Day 5:

Amazing performances from all riders on the last day of competition of the Virgin Kitesurf World Championships (VKWC) Youth Cup 2015. All winners from the single elimination managed to secure their first positions. Mexican Anthar Racca (U17), Brazilian Mikaili Rocha, Frenchman Oscar Pirreneau (U13) andBritish Tom Bridge (U15) all claimed the title of their respective categories.

The 5th day of competition offered by far the best conditions for riders to show their most impressive tricks to the crowd and judges. The day started with another clinic where VKWC staff presented to the young athletes the code of behavior they should follow asambassadors of their sponsors as well as professional athletes.

Competition resumed at 12:30 p.m. (GMT +2) with the double elimination. The 15 years-old Dominican Adeuri Corniel was the boy on form of the day in the U17 category. While he had a poor first heat against Chase Hasch (United States) on the first day of competition, he managed to climb up the whole ladder in the double. Showcasing impressive skills, he dispatched Lazare Gournay (France), took his revenge against his home spot mate Hasch and then eliminated Louka Pitot (Mauritius) to make his way to the final. There he was be up against Mexican rider Anthar Racca - a heat that everyone was waiting for.
Onlookers were on fire, cheering at every trick the two athletes threw to each other. But after so much efforts Adeuri Corniel started to show signs of fatigue. He still landed his usual powerful Back Mobe, Front Blind Mobe, Heart Attack and KGB but could not land his Back Side 317 and 317. Meanwhile Racca pulled off a perfectly executed Back Side 317 that gave him the win by 0.7 of a points. 

"I am so happy I won my first championship here. I felt a little bit nervous before the final against Corniel because I saw him competing today. When I started my heat I crashed two tricks and got really stressed but then I landed a Blind Judge 7 and relaxed a little bit",explained Racca. "The wind was perfect today and I liked it. My plan now is to go to a windy place to train and get prepared for Germany’s trials and try to pass them in August."

Adeuri Corniel: "Thanks a lot to the VKWC crew for giving me the opportunity to grab this second place. Thanks to the clinics about competition strategy I learned a lot and now I know how to put my heat together. I will stick to it and train back home. I’m heading to Dominican Republic to study and hopefully I'll manage to get my long term visa to go to the trials in Germany. My manager Jacobo is really helping me to get it so that I can travel and compete wherever I want”. He also said: "It was amazing today. I’m very happy with my second position, I would have loved to finish first but I was very tired and Anthar is very tough to beat. But it’s ok, we’ll see what happens next year”. 

In U15 category Nino Liboni (France) stood out from the crowd coming from 9th position to 4th. The Frenchie performed well-constructed heats eliminating Jason Van Der Spuy (South Africa) and local boy Alec Mur today. His promising ascent was stopped by Maxime Chabloz (France) who performed better, but couldn't beat Christian Tio (Philippines) and stayed with his 3rd position. 

U15 final opposed again Tom Bridge (United Kingdom) with Christian Tio (Philippines). Both friends did an excellent performance but Bridge was untouchable. While Tio crashed a number of tricks and fell behind, he achieved victory by nailing a perfect 10 with a powered and clean Backside 315.

"It feels really good to win this championship for the third time, it is the best year of my life! This is the main competition of the season but hopefully I will do the trials in Germany and pass them so I could participate in the next VKWC stops", Bridge stated.

Girls put on a display of great action as well, with Spanish rider Claudia Leon dispatchingAnna Hashem (Egypt), Nina Font (Spain) and Anaïs Desjardin (France). Leon did a good job and rode cleverly but got finally stopped by Hanna Twarog (PL). Polish rider and Mikaili Rocha (Brazil) replayed yesterday's final. The young Brazilian started her heat smartly by doing different trick categories in order to secure her score before starting to risk. Twarog did her best but could not match Rocha’s game who took the title. 

"It feels very cool, because it’s the first time I got here and I didn’t really think I would be able to win. I am really happy", said Rocha. "The whole family kite and she has been begging for a kite since she’s probably 6 years-old. Every year I made her wait and finally, when she was about eight and a half, I said ok and I let her try. She just got it immediately", continued Jodie Thompson, her mother.

As for U13 category, the boy who most climbed up the ladder was Joan Mir (Spain). He rode well and won against Hiro Karamon (Japan) as well as Kiko Peiro (Spain) but was stopped by last year's winner Karim Mahmoud (Egypt). The final was the same as in the single and both riders did well until Pirreneau nailed three handle passes in the last seconds, allowing him to secure his first position on his first VKWC Youth Cup.

"I am super stocked! I didn't know if I had won or not because it took me a while to get into my heat. I have been a bit sick and had not much energy, but at the end it went well. The wind was really steady so it helped. I was a bit nervous at the beginning but also quite confident and I managed to focus better", said Pirreneau. 

Tomorrow, another clinic will be held but this time with pro riders and former PKRA competitors Ruben Lenten and Alvaro Onieva. Ruben Lenten, renowned as the most extreme rider, is nowadays involved in many projects related to the sport and will give a talk to the new generation of kiteboarders about the importance of their image as professional athletes. As an entrepreneur, Alvaro Onieva will address the opportunities that athletes can have after their competitive career. They will also discuss about the importance of physical training beside kiteboarding in order to prevent injuries.
The meeting will take place at 10 a.m. 

Day 4:

Mexican Anthar Racca (U17), Brazilian Mikaili Rocha, Frenchman Oscar Pirreneau (U13) and British Tom Bridge (U15) have all won the single elimination in their respective categories of the Virgin Kitesurf World Championships (VKWC) Youth Cup 2015. Competition started at 2:20 p.m. (GMT+2) with tougher conditions than the days before - but riders still managed to deliver great action in front of a large audience at the beautiful venue of Sant Pere Pescador.

The day started with U13 boys. The winners final saw Frenchman Oscar Pirreneau up against Karim Mahmoud from Egypt. Despite severe gusts, they delivered an excellent heat completing the 12 attempts and suffering only a few crashes. Pirreneau built up his score cleverly while Mahmoud took more risks by trying harder moves and crashing too much to match his opponent’s score. Oscar Pirreneau placed first of U13 category:

"It went well even if the conditions were more complicated today. I didn’t do exactly what I wanted because of the gusty wind, but on the other hand the water was more flat. I landed one or two tricks I’m happy with and I am stocked to rank first so far. We’ll see who I’ll be up against in the double eliminations final!", he said.

The mini final opposed Kiko Peiro (Spain) with Hiro Karamon (Japan). Both young athletes did their best and managed to nail similar tricks such as S-Bends and Raileys. It came up to Peiro thanks to a bit more power and commitment.

The competition moved on to the girls finals. The winners final saw the fierce Brazilian competitorMikaili Rocha facing Hanna Twarog from Poland in an amazing heat. Rocha was overpowered but did not get flustered at all and played smartly while crowds were cheering for her. She pulled off great tricks that made the difference proving again that she has everything of a champion. Hanna Twarog could not match the technique and the variety of her contender who claimed the victory with a commanding lead:

"My heat wasn’t that good but I was able to pull off some of my tricks from the five categories", Rocha said. "I did not really get stressed when I lost time changing my kite. I just needed to make my tricks. I am very happy to finish first."

Then Anaïs Desjardin (France) met local rider Nina Font in the mini final. Both girls struggled to chose the right kite and Font lost time trying to change it during her heat. She could not land enough tricks while Desjardin managed to add points to her score, claiming the victory and placing 3rd.

After the girls it was time for U15 boys to kick off their finals. The winners final was the same as last year, with defending champion Tom Bridge (United Kingdom) up against Christian Tio (Philippines). They replayed quite the same scene delivering a cut-throat competition answering with powerful tricks back to each other. Both performed Front Blind Mobes and Back Mobe 5s as well as other tricks - but Bridge variety allowed him to defend his title.

"I am really happy to win the single eliminations. It means that in the double they will have to beat me twice so I think it’s going to be hard for them. It was a good heat, I landed most of my tricks but I didn’t land the last one and I was quite upset with that", Bridge said.

Maxime Chabloz (Switzerland) was opposed with local rider Alec Mur in mini final. Both riders came out strong, delighting spectators. Chabloz, who was not on form yesterday, definitely took his revenge putting on a display of powerful tricks, performing a well-constructed heat and placing 3rd.

Then it was time for the elder (U17) to be centre stage and to battle for the top spot. Louka Pitot (Mauritius) and Anthar Racca (Mexico) put on an extremely close heat, showcasing high-scoring tricks in what could have been a senior final. Both kiteboarders went through a stiff competition landing back-to-back powered Front Blind Mobes, Back Mobes and Heart Attacks. The audience was on fire and Racca finally sealed the deal by nailing perfectly executed Double Heart Attack and Backside 315 (a.k.a. Blind Judge 5).

Anthar Racca: "It feels very good to win. It was a very good heat because we were doing the same tricks. I just won by less than a point against Louka, it was very close. I was on form even if my knee was hurting. I got that pain while training just before the heat today. I hit it with my elbow (laugh)! I am looking forward to seeing who I’m going to face tomorrow in the double eliminations final."

Chase Hasch (United States) and Lazar Gournay (France) kicked off the mini final both performing a great heat. Hasch managed to take the win over the French rider who crashed too many tricks because of the tricky conditions.

The single elimination was soon followed by the double. The man on form was powerhouse Adeuri Corniel (Dominican Republic) who won three heats in a row, dispatching Rusian Sirazhetdinov (Russia), his countrymate Paulino Lorenzo, and Frenchman Romain Giuliano.
The Dominican who had a bad day on the single was strongly determined to climb up the ladder and had no mercy with others. His opponents all rode very well but could not match his incredible level. He landed high-scoring tricks such as Backside 317s (a.k.a. Blind Judge 7) and 317s and nearly nailed a Hinterberger Mobe 7 as well as a Heart Attack 5 that could have easily scored in the 9-pointers. He is determined to continue his mission to the podium and will face current number 4 Lazare Gournay on his first heat tomorrow.

Day 3:

Costa Brava, Spain (Monday, June 29, 2015) - For the third day of competition up-and-coming talents were given their first clinic. Virgin Kitesurf World Championships (VKWC) Youth Cup is also a learning experience where young kiteboarders are given advices and information to improve their competitive skills.

This morning, judges explained how the scoring system works by detailing the trick categories and judging criteria such as power, technical difficulty, risk factor and innovation. Even if they score the Youth Cup by overall impression - apart from finals where tricks will be given points - it is relevant for future VKWC generation to understand and be comfortable with rules and strategy. 

While waiting for the contest to start, kids made the most of their time on the beach beneath a bright sunshine. Wind picked up late, around 3:20 p.m. (GMT+2), allowing riders to finally kick off their heats.

U17 last semifinal saw Lazare Gournay (FR) facing Louka Pitot (Mauritius) in an extremely close heat. Both contenders came out strong, head to head, with great crowds of spectators applauding each of their tricks. Gournay did a great job but Pitot was slightly more technical and made the difference, advancing into final where he will meet the Mexican Anthar Racca - one of the toughest competitors of the championship.

Louka Pitot: "My heat was not so good. The wind was light so I started with my 13 to secure some tricks because I had never rode with my 15 before and it is like a truck. I didn’t think I would win. I am happy because I was hoping to be in top 5 and now the worst I can do is a third place while last year I ended up 7. In the final I will be against Anthar (Racca) who is very good and I’m afraid it is quite impossible to beat him."

Competition moved on to U15 semifinals with local boy Alec Mur (ES) against Christian Tio (Philippines). Mur might know the place very well, he could not match Tio’s level. The grom from Philippines put on a display of great tricks and easily advanced into final. 

Christian Tio: "My heat was very good, I was really happy I won. Tom is quite hard but I am motivated to be in final."

The last U15 semifinal saw Maxime Chabloz (Switzerland) opposed with defending category champion Tom Bridge (GB) in a fierce competition. On a 13 meter kite, Bridge showcased impressive consistency and pulled off all his tricks meticulously. Chabloz was underpowered with an 11 m and got nervous after several crashes. He lost too much time relaunching his kite and could not manage to land his usual moves allowing Bridge to reach the final against Tio. A scenario already seen last year in which Bridge beat his opponent.

Tom Bridge: "I was a bit underpowered but I landed as many tricks as I wanted so my heat was good. I think the final is going to be hard because Tio has improved since last year but I will hopefully defend my title."

Around 4:30 p.m. race director Eric Troostheide called off the competition due to insufficient winds, postponing all the finals as well as the double elimination to tomorrow since theforecast is looking much stronger for the next three days.

Riders' meeting is scheduled at 10 a.m. with a first possible start at 10:30 a.m. 

Day 2:

Costa Brava, Spain (Sunday, June 28, 2015) - The second day of competition at the Virgin Kitesurf World Championships (VKWC) Youth Cup 2015 saw amazing action and great crowds of onlookers who came to support the young athletes.

Thermal winds picked up slowly under a blazing sun and competition only started at 4 p.m. (GMT+2). The firsts to hit the water were the young teammates Osaia Reding (ES) and Anais Desjardin (FR). Desjardin showed a little more variety in her heat and advanced into next round.

Next in line were the talented Brazilian Mikaili Rocha and Claudia Leon (ES). Both girls gave an amazing spectacle by delivering trick after trick, not losing their time. Mikaili passed the trials in Barra Grande (Brazil) last year against seniors and impressed spectators, showing to everyone that things are in safe hands for Brazil. Despite her young age (10) compared to her opponents (because categories have been merged due to not enough participants), Mikaili Rocha showcased extreme confidence and strategy in her heats and managed to dispatch Leon as well as Nina Font (ES) in the semifinal. Rocha will meet Hanna Twarog (PL) in girls’ final tomorrow, while Font will meet Desjardin in the mini final.

Mikaili Rocha: "I think I did really good and my competitors were tough and did really good too. I was able to land all my tricks and it is good for my age so I’m proud of myself. It is my first time in this championship and I am not too nervous. The wind was ok but the big kite was hard because where I live I usually use a 4 and here I had a 10! It was big big big."

The contest moved on to U17 with big names advancing to the semifinals. Chase Hasch (US)seems to be quite at ease in competition and managed to win over a less experienced Robin Krikken (FR) in the first heat. Hasch went straight to semifinal where he would meet the winner of next heat that saw one of the most fierce competitors of the event, the young Mexican Anthar Racca.

Racca started with a "go-for-broke" approach against Bruce Kessler (Switzerland). He first secured 5 extremely high scoring tricks, including powered and perfectly executed Front Blind Mobe, Back Mobe, KGB, Heart Attack, and Double S-Bend to Blind. After sealing the deal the talented rider pulled off nothing less than the first ever Double Half Cab Mobe in competition. A trick that top guys such as Liam Whaley (ES), Christophe Tack (BE) and Aaron Hadlow (GB) have been trying to nail this year. The grom is clearly showing the world that he will be a serious contender to go up the podiums in the years to come. Racca came out of the water with his hair dry and 10 tricks in his bag. Kessler couldn’t match his opponent’s performance but still performed clean and consistent tricks as well.

Anthar Racca: "I think it is the first Double Half Cab Mobe in competition so I’m happy. I know Liam Whaley is also doing it. In last European championship I also tried to do it but I grabbed the bar wrong and looped the kite so it wasn’t so good. With light wind I felt able to try it again. It was not so clean but I’m stocked. I felt that I was going to crash but at the end I kind of landed it."

The Mexican continued his assault by beating Hasch in the first semifinal, a heat that could have perfectly been a final. Racca once again wowed the crowd and showed judges that he is an accomplished rider who can play with the big boys. He will dispute the final tomorrow with the winner of second semifinal between Louka Pitot (MAU) and Frenchman Lazare Gournay.

As for Pitot, one of the revelations of this year, he put on some very well-structured heats and showed no mercy to his opponent Ruslan Sirazhetdinov (Russia) by snatching the lead with a powerful Double Heart Attack.

The U15 also offered a great show to the audience. Local boy Alec Mur defeated his opponent Roman Rose (Monaco) who couldn’t put his heat together. Mur showcased strength and style allowing him to advance into semifinal.

Christian Tio (Philippines) and Tom Bridge (UK) both managed to dispatch their less experienced contenders Sebastian Ducos (ES) and Valentin Bontus (Austria) respectively, while Nino Liboni (FR) and Maxime Chabloz (Switzerland) had an extremely close heat. Both riders of similar level knew they had to give it all to beat each other. Chabloz performed his habitual routine of powerful tricks and topped it with a Double Half Cab that gave him the win over Liboni. The Swiss rider will meet world champion Tom Bridge in the semi final tomorrow.

U13 kiteboarders did a great job too putting on a display of moves and trying their best all over the course of today’s competition. Oscar Perrineau (FR) and Karim Mahmoud (EGY) - U12 last year champion - both made the difference step by step eliminating their rivals and booking their tickets for the final tomorrow.

Karim Mahmoud: "I am really stoked that I’m in the final. The conditions were not my best because I don’t really train with the 10 meter kite at home. I’m more used to the 8 and 6 but I landed my tricks though. It is my second time here, last year I won in U12 category and now my goal is to keep my title."

Oscar Pirreneau: "I did everything I could. I did a Blind Judge, a S-Bend Blind, a 313 and a Double Hinterberger. I managed to pull off everything I wanted so I’m super happy and motivated. In the last minutes I tried to do a Double S-Bend Blind that I don’t always perform. I landed it and caught the bar but I finally crashed. It is my first time here and I was stressed before my heats but my trainer (Etienne Lhote) helped us doing breathing exercises and it was really useful."

Day 1:

Costa Brava, Spain (Saturday, June 27, 2015) - Mediterranean venue of Sant Pere Pescador offered optimal conditions today with winds blowing around 16 knots to initiate Virgin Kitesurf World Championships (VKWC) Youth Cup. Families and friends enjoyed a perfect start to the week-end cheering for their kids on the sunny beach. 

 
Soon after the riders’ meeting - where groms were explained the competition format as well as judges criterias - usual thermal winds picked up quickly and competitors got their gear ready.
 
The competition kicked off with the youngest talents. U13 were the firsts to hit the water around 1 p.m. (GMT+2) and were soon followed by the girls category (merged because there was not the minimum required of five participants in each category) and boys U15 and U17.
 

Steady winds allowed them to give it all to seduce judges and advance into next round, and several names stood out already from the first rounds of the single elimination.
From the U15, Christian Tio from the Philippines showed a very well-constructed heat with powerful manoeuvres. He left no chance to his opponent Lars De Groof (BE), who had already won his first heat showing that he is one of the top kids, but De Groof did not fall behind and answered back with great tricks such as perfectly executed 313, BS 313, and S-bend to blind.
 
Maxime Chabloz from Switzerland also put on a display of powerful moves as well as a fair-play state of mind, giving high five to his opponent and country mate Jeremy Denda at the end of the seven minutes. These young champions are already well trained and ready to play with the big boys in the senior championship.
 
Maxime Chabloz: "My heat went well, I landed my first 4 tricks well as I was on the 14m quite powered and could get some height, but the wind was a bit lighter after and I couldn’t land my back mobe. I didn’t know my opponent - he also comes from Switzerland - he wasn’t one of the top guys so I wasn’t too stressed. It’s quite more stressful when you know your opponent is Tom Bridge, but I know I will have to give it all against the next guys. Tomorrow I’ll be up against Nino Liboni, he is pretty good but I will do my best to win (laugh)."

Tom Bridge - 2014 world champion - also made the difference today performing a Double Half Cab that wowed crowd and judges alike, easily sealing the deal against Max Samhaber from Australia and advancing to next round.
 
Tom Bridge:  "I’ve been practicing all year for this event that I’ve won the last two years, I broke my foot four weeks ago and it’s still a bit stiff but I’m good. My first heat went well. It was a bit light, I was on my 13m but I managed to land my Double Half Cab that I started practicing about 3 weeks ago. Tomorrow I will be up against Valentin (Bontus, Austria) and I hope I can win again." 

From the U17, one of the closest heats of the day saw Adeuri Corniel (DO) - VKWC rider Ariel Corniel’s younger brother - opposed with Chase Hasch (US), also living in Dominican Republic and who participated in Dakhla’s trials in the senior division this year. Corniel, who is 15 and already performs tricks that top professional athletes do, wanted to go big but crashed most of his tricks and could not express his style as he wished. His opponent chose consistency and landed enough powered moves such as a S-Mobe 5, KGB and Heart Attack (a.k.a. S-Bend 3) to win and advance into next round.
 
Chase Hash: "I was in the first round against my home spot mate Adeuri Corniel from Dominican Republic, it was great to compete against him. The wind was a bit light, I was on my 11m because that’s the size I feel most comfortable with, so my tricks were a bit more dangling than I would like but I managed to do most of them and it turned out alright so I’m happy with the results obviously (laugh). I don’t know my next opponent but I heard it’s a French guy with some skills, but since I don’t know him there is nothing to be afraid of.”

Anthar Racca from Mexico also showcased an amazing level. The kid displayed extremely high-scoring tricks that judges usually see in the senior division, including the innovation of the year - the much talked about Double Half Cab that had the crowd going wild. Racca also landed a powered Slim to blind and Backside 315, proving that he is a serious contender in his division.
 
Anthar Racca: "I came here two years ago and last year I got injured and couldn’t come. I couldn’t train before the event because there was no wind for a month where I live in Cancún, Mexico. I was a bit stressed before my heat but now I’m feeling very good because I managed to land all my tricks in my heat. I hope I can win the competition if I continue having good heats. My strongest opponent is Adeuri Corniel but he already lost in the single because he had a bad heat, but I would like to compete against him to see who is the best."
 
Paulino Lorenzo (DO), the second Dominican participant took his fellow country mate's revenge by building a perfect heat with strong commitment and concentration, showing that Dominican future is assured. As for his rival Wojtek Andrejenski (PL), he tried to start strong but had too many wipeouts due to pressure and couldn’t match Paulino’s consistency.

As for the girls, only one heat took place and it was Nina Font (ES), the younger sister of VKWC rider Noe Font, who advanced against Anna Hashem from Egypt into next round. Nina was fully supported by her family and friends, since she is one of the local riders.
 
Around 5 p.m. (GMT+2) competition was called off due to dropping wind. The kids continued to play at the beach and slowly started to pack their equipment to rest for the next day of competition. Riders’ meeting will be at 10 a.m. and depending on the wind the VKWC crew will give clinics to the participants.

Registration Day:

Costa Brava, Spain (Friday, June 26, 2015) - 54 young riders representing 20 nationsgathered today to register to the third Youth Cup in Camping La Ballena Alegre. During the day groms hastily filled in registration sheets, showed their brightest smiles for the ladder pictures and ran outside to meet and train prior to the competition. 

Aged from 10 to 16, they are going to battle from June 27 to July 2 at the great Mediterranean spot of Sant Pere Pescador.

After registration was over, the night started with the closing ceremony of the Spanish championship that finished today. Winners were crowned and Virgin Kitesurf World Championships (VKWC) riders David Tonijuan Colomer (ES) and Patrick Blanc (ES) respectively ranked first and second in the seniors category. Noe Font (ES) - 2014 juniors world champion - took the victory in his home turf in the juniors category. Font will be trying to keep that momentum going as he has been allocated a wildcard for VKWC third stop in Tarifa (Spain).

The prize giving was followed by an amazing VKWC Youth Cup opening ceremony that saw the best up-and-coming kiteboarders proudly parading, holding their country flags. Even though they were a bit under pressure, participants were making the most of their time chatting and joking together. Tonight was about sharing great times, not about contest yet.
 

Girls’ divisions will most likely be merged as they are not enough to complete each category. As for boys, they should be divided in three age groups:

Youth U13: born in 2003 or 2004

Youth U15: born in 2001 or 2002

Youth U17: born in 1999 or 2000

Riders meeting will be held at 11 a.m. (GMT+2). Forecast is looking promising for the upcoming days with mellow thermal winds ranging from 12 to 18 knots.

En of er helden van de lage landen mee doen!

De jonge talentvolle belg en Peter Lynn teamrider Lars de Groof gooit hoge ogen op het VKWC in Sant Pere Pescador, Costa Brava, Spain. Volgens de headjudge "Lars is one of the top kids" en heeft waarschijnlijk een top 10 plek te pakken. 

Lars and dad reports:

Lars won his first heat against South African Van der Spuy in an impressive way, landing almost all of his tricks. Lars is absolutely stoked he's able to compete at this world level competition. In his second heat he put up a good fight against Tio from Spain, but in spite of landing a great hinterberger mobe, blind judge 3, 313 and other tricks, he lost that heat with a few points.

The level of riding is absolutely incredible! Today Lars will get a chance to work his way further up in the double eliminations. The wind in Spain is fantastic, the sun is pushing temperature well over 30, the girls are beautiful and life simply can't get any better.

4th day of the competition and the wind is stronger than the days before.
Hawaiian Reef Toscana and Jonas Ouahmid from Morocco had a battle against each other to decide who would ride against Lars. Ouahmid finally won.

Lars took a rather easy victory in his heat against him, and thus got himself qualified for the next round. His next opponent was Nino Liboni number one in France in his age category. A completely different level.
The heat that followed between Nino and Lars was awesome. Lars landed trick after trick, back to blind, blind judge and blind judge3, s-bend pass, 313. One of the best heats he has ever shred in his life.
Nino fell often and couldn't find his ways with the choppy water. 

After the heat was ended he came up to Lars to high five him. He knew it would be a close call.The verdict of the 3 judges took a very long time. But finally 2 out of 3 gave a close victory to Nino. 
One trick of Nino, an S-Mobe, a trick that Lars crashlanded, made one judge decide to call the heat in advance of Nino. That's kitesurfing ! It sometimes comes down to one small detail.

An overall place in the top10 for Lars is achieved, which was his goal at the beginning of the Virgin World Kitesurf Championship 2015 Juniors.

He is superstoked to confirm himself at this international level. He is motivated more than ever to grow in technique and style. Summer holidays have started, and he can concentrate now on tuning his tricks, learning more complex moves and especially to have lots and lots and lots of fun on the water with his friends in Holland and Belgium !
Aloha from Spain