2017 Texel Brunotti Kiteboard World Cup - Day 3 - Qualifier League
The final day of the Qualifier League event started with a bang, as the heats kicked off at 8 am directly after the skipper's meeting. This was the final day for the Qualifier League, so every moment of wind had to be used to its full potential.
Men's Qualifier Heat 3 was first in sequence. Maxime Chabloz from Switzerland started his heat with strength and power, and managed to take the win, despite crashing his last two tricks. French rider Louka Pitot followed though behind him managing to land 4 of his 6 trick attempts with consistent scores.
Heat 4 went to Italian rider Gianmaria Coccoluto who showed his experience landing each of his 6 trick attempts including a nice Slim Chance 5. Young Colombian rider Juan Rodriguez will also join him in Round 3 after riding well and racking up some solid scores such as a 6.1 for his Heart Attack. Both riders passed directly to Round 3.
The inconsistent wind conditions caused some delays with Heat 5, as it was postponed after the first three trick attempts. The on-shore wind conditions made it difficult to perform tricks, with the riders landing very close to the shore. After a prolonged break, the wind speed increased late in the afternoon. This meant that Heat 5 could be completed finally with young Colombian rider Valentin Rodriguez dominating the heat landing some impressive well scored tricks, and Luis Alberto Cruz coming in second just behind him.
As the wind increased, so did the battle against time to complete the first round for the Men's Qualifier League. Heat 6 was an impressive heat that saw Brazilian Romario de Sousa storm to the lead followed by Nino Liboni. The scores were very close, with Antoine Fermon and Jonas Ouahmid extremely close behind them.
Christian Tio from the Philippines had a rough start to Heat 7, but gradually picked himself up and landed several powerful tricks towards the end of the heat which included a double heart-attack, which gave him the win. Manoel Soares from Brasil had a strong heat, with tricks such as his front blind mobe that placed him in second.
Heat 8 brought the Men's round one to a end. Nicolas Delmas controlled the heat, landing 5 out of his 6 attempts with good scores, and fellow frenchman Paul Serin managed to get some consistent scores giving him the second position.
Women's Qualifier Round 1 was fully completed in the last hour of the day, with the girls in Heat 1 struggling to adapt to the wind and choppy water conditions. Rita Arnaus showed her experience over her competitors and finished first in her heat.
It was Vera Klabbers from the Netherlands who took the win in Heat 2, making it a great start to the event for this young Dutch rider who qualified for the Elite League earlier this year.
Fellow dutch rider Isabeau Galiart rode consistently well in the tough conditions for Heat 3, and showed confidence and strong adaptability in the water, giving her the win over her competitors.
The final heat of the day went to French rider Maureen Castelle, who scored a 7.5 in the last minute for her impressive Hinterberger Mobe.
Today was the last day for the Qualifier League Event, with the first round of both the Men and the Women now completed. Tomorrow will be the start of the Elite League, with all the riders now present in Texel and ready for competition.
The forecast looks promising for tomorrow, with the Skipper's meeting called for 7.30am and first possible start at 8am.
Tune in tomorrow to follow the action from Texel!