be held from August 3rd - 10th and will crown this years QATAR AIRWAYS GKA KITE PARK WORLD CHAMPIONS 2024 in both men’s and women’s divisions. Without question, this will be a week to remember.