Day 8:

On the eighth and final day of competition, an afternoon fade in the wind occurred just after the heats resumed. Following a two-hour hiatus, the wind returned to an average of 16 knots, allowing the Tarifa Pro Kite Tour 2014 to run to completion. In contestable winds, which lulled to 12 knots at times, the final six heats were run, and the top four men and women were decided. Christophe Tack (BE) and Karolina Winkowska (PL) successfully defended their finishes in the single eliminations, taking home the top podium positions. 

Bruna Kajiya (BR) came out ready for action in her first heat against Annelous Lammerts, which (NL) set the tone for her heats to follow. Despite some strong tricks, Lammerts struggled at times and did not ride as strong as in her prior heats. Kajiya then met local favorite Gisela Pulido (ES). Pulido opened with a nice Blind Judge 3 and S1 before going into a Back-to-Blind. Kajiya kept her in check by mid-way through the heat utilizing a nice Front Blind and Back Mobe, as Pulido crashed on her last two attempts and was only able to land four of her five tricks. Kajiya advanced, forcing Pulido to settle for third.

The winner’s final proved to be a close heat when Karolina Winkowska met Kajiya to battle for the top spot. Kajiya began solid and rode with consistency, displaying confidence that she had built coming up through her earlier heats. With both women landing almost the same tricks, it was Winkowska’s execution that gave her the win, edging out Kajiya by 0.8 points. 

“I’ve been waiting so long for that final for two days now and the whole day today.” Winkowska said. “When you wait, you always have so many thoughts in your head.”

Winkowska now sits in a better position in the overall points for the world title going into the next event. “We still have three events and nothing is ever certain. Gisela can still win the title. But I’m really happy for Bruna that she’s back on the strong side of her game, because now it’s going to make things more interesting for sure.” she said. 

Youri Zoon (NL) met Tarifa local, Liam Whaley (ES), in the first men’s heat of the day. Continuing with his strategy shift seen in the singles, Zoon crashed on his first trick attempt, but recovered quickly, going on to land a high scoring S-Mobe 5 and Front Blind Mobe. Whaley managed a high scoring Back Mobe 5 and Crow Mobe 5, amongst others, taking the win by only 0.1 of a point.  

Whaley was clearly determined in front of his hometown crowd as he met Eudazio Da Silva (BR).  Although Da Silva put down solid high scoring tricks, Whaley’s execution and overall big powered tricks and technical Blind Judge 7 put him through to the finals. 

In the final heat of the day, Whaley started out solid as he landed his three big tricks early on in the heat. Tack had a late start, but stomped a nice Front Blind Mobe and Crow Mobe 5 to gain momentum.  Mid-heat, and right in front of the packed beach of fans and onlookers, Tack launched into a Slim 7 (9.53 points), giving him a boost of confidence to later land a Whirly Bird 5, a trick that has never been seen before in kiteboarding competition history.

“I landed the First Whirly Bird 5 in a competition. I thought I couldn’t pull it off, but then I saw this little wave and I thought okay, short edge, flat, and push the water away.  I was just spinning, then passed the handle, and then I landed it.  I couldn’t believe it!” reflected Tack. “I was stressing early on in the heat and then, when I landed that, I was asking myself why would I stress?  He’s the guy who needs to beat me twice. I can make mistakes, he’s the guy without breathing room.” he admitted.

By all accounts, the Tarifa Pro Kite Tour 2014 was an epic event that saw progression and evolution of the sport on many fronts. With an unprecedented level of riding coming from so many riders, it is clear that the conditions here in Tarifa are world class across the disciplines of Big Air and Freestyle. As the PKRA tour continues on, the battles continue, and the stage is set for contention of the 2014 world titles. Join us as we move on to our next stop in Brazil, Sept 17th -21st. 

Day 7:

Massive heats highlighted the seventh day of the Tarifa Pro Kite Tour that delivered amazing performances in both men’s and women’s divisions. An early evening lull in the wind forced the postponement of the competition only to return later as the sun began to set. The heats that followed showcased the best riding seen all day with Your Zoon (NL) beating Aaron Hadlow (UK) and Annelous Lammerts (NL) winning over Paula Novotna (CZ) leaving the battle for the podium spots for tomorrow’s last day of competition.

For the better part of two hours riders were kept on hold, as the wind seemed to be finished for the day. After completing one round of men’s and one round of women’s heats, the wind fell into the single digits and it was looking like it would not return, but race director Erik Troostheide make the call to keep riders on stand-by. Suddenly, as the sun began to fall around 7 pm, the wind filled back in and five more heats were run in what were the best conditions of the day.

The women’s ladder saw great riding from Novotna who is just back after an injury that has kept her from competing the whole year. She defeated Sabrina Lutz (DE) in an impressive heat before succumbing to Lammerts who rode with intent. Lammerts rode well and had a very impressive heat against Novatna landing big powered tricks including a Slim Chance and Back Mobe amongst others, earning the highest heat score of the day for the ladies. 

Commenting on her performance, “I had to give it my best because I saw the scores from the other girls and I knew that I had to land all of my best tricks and score 6’s with my execution, so I was just telling myself to keep my kite low. I did everything I could do, and it was enough this time!  Now I have to give another give it another shot for the podium tomorrow.”

In the men’s division, the last two heats of the day were some of the best seen all event and had live stream viewers and spectators gasping for air at the heats end and leaving no real degree of certainty of who had won.  Stephen Spiessberger (DE) had a great day showing strong riding and proving he can be a force in the upper ranks of the ladder. Putting together a close heat against Hadlow, he lost by .3 of a point for his highest finish all season.

In the last heat of the day, it was the second time that Hadlow would meet Zoon in this event. Both had a lot of big tricks but Zoon was clearly on fire and having the best heat of his season. They were close in the points until Zoon landed two double passes, a Blind Judge 5 and 317 to give him the advantage. Hadlow answered back with a Blind Judge 5 but failed to land his usual Crow Mobe 5. In the last second, Hadlow launched into a S-Mobe 7 landing it clean, and earning 8.93 points for the highest trick score of the day.  After the points were all in, it was Zoon taking the win by only .2 points.

“I studied my papers from the singles and I took a little bit different strategy with how I started off the heat.  I usually always start with a Blind Judge 3 but they are not scoring that high anymore so I started with my Front Blind Mobe, and then managed to do two doubles” commented Zoon. “I got a little bit scared again when I saw Aaron landing that S-Mobe 7, but I was really stoked when I won because of course, winning against Aaron twice in one event is no small thing’’ he added.

Day 6:

In light winds and up and down conditions, the sixth day of the Tarifa Pro Kite Tour saw the beginning of the double eliminations with a total of two men’s rounds and one women’s round completed. High-level riding punctuated the men’s ladder in a close match up that came down to the last seconds of competition.

Today’s double elimination got off to a late start as the wind was slow to reach contestable levels. With less swell action and the wind blowing more side-onshore than the day before, the conditions proved more challenging, as the current along the beach became a factor. At times, the wind would drop from an average of 15-16 knots down to below 10 knots, forcing the cancellation of several heats. 

The first round of the men got underway just after 3:00 pm and it was immediately clear that it is an accomplishment just to move through one heat. The second round of the men’s double saw the action get thicker, most notably, in the heat with David Tonijuan (ES) against Aaron Hadlow (UK).  

As a new threat to the more seasoned tour riders, Tonijuan came out with determination going trick for trick, as Hadlow maintained a negligible lead in the early part of the heat. Mid way through, Tonijuan turned it on to gain a slight lead on the former world champ. Coming down to the last minute, Tonijuan missed a Blind Judge 5 attempt but was still in the lead. Hadlow then went for the same trick right at the horn, landing an impressive Blind Judge 5, earning an 8.37 from the judges, and taking the lead and the win at the last second.   

In the last heat of the day, Felix Martinez (DO) met Jerome Cloetens (BE) in another close battle that came down to the last trick of the heat. Martinez again landed his one-handed Front Blind Mobe amongst others, but Cloetens was intent on putting solid scores down on almost all of his trick attempts, and maintained the lead in the final minutes of the heat. In the remaining seconds, Martinez finally landed a solid KGB that put him in the lead to take win by only .71 of a point.

The four heat women’s round saw good action from the ladies despite the wind not cooperating fully in some of the heats. With some close match ups, it was Sabrina Lutz (DE) and Kristin Oja (EE) putting down the highest heat scores for the day earning 20.12 points and 19.20 points respectively.

A notable upset occurred when Arial Corniel (DO) beat Reno Romeu (BR). Romeu seemed to be on a solid streak with two podium finishes already this year, but met his match as Corniel rode strong, landing a high scoring Front Blind Mobe and Crow Mobe 5 in only inches of water to take the win.

With three days remaining in the contest period, hopes are high for the wind to continue. West winds are forecast, but the wind strength will depend on local thermal conditions. 

Day 5:

Day five of the Tarifa Pro Kite Tour 2014 stood out with an incredibly high level of riding as the single elimination ran to completion with Christophe Tack (BE) and Karolina Winkowska (PL) topping the podiums in their respective divisions. Eudazio Da Silva (BR) earned second for the men in his highest career finish ever, while Youri Zoon (NL) demonstrated his intentions for the doubles, finishing closest to the podium since his injury.  

“For me it’s like a dream come true,” commented Da Silva about his result today.  “I’ve been waiting for three years now to be in the finals and I’ve finally reached them. I believe that I can be the world champion someday and I’m going to work hard to achieve it.”   

In his semi-final heat against Zoon, Da Silva scored a 39.47 for the highest score of the event so far.  Both riders landed big, clean Blind Judge 7s with Da Silva securing the highest trick score of the day with 9.3 points. Still, Zoon rode exceptionally well and with renewed confidence after taking out former world champion Aaron Hadlow in his second heat of the day. 

Tarifa local, Liam Whaley, was disrupted on his way to the winner’s final after losing in the semi-finals against Tack. “Everyone on the beach was telling me they thought that I won, but then I didn’t, so I was down for a bit,”  stated Whaley. Commenting on his performance in front of his home crowd, “I’m kind of in my zone, but at the same time, in the back of my head I’ve got that extra pressure, home pressure, and I know I have to do well, but in the end it helps. I knew had to win against Youri.”

For the women’s side of the ladder, the usual battles played out, as Karolina Winkowska, beat out current World Champion, Gisela Pulido.  Pulido crashed on multiple early trick attempts in the final heat, putting her at a deficit. Although she landed a nice Hinterberger Mobe and Front Blind near the end of the heat, she was not able to score high enough to take the lead.

The highlight trick of the day came from Felix Martinez (DO), who squared off on a kicker wave.  With his kite positioned extremely low, Martinez launched into a huge one-handed Front Blind Mobe that sent spectators and competitors into an uproar for a dramatic response from the crowd lining the beach.

Tack and Pulido now sit in pole position with no shortage of determined talent waiting for another chance in the double elimination. With winds averaging 14-16 knots, today offered optimal freestyle conditions for the competitors to push their ever-expanding limits.  With so many big and technical tricks being landed, it is a testament to the continuing evolution of the freestyle discipline.

Day 4:

Day four of the Tarifa Pro Kite Tour 2014 came up short on wind as the strong conditions from the day prior diminished overnight. Arriving to the event site in the morning, competitors were greeted by overcast skies and glassy conditions in the competition area. As the forecast anticipated the wind to shift from the east to the west, both riders and organizers remained hopeful throughout the morning that the thermal Poniente winds would materialize. Clouds hung over the mountains with no sign of wind by the afternoon, wherein the event was called and competitors were released for the day.  

Despite the lack of wind, riders had no difficulty finding ways to enjoy the remainder of the day. Some chose to go to into the town or relaxed in the chill-out area at the Gisela Pulido Pro Center, while others headed in search of an afternoon surf session. With such a long and action-packed day yesterday, it seemed only appropriate for the wind gods to take a siesta today, in true Spanish fashion.
 

As the anticipation mounts for the freestyle discipline, the action in the coming days is certainly going to be interesting. Coming up in the second round of the men’s ladder, former world champions Youri Zoon (NL) and Aaron Hadlow (UK) will meet in a match up that is sure to see both riders putting it all on the line. With another top rider out of the mix due to injury, second ranked Marc Jacobs’ (NZ) absence will now allow more opportunities for movement in the top seats of the overall tour rankings.

 Five days now remain in the event, and the stage is set to provide more intense freestyle action as the forecast promises optimal freestyle conditions throughout the remainder of the event. Tomorrow, riders will meet at 12 pm with a first possible start at 12:30 pm.

Day 3:

Day three of the Tarifa Pro Kite Tour 2014 went large on all fronts with Ariel Corniel (DO) and current world champion Gisela Pulido (ES) taking home the top spots of the Big Air discipline with non-stop kiteboarding action running throughout the day. 

Getting off to an early start, the men’s and women’s freestyle trials took advantage of the 20-25 knots Levante wind for the early part of the morning. Twenty-six men and twelve women competed for the coveted spots in the freestyle main event. For those riders that participated in all three parts of the day’s competition, it was a demanding day, beginning with the freestyle qualifiers, the spectacular final rounds of the Big Air division, and finally the freestyle single elimination. 

The Big Air discipline highlighted the day as strong winds were gusting up to 35 knots. The timing of the jumps played out to be very important, as there were some large holes on the inside of the competition area. Although luck did play a part at times, the riders that consistently went the biggest, moved on to the next round. Massive jumps were had by all of the top finishers who combined variations on spins, kite-loops and board-offs for both the men’s and women’s divisions. Each high jump sent the crowds lining the beach into a roar, clearly pumping the competitors up with confidence to go even bigger on their next pass.

Local favorites Liam Whaley (ES) and Gisela Pulido made their home crew proud on their home turf with a solid second for Whaley and Pulido’s win. However, in the men’s division, it was Corniel taking first in the final with consistent big jumps, combined with inverted spins, and a risky double handle pass. 

This is a big win for Corniel who rose to prominence in 2007 by winning the freestyle discipline in his home spot of Cabarete, Dominican Republic, a result that he has been working to repeat since. “I feel really happy and content about my performance today competing against so many great riders and to win in the challenging conditions that we had in the finals” commented Corniel. “For me, the big air discipline is one of the most explosive aspects of the sport. Since it was the original discipline from which the sport developed, it is great to have it coming back now, especially here in Tarifa with such good conditions and strong winds” he added. 

By 5:30 pm, the wind was still strong enough for powered freestyle conditions and the single elimination of the men’s freestyle main event got underway. In the end, only six heats were completed as the wind continued to drop, with riders struggling at times on their 12-13m kites. Soon after, the competition was called for a day with hopes that the Lavante winds would hold for another early start for the next morning.

With six days left of the event period, the freestyle discipline now shifts to center stage and will be the priority in the coming days. If strong wind conditions return after completing the freestyle double elimination, another round of the Big Air competition will be run.

Day 2:

Competition from day two of the Tarifa Pro Kite Surf 2014 officially kicked off this afternoon with the crowd-pleasing Big Air discipline. In winds that averaged 20-27 knots. One round of the men’s division was completed before faltering winds forced the event to be postponed for the day. 

Due to winds expected to last throughout the day, the competition was scheduled to begin later in the afternoon to accommodate the Virgin Kitesurfing Armada Spain, as many spectators and competitors had registered to participate. In a critical mass, 352 kitesurfers completed the one-mile course, surpassing the former number of 318 and setting a new world record in a momentous accomplishment celebrated by all.  

At 4:30 the first heat of the Big Air competition hit the water. As the second discipline, Big Air is an exciting component of the event that showcases the most spectacular side of the sport of kiteboarding with big jumps, lofty hang time, and an irrevocable wow factor that easily captivates any audience.

With the wind proving to be strongest in the early heats, riders achieved jumps of up to eight meters high, creating immediate roars from the enthusiastic crowds.  As the heats continued into the afternoon, the wind began to back-off and the height of the jumps began to as well, with jumps of 4 to 5 meters being the maximum that the fading wind would allow.  With the intent of waiting for better conditions in the coming days, it was decided to postpone the competition and call it a day.

The action saw a combination of old-school and new-school tricks, which included multiple spins, big aerial handle passes, board offs, and monster kite loops. With the judging criteria consisting of 70% height and 30% technical difficulty, the strategy was definitely to go big at all costs.

Noteworthy performances came from Maxi Gomez (ES) who adapted his freestyle repertoire with exaggerated height and creative executions, including a big one-footer in his wakeboard boots.  Eudasio Da Silva (BR) consistently went huge with his fearless Brazilian style and former world champion Aaron Hadlow (UK) showed off some big jumps and stylish kite loops as well. Airstyle aficionado Toby Braeuer (DE) put on a great show and was clearly a crowd favorite, landing inverted multiple spins with board flips and varials, garnering the loudest cheers of the day. 

Strong winds are expected for tomorrow and hopes are high to finish the freestyle trials and continue on with the Big Air or begin the freestyle main event. 

Day 1:

The first day of the Tarifa Pro Kite Tour 2014 got underway today, beginning with the Spanish trials for the two remaining wild cards. With nine men and two women competing, it was Maxi Gomez and Julia Castro winning in their respective divisions to put them straight into the main event. 

The day started out looking as if it was going to be a typical thermal day of west wind. As the sun warmed the land, the wind began to increase and it seemed that by the afternoon, the competition would get underway.  Following lunch, a surprise shift in the wind occurred and soon began to fill into the competition area from the easterly direction. 

At 3:30 the red flag went up, and the first of five heats of the Spanish wildcard trials hit the water in 15-20 knots of wind. Showing an impressive level of riding from all the competitors, it was clear that the talent pool in Spain is clearly capable of producing even more future world champions.

The wildcards have now been decided and the trials for the remaining spots in the main event are next up for the freestyle discipline. Interestingly, this is the second event of the 2014 PKRA tour season where there will be trials run for the women’s discipline. 

With only an hour of competition throughout the day, there was plenty of time for riders to chill out at the event village, go for a kite, or just hang out and enjoy the day at the beach. Many riders chose to soak in the sun or simply take in the spectacle of a windy afternoon on the beach in Tarifa.  

Catching up with current world champion Gisela Pulido about having a tour stop in her back yard, she commented “I think it’s a good advantage because I train here every day. It doesn’t matter what conditions we will have, I will know them, but sometimes, since it’s your home spot, people are going to pay a lot of attention to you, so there’s going to be some pressure. I will try to handle it and use it to do well, but I’m just really happy to have the PKRA back in Tarifa”

Tomorrow’s riders meeting is scheduled for 3:30 pm to allow for riders and kite enthusiasts to participate in the Virgin Kitesurfing Armada Spain at 2:00 pm, which is intended to set the world record for the ‘largest parade of kitesurfers’ to increase awareness of the sport and raise money for charity. 

With so much action to be had throughout the coming days, the Tarifa Pro Kite Tour 2014 is going to be one to watch. The forecast is expecting moderate east winds building throughout the day. Depending on the wind strength, race director Erik Troostheide will make the call whether to begin the main event trials, or the Big Air discipline.

Super netjes van Youri! Ik heb z'n heat zitten kijken en die was echt bijzonder sterk!
Tack ging ook weer als de malle, en zeer verdient als eerste!

TACK rulez.  Toch raar dat je LF nog altijd niet zit doorbreken in NL en Belgie hé.... hoe zou dat komen?

Dat is niet zo moeilijk.  Omdat de pkra geen 30 plussers aanspreekt. En dat zijn de mensen met centjes die nieuwe kites kopen. 

TACK = numba ONE