Day three of the 2014 Fuerteventura Kiteboarding Grand Slam brought on conditions that were nothing short of classic for the this much-loved tour stop. Starting off the day early, the first round competitors utilized 10-11m kites, later downsizing as the winds built throughout the day. Challenges facing the competitors soon mounted, as riders tried to execute their best tricks in the gusty offshore wind and choppy water conditions. 

Early round men’s action gave some insight into the challenging conditions for those pre-seated riders. Noteworthy performances came from promising young guns, David Tonijuan and Paul Serin, who landed some impressive tricks but lacked the scores needed to advance past the second round. In round two, Liam Whaley put together his first of four extraordinary heats, exemplifying the consistency and power that would later take him to the top. For the women, early round standouts were Dioneia Vieira and Kristin Oja, who managed some respectable maneuvers in the difficult conditions and showed potential to advance further in the double eliminations. 

In the quarterfinals of the men, Whaley put a stop to Hadlow’s short run in a close fight up until the last minutes of the heat. Also in the quarterfinals, Reno Romeo upset Alex Neto, landing himself into the top four to go up against Marc Jacobs in the semi-final in one of the closest heats of the day. In the end, it was Romeo advancing and earning a spot in his first final, beating out Jacobs by .77 of a point. 

For the women, it was the usual suspects progressing to the semi-finals with the currently ranked top four advancing into the finals. Despite struggles at times to initiate takeoffs on 5-6m kites, some impressive tricks were landed. A close heat between Annelous Lammerts and Bruna Kajiya saw the young Lammerts winning over tour veteran Kajiya to secure the third place spot. Ultimately, Karolina Winkowska took charge in a solid final with more consistent landings to earn the top podium spot over Gisela Pulido.

The men’s semi-finals saw one of the best heats of the day. Tack and Whaley went head-to-head, landing numerous big tricks which included impressive Crow Mobe 5s and Front Blind Mobes from both riders. Tack showed off his Pete Rose and BJ5, while a grabbed KGB and S3 scored high for Whaley.  In the end, Whaley’s consistency and powered execution of his tricks ultimately put him in the winner’s final to beat Romeu earning his debut first place finish in the PKRA. 

Commenting on his stellar day and win, Whaley commented, “I just tried to throw my tricks where the wind was less gusty and do the tricks that I have solid and do them bigger and cleaner than usual.  I guess that was the key. I’ve been training a lot between events in the Levante in Tarifa, which are pretty much the same to the winds here, but a bit less gusty, so I think that has helped.  It is great to win in Spain because, you know, I’m from Spain.” 

Garnering the respect of the riders and fans watching from the beach, the top finishers from the single elimination were presented at a podium on the beach. 

The second day of the Fuerteventura Kiteboarding Grand Slam featured the exciting discipline of slalom, with a total of four rounds run for both the men’s and the women’s fleets. Bibiana Magaji swept all four races of the lady’s fleet and Julien Kerneur led the men’s.

Awaking to another sunny and windy day on the beautiful Playa Sotavento, it seemed like Groundhog Day as the side-offshore wind combed the azure waters in front of the event venue, yet again. To the delight of the spectators, the thrilling discipline of slalom took center stage as the first race got underway just before noon in 25 knots of wind. 

The larger men’s fleet was broken into two qualifier heats of eight riders, with only the top four finishers advancing to a final eight-man race.  For the smaller women’s fleet, no qualification round was needed. With a fairly short course set, riders using twin tips enjoyed a slight advantage as those using directional boards found it difficult to lock in after jibing, before reaching the next mark.

After two rounds of racing, the course was changed, making for some longer reaches between marks. Some of the buoys were relocated closer to shore in the area prone to the punchy wind gusts. Additionally, small waves breaking at two of the inside marks added another challenge into the mix, making for some spectacular crashes and tangles.

The men’s fleet experienced aggressive racing with two general recalls due to over-early starts. Kerneur and Ozzie Smith seemed to dominate the starts, but saw some stiff competition with Ariel Corniel riding fast and aggressive, taking the win in race two.  Despite this first place finish, he wasn’t able to maintain the same momentum in the later races. Also, Paul Serin and Jerome Cloetens were consistently near the top of the pack and showed promise to be threats in later races.

For the all twin-tip fleet of women, it was Magaji who seemed to steal the show, making the hole-shot on each race and maintaining her lead all the way to the finish line. In her last race, she got caught up in another competitor’s kite and was unable to cross the finish line first. Rules for such a situation granted her a redress based on her prior results, giving her four bullets for the four races. Annelous Lammerts and Julia Castro battled each race for the second and third spots, finishing in a stalemate, until the running of the next races.

After such an incredible day of racing, the riders are very much looking forward to the continuation of the event; however, with the start of the single elimination of the freestyle set for tomorrow, mindsets have shifted towards the intense freestyle heats soon to come.

Day one of the 2014 Fuerteventura World Cup experienced early strong winds in the typical side-offshore direction.  At noon, the men’s freestyle trials and the first heats of the competition began, where riders channeled their motivation to perform their most impressive tricks in the classic Fuerteventura conditions. 

As the day carried on, 17 men did battle for the remaining 10 spots in the main event. Using their 7-9 meter kites, PKRA riders provided an impressive show for the sizable crowd of spectators lining the beach. The spot at Sotavento is known for its incredibly strong wind that can prove to be quite gusty the closer one gets to the beach, proving the timing of tricks to be especially important. With this challenge comes incredible beach spectating action as the tricks unfold up close in the idyllic island’s clear waters.



In the qualifier elimination format, round two of the trials allows the first place finishers to advance straight into the main event, while the second and third place finishers must continue on to compete for the remaining four spots in round three. Advancing straight from round two was Maxi Gomez, Jerome Cloetens, Paul Serin, and Ozzy Smith, while some newer faces including David Tonijuan and Oscar Armstrong also moved on directly into the main event.  



Throughout the trials, competitors displayed a wide range and variety of tricks. Standout maneuvers came from Tonijuan, who executed a very powered Crow Mobe 5 during his heat. Also, Julien Leleu stomped an impressive Front Blind Mobe, despite not advancing to the main event.  

As the wind stayed up until late in the evening, riders took advantage of the remaining daylight to train and get accustomed to the conditions, keeping the crowds entertained well after the trials were finished. With so much at stake, the main event is sure to be a battle royal as the up-and-comers try their best to disrupt the top riders looking to advance closer to the world title.

The exciting discipline of Slalom racing will take center stage for the day tomorrow. Riders will meet at 11 am with a first possible start set for 11:30 am.

Registration for the 13th year of the PKRA Fuerteventura Kiteboarding World Cup was held today as riders descended on the event site at Playa Sotavento.  As the longest running event in the tour’s history, the event has seen the evolution of the sport from the earliest days of kiteboarding to today’s modern competition styles and format. 

In total, 46 competitors representing 18 nationalities will do battle over the coming days in the disciplines of freestyle and slalom.  The best riders in the world will put it all on the line to earn their share of the more than $60,000 up for grabs.

The unique and scenic destination of Fuerteventura, Spain, in the Canary Islands, is famous for its strong side offshore wind that is funneled across the lunar landscape. It is known to provide some of the most exciting conditions of any stop on the tour calendar, with wind often exceeding 30-40 knots, making for some challenging freestyle conditions and spectacular slalom action.

This fourth freestyle stop of the 2014 tour stands out as an important event for the top men and women.   Current men’s point leader Christophe Tack is looking to secure his run at the world title with a strong finish here. Other top riders including Marc Jacobs, Alex Neto, Aaron Hadlow and Liam Whaley have been training hard and hope to put a stop to Tack’s title crusade.  Karolina Winkowska is eager to retake the lead spot from Gisela Pulido, yet a hungry pack of up and comers are proving the ladies showdown equally as exciting.  

The forecast for the week looks to be classic Fuerteventura conditions. Tomorrow will see the start of the men’s freestyle trials with a rider’s meeting at 11 am and a first possible start at 12 pm. The live stream is scheduled to begin with slalom on Sunday and the start of the single elimination freestyle on Monday.