Registration Day – GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Sylt

Tuesday 25th June

Report: Matt Pearce / All photos: Svetlana Romantsova 

The GKA Kite World Tour is back in action this week in Sylt in Germany’s North Frisian Islands for what could be a potentially pivotal event on this year’s tour. Overall rankings are up for grabs and it looks like the conditions are going to be pretty stellar too with a solid forecast on the cards right through until the weekend.

This week will see the tour’s strapless contingent getting back in the mix for the second time this season.

35 riders are registered for the event – 26 men and 9 women – and we’re sure to see some key battles throughout the week as the riders vie to better their position in the overall season rankings.

There’s plenty of opportunity for some of the lower ranked riders to make real progress at this event too. In the men’s division, fourth seed Matchu Lopes will not be competing here in Sylt due to a shoulder injury which has been plaguing him since late in the 2018 season.

It was a tough decision for him to make, but he’s chosen to take the time to recover properly and will likely miss the rest of the season. That leaves room for manoeuvre for riders further down the table though, particularly as sixth ranked rider Sebastian Ribeiro will also be missing this event.

Of course, breaking the top three will be no mean feat for anyone. Mitu Monteiro is currently in first after a stellar performance at the season opener in Cape Verde, with Airton Cozzolino in second and James Carew in third. All three of those riders are capable of making (and winning) a final, whether strapless freestyle or wave-focused (and this event is likely to be a split between the two), but there are some solid riders on their tail so it’s all to play for this week.

In the women’s division, the table has been blown wide open due to the absence of the entire women’s top three – Moona Whyte, Ines Correia and Johanna Catharina Edin. However, there’s still a nine-strong roster of riders, including German competitors Sonja Bunte and Susanne Schwartztrauber. And, with the top three conspicuous by their absence, you can bet that fourth ranked Charlotte Carpentier and Carla Herrera Oria (currently in seventh) will be looking to seize on the opportunity of a top place finish!

There was no wind today on the opening day, but strong cross-on winds from the right and some swell are due to kick in tomorrow morning.

If that happens, it will make for solid beach break wave riding conditions which are forecasted to last right through until Saturday..

Stay tuned for the action tomorrow once the main event gets underway.

First possible start tomorrow (Wednesday) – 09:00

Find heat ladders here