Kitesurfing’s youngest talent steals
 surf and sky at Gravity Games H20

Perfect conditions set the scene for an intense kitesurf opener, while the world’s
top wakeboarders prepare for tough competition on Perth’s laceName w:st="on">SwanlaceName> laceType w:st="on">RiverlaceType>

The Young & The Local

The premier international action sports competition Gravity Games H20, presented by Vodafone, lifted off yesterday with 16 of the world’s best kitesurfers reaching extreme heights and demonstrating superb skill in two preliminary rounds of the A$25,000 kitesurfing medal event, held at Mosman Beach in Perth, Western Australia.

Full 360-degree mid-air rotations with handle-pass twists were among the incredible sights witnessed by thousands of beachside spectators, in what organisers and competitors described as flawless kiting conditions.  Similar conditions are expected for the kitesurfing quarter finals today, setting the scene for more intense aerial action.

The field’s youngest competitors stole the show at yesterday’s preliminaries, with three of the top six athletes aged 18 or under.  The teenage stars, who are now all strongly placed for success in the finals, include world number one-ranked kitesurfer Aaron Hadlow, 16, of the United Kingdom; Ruben Lenten, 16, of the Netherlands; and chiropractic student Adam Ratajewski, 18, of Perth.  The risk-taking trio stunned the judges and crowd with spectacular displays of challenging kite tricks and jaw-dropping aerial stunts.

Achieving the highest overall score from the judges in yesterday’s preliminaries was Perth’s Ryland Blakeney, 22, who demonstrated his familiarity and love of the wild winds of the West.

Two other stand-out performers yesterday, also Aussies, included the country’s number one kiter Rich Stenning, 30, and Daniel Walstab, 20.