LIVETICKER DAY 5 (GMT+4)
Current discipline: Kite-Surf
Judging Criteria: Pure wave – 20 minute heats / best 2 waves count from 15 possible waves
Wind: 14 – 18 knots – riders on 10 – 12m kites
Waves: Just about as big as this particular reef can hold beyond the Heritage Bel Ombre lagoon. Peaky, clean and cross-shore.
Note: This liveticker automatically updates every couple of minutes if ticker is online!
Note: Scroll down on this page for the live heat score and heat ladder
Report: Jim Gaunt
Men’s Kite-Surf single elimination – round 2 – man on man.
In round 1: 2 heats with 2 men in each heat on the water running at the same time.
17.30
HEAT POSTPONED UNTIL TOMORROW
R2 HEAT 12
Kiko Roig Torres (ESP) V Jeremy Chan (MRU)
14.45
Competition put on hold while the race crew discuss suitability of conditions – it’s just dropped a bit and switched slightly offshore…
14.45
R2 HEAT 11B
Jan Marcos Riveras (DR) V Raoni Lemos (BRA)
The wind definitely dropped away halfway through this 20 minute heat, but while it was on there was enough wind for required wave performance. The conditions were certainly challenging though, making wave selection critical, and as there are multiple peaks out here, that became yet further difficult. You can see in the score sheet that the scores for each wave was relatively low, but consistent, with one to two turns each per wave. Sometimes you’ve got to work for it as a wave pro!
RESULT:
Jan Marcos Rivers wins (Advances to round 3) 3.69
Raoni Lemos (out – will return in the double eliminations) 2.13
14.30
Bit of a persistent rain shower passed through out here folks, and we’re on only a partially covered platform out on the reef, so had to hide the lappie for a bit. Here’s what you missed:
R2 HEAT 11
Francesco Cappuzzo (ITA) V Nicola Abadjiev (BUL)
An all RRD battle here, and it was tight, in the end the Italian just edged it with 6.83 to Nicola’s 6.13 from 2 waves. A bit of a dog fight, finding turns around the crumbling sections, and Capuzzo was very stoked, getting a small shampoo head tip to give his hair a bit of a wash through.
RESULT:
Francesco Cappuzzo wins (Advances to round 3) 6.83
Nicola Abadjiev (out – back in the double eliminations) 6.13
13.50
R2: HEAT 10B
Mitu Monteiro (CV) V Willow River Tonkin (MRU)
On now – both looking for barrels!
Steady wave count each throughout, both measuring their time and picking the biggest waves possible, which meant not always making too many turns, but they know the reward for a barrel can be enough to win a heat with a single wave at the moment. (Carew getting 9.5 earlier today). Lots of wave attempts in the heat, but relatively low scores, both realising that the barrel hunt wasn’t proving successful, so registering some turns.
RESULT:
Mitu Monteiro wins (Advances to round 3) 10.74
Willow River Tonkin (out – back in the double eliminations) 6.17
13.39
R2: HEAT 10A
Oswald Smith (RSA) V Reece Myserscough (CAN)
Oswald put his kite down on his first wave… and spent almost ten minutes in the current struggling to relaunch. Reece spent the time catching as many waves as he could… remember though, only two waves count, so Ozzy could still have time.
He returned with five minutes left in the heat on a borrowed kite from James Carew who was hanging around by the reef after winning the last heat. Ozzy found advantage being frontside to Reece’s backside – and seemed more comfortable in that stance in these waves, Reece not quite completing full 180 turns at the top and looking a bit lit on his 12m. Ozzy actually caught up quite comfortably, linking several turns on a few waves, managing to catch a biggish one too.
RESULT:
Oswald Smith wins (advancing to round 3) 8.27
Reece Myerscough (out – back in the double eliminations) 6.53
13.05
R2: HEAT 9A
James Carew (AUS) V Sebastian Ribeiro (BRA)
Big battle of the Duotone team mates, both backside. James did very well with very good wave selection – high wave count – and scored a 9.5 for a very deep barrel. Brave! Somehow Sebastian’s wave selection just never panned out. Wrong position, poor luck, or James just being a wave magnet?
RESULT:
James Carew wins (advancing to round 3) 15.83
Sebastian Ribeiro (out – back in the double eliminations) 10.07
First heat of round two:
12.50
R2: HEAT 9
Pedro Matos (BRA) V Charlie Wise (AUS)
Competitive performance heat this one between two young guns on the strapless scene. Pedro backside / Charlie frontside. Matos focussing more in trying to catch the bigger waves further upwind / deeper – obviously more comfortable with steady drawn out smooth carves, while Charlie was very athletic on his front hand working the smaller sections downwind, getting lots of turns on the inside. Will size selection be critical?
Later in the heat (after a heart stopping kite relaunch infront of a big set, Wise found his way deeper too.
Scores were very close throughout with two waves counting.
RESULT:
Pedro Matos wins (advancing to round 3) 12.17 points
Charlie Wise (out – back in the double eliminations) 11.4
12.20 – Last heat of round one
HEAT 8A
Airton Cozzolino (CV / ITA) V Brendan Labonne (MRU)
HEAT 8B
Graham Harney (CAN) V Jorn Donat (GER)
Enter Airton Cozzolino and suddenly the waves look different, more approachable, easier to read… but they’re not – his extreme mastery to maintain line tension wherever he is on the wave, whether punching the lip and dropping back in from three metres up, or attempting to thread an extremely well read barrel opportunity, getting covered up for at least 15 metres, before not coming out though. Agression, high wave count, incredible skill. His opposition, local Labonne was unlucky to draw Airton as he looked very adept here. Had he not been against Airton, he’d have surely won.
In the other heat Canadia Graham Harney started the heat well with a banging wave selection. His heat quietened after that, but this is a new wave for these guys and Donat didn’t quite get into the full meaty selection.
RESULT:
Heat 8A: Airton Cozzolino wins (advances to round 2)
Heat 8B: Graham Harney wins (advances to round 2)
Brendan Labonne (out of the single elimination, will return in the doubles)
Jorn Donat (out of the single elimination, will return in the doubles)
12.00
HEAT 7A
Kiko Roig Torres (ESP) V Alessandra D’Ambrosio (RSA
HEAT 7B
Toni Cilliberto (ITA) V Jeremy Chan (MRU)
Jeremy Chan, a local rider infamous for having knocked Airton out of the competition in 2017, once again used his local knowledge (on a different) wave to show the judges how to really work a wave all the way to the inside, where performance was more possible.
RESULT:
Heat 7A: Kiko Roig Torres wins (advances to round 2)
Heat 7B: Jeremy Chan wins (advances to round 2)
Alessandra D’Ambrosio (out of the single elimination, will return in the doubles)
Toni Cilliberto (out of the single elimination, will return in the doubles)
11.40
HEAT 6A
Jan Marcos Riveras (DR) V Daniel Kux
HEAT 7A
Luke Millard (AUS) V Raoni Lemos (BRA)
The waves continue to beat in, holding form and size and then becoming playable, steeper and quicker for the final 40 metre section. Predictability of the foam, breaking left to right as we look at it seems consistent. High wave count continued in this second set of heats, riders managing multiple turns with control earning the highest points. Riveras and Lemos were in control in that department, staying closer to the pocket and more vertical.
RESULT:
Heat 6A: Jan Marcos Riveras wins (advances to round 2)
Heat 7A: Raoni Lemos wins (advances to round 2)
Daniel Kux (out of the single elimination, will return in the doubles)
Luke Millard (out of the single elimination, will return in the doubles)
11.30 – Condition update: Francesco Capuzzo won his first heat this morning and says, “The wind is shifting a bit, but okay and the waves are quite big, though closing out occasionally. But if you pick the right one it’s fun, between two and three metres on the face.”
11.20 – First heats of the day – 8 more heats to complete the men’s first round, single eliminations.
HEAT 5A
Francesco Capuzzo (ITA) V Louis Marvin (MRU)
HEAT 5B
Nicola Abadjiev (BUL) V Roderick Pijls (NED)
Plenty of waves to choose from in these opening heats as the first riders set the standard for the day. Although fairly light on the actual wave, the cross-shore wind is much more workable than we saw on day 2. Some really big waves coming through, but the faces are clean and riders are steadily working their way up and down the big marauding faces. Confidence is building, but remember we’re still on in round one.
RESULT:
Heat 5A:Francesco Capuzzo wins (advances to round 2)
Heat 5B: Nicola Abadjiev wins (advances to round 2)
Louis Marvin (out of the single elimination, will return in the doubles)
Roderick Pijls (out of the single elimination, will return in the doubles)
10.30 – Goodmorning everyone and welcome to Day 5 of the GKA Kite World Cup Mauritius. We are looking set to re-join the Kite-Surf wave competition very soon with wind already out on the reef. Will update you more once we’re set at the platform.
Find the liveticker head reports of the Kite-Surf action and yesterday’s Freestyle heats here:
Day 1 (Friday / Kite-Surf): Here
Day 2 (Saturday / Kite-Surf): Here
Day 3 (Sunday / Freestyle): Here
Day 4 (Monday / Freestyle): Here
–