Day 7:

The final day of competition here in La Franqui, Leucate, was nothing short of exceptional. The completion of the Men’s Semi-finals took place first, followed by the Men’s Small Final, the Women’s Elite Final, and the Men’s Elite Final. 

The first Semi-final of the day was full of anticipation until the very end, with Brazilian rider Set Teixeira landing some high scoring tricks such as Slim 7 and well executed Heart Attack to take the top spot. Liam Whaley didn’t land his last trick but still managed to just make his way into 2nd position with a clean Front Blind Mobe and Back Mobe 5. Conditions were tricky and riders were often having to change from 7 metre to 9 metre kites during their heat. 

Semi-Final number two was full of tension between Aaron Hadlow from the Uk and Stefan Spiessberger from Austria. It was extremely close between them both but it finally came down to Spiessberger who landed his Slim 5 scoring just enough points to jump from 3rd into 2nd position, and ensuring his spot in the final. Current World Champion Carlos Mario clearly dominated the heat by landing his usual sequence of doubles including a Backside 315, 319 and Slim 7. He showed an extremely high riding level considering the difficult conditions. 

The Men’s Small Final was another close battle between Posito Martinez from the Dominican Republic and Aaron Hadlow from the UK. Posito’s final KGB right in front of the judging tower and the crowd scored just enough points to place him in 1st position, with Hadlowtaking second and Alex Pastor from Spain in 3rd. 

The ladies final was next in sequence and it was an outstanding display from the very start. These ladies showed how far the bar has been raised in female kiteboarding. It was a tough battle right until the last trick attempt. World Champion Bruna Kajiya from Brasil took the win here in Leucate by landing a big S-Mobe, S-bend to Blind and Back to Blind. She was nothing short of delighted with her win for the first event of the year. Annabel Van Westerop came in 2nd extremely close behind her, with her focus and impressive riding giving her a wonderful start for the year. Francesca Bagnoli from Italy finished 3rd, an outstanding result for her first Elite League event. 

“I’m delighted with my win here. I think the level of the girls is extremely high, and its been a challenging event, also because of the wind conditions, but this just makes the victory more worthwhile for me. I’m so happy to have so many talented girls with me in this final.” Bruna Kajiya, 2016 World Champion. 

The Men’s Final took place in the early afternoon, infront of the large crowds that gathered along the beach in La Franqui. It was an unbelievable show right from the very start. All four riders landed huge tricks back to back right infront of the judges and the huge crowds who were cheering on the four finalists. It wasn’t until Carlos Mario’s last trick attempt the the 1st position was decided, and it was Liam Whaley from Spain who took the win by just 0.13 points. He landed massive tricks such as a Slim 7, Heart Attack 5, and a gigantic 317. Carlos Mario crashed his first two trick attempts, but then started landing incredibly high scores to make up for it including the first ever 10 scored on the WKL, which was a perfectly executed Heart Attack 7. Set Teixeira also from Brazil and Stefan Spiessberger from Austria rode an amazing heat also landing several doubles, and finally it was Set who took 3rd place and Stefan finishing in 4th. Altogether it was an outstanding final, with the crowds on the beach, the commentators in the studio and the followers watching from home all going wild. 

The Big Air Expression Session final was held to finish off the day, with the riders boosting to heights of up to 15 metres. It was a fantastic performance for the crowds, with aerial jumps such as kite loops, and a massive double handle-pass from Luis Alberto Cruz. It was Luis Alberto Cruz from the Dominican Republic who took the win, thanks to more variety and height. In second position it was Joselito del Rosario also from Dominican Republic and in third place the young rider Valentin Rodriguez of just 14 years of age from Colombia.

Day 6:

Day 6 commenced with extremely strong winds, as the Tramontana was blowing in full force. Temperatures were somewhat lower than what we had earlier in the week. The Women’s Semi-finals were completed, followed by the finals for the Qualifier League  for both Men and Women. To end the day and take advantage of the strong winds, a Big Air Expression Session was held, as we are preparing to host the Big Air World Cup later in the year. 

The wind was strong and the conditions were challenging for the start of the Women’s Semi Finals. The ladies were riding 6 and 7 metre kites, and were often very overpowered. Annabel Van Westerop from the Netherlands showed a lot of experience and dominated her heat throughout. She was followed by Francesca Bagnoli from Italy who showed that passion and motivation can get you far. Both girls will now be in tomorrow’s final. 

Joining them will be Current World Champion Bruna Kajiya who won with her last trick, a nice slim chance scoring a 8.4 that left her pumping with adrenaline. Paula Novotna from the Czech Repulic came close but couldn’t land her 4th trick that she needed, so it was Annelous Lammerts from the Netherlands who rode consistently and will be advancing with Kajiya into the finals. 

After a short break the competition resumed with the Qualifier League Semi finals. Oswald Smith from South Africa landed an impressive DumDum towards the end of the heat and took the win just infront of Adeuri Corniel who landed a Front Blind Mobe and Back Mobe in extremely gusty wind conditions. Both riders passed through to the Qualifier League Finals. 

In the second Qualifier League Semi-finals Aaron Hadlow and Robinson Hilario decided not to compete as they are already qualified for the Elite League and wanted to rest in order to give all their energy to tomorrow’s competition. The french team mates Nicolas Delmas and Arthur Guillebert went for a Front Blind Mobe show one after the other, and both riders advanced into the final. 

Annelous Lammerts from Netherlands put on a great performance landing an S-bend to blind and 313, and took the win for the Qualifier League event, a great achievement after one year of not competing in freestyle kiteboarding. Behind her comes Francesca Bagnoli from Italy and Maureen Castelle from France.

The Men’s Qualifier League Small Final went to Christian Tio, the newcomer from the Philippines who landed a Backside 313 and a Heart attack.

For the Men’s Qualifier Finals it was Nicholas Delmas from France from took the win, a great comeback from the injury that he sustained last year. He landed a Front Blind Mobe, Back Mobe and Heart Attack. Arthur Guillebert also from France came second, and Oswald Smith in third, who struggled to land several of his tricks. 

The finals will be held tomorrow, Sunday 16th 2017 starting from 12 Midday. 

The big air expression session commenced at 4.30 pm, with two heats for the men and one for the women. The wind was blowing strong and the riders went all in to provide entertainment for the crowds that were lining the beach of La Franqui. For the men, passing into the final from Heat 1 were Joselito del Rosario, Antoine Auriol, and Alex Michaudelle, and from Heat 2 Luis Alberto Cruz, Valentin Rodriguez and Nicolas Vie. For the ladies, there was local rider Angelie Bouillot, Vera Klabbers, Isabel Galiart and Julia Castro. 

The Elite League Finals will be held tomorrow, starting from 12 midday, so make sure you tune into our Facebook page to see all of the action! 

Day 5:

It was another early start on the beach of La Franqui, in Leucate, France. The day commenced with Women’s Round 1, with conditions that were gusty, but not as strong as we have seen typically at this location in previous years. 

It was newcomer Maureen Castelle from New Caledonia who won the first heat of the day beating fellow riders Annabel Van Westerop and Rita Arnaus. Castelle landed clean and big S-bend to Blind, back to blind, and slims, and was delighted to pass directly through to the 3rd round. Annabel Van Westerop followed very close behind and nearly stole the win on her last trick, a slim chance, but unfortunately her kite was a little too high and it did not score too well. 

One rider who was on fire this morning was Francesca Bagnoli, who showed some amazing skills by landing all her tricks perfectly. The battle was on with Therese Taabbel from Denmark who also rode extremely well, but it was Francesca who scored an 8 with a big heart attack, and passed directly through to Round 3. 

During Heat 3, Czech Republic rider Paula Novotna decided she wasn’t going to give the newcomers a chance, and rode a solid heat landing an S-bend to Blind, Back to Blind, and Slim Chance. Vera Klabbers from the Netherlands managed to gain 2nd place with a powerful S-bend to Blind and Back to Blind also.

Annelous Lammerts showed how much the freestyle scene had been missing her during Heat 4. The dutch rider made an impressive come-back by winning over current World Champion Bruna Kajiya from Brazil. Annelous landed some high scoring tricks such as a Slimchance and backmobe. Kajiya missed her final three tricks and was unable to improve her score further, so would have to settle for second place. 

After a short break, the competition resumed with Men’s heat 5. Former World Champion Aaron Hadlow showed a far stronger performance than yesterday and won his heat throwing a massive Slim 7, and a backside 315. South African rider Oswald Smith came in close behind him by landing an impressive Backside 315 and KGB. 

Former World Champion Youri Zoon had a complicated start to heat 6, but he showed his experience and eventually managed to climb up to 1st position much to his relief. Nicolas Delmas put on a display of new up and coming talent by performing a well executed Crow Mobe 5 and Heart Attack, putting him in second position. 

Heat 7 for the men was a great show, with all competitors landing massive tricks such as KGBs, Double Heart Attacks and Hinterberger Mobe 5s, but it was Belgian rider Jerome Cloetens who took the 1st position, a great achievement having just recently overcome an injury and having not had much opportunity to train in recent months. 

It was Robinson Hilario from the Dominican Republic who stole the show during Heat 8 by performing tricks with amazing height and amplitude. He landed a massive 317 and Backside 317. Michael Schitzhofer showed that experience can certainly pay off, by riding very consistently and passing through with Hilario to the next round. 

The Women’s rounds continued with Annabel Van Westerop dominating her Heat 5 with a big Slim Chance and Back to Blind. In second place it was a close call for Hannah Whiteley who almost missed out on her second position, but luckily managed it with her last Back to Blind. For Heat 6 Bruna Kajiya made up for her slower start earlier in the day, and threw down an impressive run of tricks with ease and style. Rita Arnaus from Spain slipped into second place and was extremely happy to pass into the next round.

Returning back to the Men’s event, Heat 9 was tricky with the wind conditions constantly increasing and decreasing. Liam Whaley from Spain won with a solid 317, Backside 315 and a stylish Indy Double Heart Attack. Talented young rider Set Teixeira from Brazil landed in second place despite losing his kite during the heat and managing only three high scoring tricks. 

Heat 11 brought together three of the Dominican riders to battle it out amongst each other, and David Tonijuan from Spain who landed an almost perfect Crow Mobe 5, but struggled through the rest of his heat. Posito Martinez, Robinson Hilario and Ariel Corniel all put on an outstanding show. Finally it was Martinez who took the win with a 317 and Backside 317, while Hilario came in second with one of the highest scoring trick of the day, a 9.57 for his Slim 7.

As the end of the day approached, the final two heats of the day kept the crowds fully captivated. Stefan Spiessberger from Austria won Heat 11 with clean tricks such as a Front Blind Mobe and Back Mobe 5, followed by former World Champion Aaron Hadlow with a near perfect Backside 315 and Back Mobe 5.

The final heat of the day was intense and action packed. Carlos Mario was in control throughout, landing an outstanding Heart Attack 7 that scored a near 10. He also managed an impressive Backside 317 and 317. Alex Pastor ended up in second position landing a massive Back Mobe 5. Youri Zoon unfortunately did not manage to ride as he had anticipated, and was knocked out of the competition alongside Oswald Smith. 

At 6pm competition was called off for the day, and will resume tomorrow with the Rider’s meeting called for 9am. The Elite League Freestyle competition will continue, followed by a Big Air Expression Session. The Freestyle Finals will be held on Sunday.

Today’s action is all available to watch over on our Facebook page. The live stream will once again be running throughout the day tomorrow.

Day 4:

It was another early start on the beach of La Franqui, in Leucate as the Rider’s meeting was held at 8am, as the sun was rising and the Tramontana wind already blowing.

The objective for the early morning was to complete the Qualifier League Event. Heat 5 for the Women was first in sequence. It was newcomer Mikaili Sol and Maureen Castelle that dominated the heat by landing powerful S-bend to Blinds, Back to Blinds, and Slims. Maureen showed some outstanding control by landing all of her tricks perfectly. The new young talent Mika, of just 12 years of age, showed talent and skill beyond her years and secured a spot in the next round. 

For the second heat of the day, Annelous Lammerts from the Netherlands showed a great comeback after a disappointing first round. She stomped some impressive tricks such as a Blind Judge, 313, and S-bend to Blind. Rita Arnaus from Spain also put on a good performance, which showed her Elite League experience. Julia Castro also from Spain landed a very powerful 313, though it was not enough to get her through to the next round. 

After a short pause, Men’s Qualifier Heat 23 was run, to determine who would be the 9th rider to qualify for the Elite League 2017 Tour. This was a huge amount of pressure for all 4 riders, as only one of them would pass. Simon Lamusse from Mauritius played a good solid heat, by landing consistently safe tricks, and finished with a massive Heart Attack that gave him the win. The young rider was ecstatic to have gained this opportunity to be part of the Elite League for this coming season. 

Returning to the 3rd Round of the Qualifier Event for the Women, it was an extremely close heat, but it was Annelous Lammerts from the Netherlands who rode with most power and landed a perfect backmobe to steal the win. This means that after a break from freestyle in 2016 she will now be returning to the Elite League with a well-deserved spot for 2017. Joining her will Francesca Bagnoli from Italy, who dominated her heat by riding with a lot of power and speed. Maureen Castelle will also be joining them. 

The last female heat of the day was to decide who would take the final position for the females in the Elite League. Therese Taabbel from Denmark showed strength and determination, landing a big S-mobe and taking the win. Mikaili Sol also rode extremely well and took second position, followed by Vera Klabbers and Isabeau Galiart, both from the Netherlands, who struggled to land their tricks in the lighter wind conditions. As Therese was already pre-qualified, and Mikaili is still underage to be able to compete in the Elite League, the entry was given to Vera Klabbers, who was delighted to be able to pass through the Qualifier Event. 

The conditions offered in Leucate today were not the typical nuclear winds that we have become accustomed to over the previous years. Instead the wind dropped considerably at times, causing various heats to be postponed. 

The much anticipated first Men’s Heat of the Elite League was action-packed right from the start, with all the riders throwing doubles from the very first moment. It was Brazilian rider Set Teixeira who battled his way to first position just ahead of Alex Pastor from Spain. Both of them advanced directly to the 3rd round by landing big KGB 5’s , Slim 7’s and Alex a perfect BS317. 

Another Brazilian who put on a powerful display during Heat 2 was Alex Neto, opening his heat with a double heart attack, but it was our 2016 Rookie of the Year, Adeuri Corniel who took the first position by landing an outstanding backside 317 and double heart attack. Both riders will be passing directly through to Round 3. 

The wind unfortunately dropped considerably during Heat 3, making it increasingly more difficult for the riders to land their more technical tricks. Stefan Spiessberger from Austria landed a 317 and BS315 giving him the entry directly through to round 3, followed by Spanish rider David Tonijuan. 

Heat 4 was a dramatic final for the day. Even with the lighter conditions, the riders were managing to find some gusts and pull off an impressive array of tricks. Our current World Champion Carlos Mario did not disappoint the crowds, gaining the highest score of the day with a Heart Attack 5 scoring 9.07, the highest score of the competition so far, followed by a Slim 7, KGB 5 and Backside 317, and even managed to finish the heat with his hair still dry. Liam pulled off the highest scoring backmobes and front blinds of the event so far, riding with the style and good execution. Both riders pass directly through to the 3rd Round. 

Rider’s meeting has been called for 7.30 am, with the first possible start at 8 am. 

Today’s action is all available to watch over on our Facebook page. The live stream will once again be running throughout the day tomorrow.

Day 1:

Day one in La Franqui commenced with strong winds, as predicted. After an early 7.30 am skipper’s meeting for the Qualifier League Event, the heats got underway immediately. 

The conditions remained tough, with the wind averaging 35 knots. Riders were on 5 to 6 metre kites during the morning and larger sizes during the afternoon. There were many crashes throughout the day as riders were struggling to successfully land their tricks. As the heats progressed the athletes started to take more risks, as they had to work harder to push their way into the top 9 which would guarantee them a spot in the Elite League. 

Former World Champion Aaron Hadlow from the UK put on a strong performance showing his experience in competing here in La Franqui. His consistent riding has now guaranteed a spot for him in the Elite League.

Oswald Smith from South Africa proved that gusty and challenging conditions were not an issue for him and rode exceptionally well, with Leucate showing many similarities with the conditions he trains in at his South African home spots.

Luis Alberto Cruz landed the highest scoring trick of the day, a 317 scoring him 7.73 and allowing him one more opportunity tomorrow to gain a spot in the Elite League. 

It was a celebration for Dominican riders Adeuri Corniel and Robinson Hiilario, who both rode incredibly well in the penultimate heat of the day, also guaranteeing them both a position in the Elite League for 2017. 

Rens Van der Schoot, Nicolas Delmas, Arthur Guillebert and Christian Tio also pass through to the Elite, and showed some powerful riding, and a glimpse of the talent and motivation prevalent in this new generation of riders.

There is still one more spot open in the Elite League for the Men, and this will be decided in tomorrows heat number 23, where you will witness a tough fight between Colombian new talent Juan Rodriguez, Julien Krikken from France, Mauritian rider Simone Lamusse and Dominican talent Luis Alberto Cruz. 

For the Women, the full first round was completed. The athletes who will pass directly to Round Three are Therese Taabbel from Denmark, Vera Klabbers from Netherlands, Isabeau Galiart also from Netherlands and Francesca Bagnoli from Italy. The Women struggled to perform high scoring tricks due to the increasing wind conditions. 

The Skippers meeting has been called for 7.30 am tomorrow morning with the first possible start at 8am. The priority will be to finish one more heat of the Mens to get get the last qualified rider, and two more rounds of the Womens. Once this is completed, we will move on to the Elite League Event. 

Today’s action is all available to watch over on our Facebook page. The live stream will once again be running throughout the day tomorrow.

Day 0:

The Qualifier League will commence on the 10th of April, which will be the first of three qualifier events during 2017. This first event in Leucate will give riders a chance to enter the Elite league for this 2017 season, but will also count towards entry for the 2018 season.Riders who are lower in the rankings from the Elite league are also invited to compete in the Qualifier League to secure their positions for the 2018 season. 

For our first Qualifier League event in Leucate, we have 41 male competitors and 14 female competitors from 19 different countries. There will be big names competing for entry into the Elite League such as Former World Champion Aaron Hadlow from the UK, Annelous Lammerts from Netherlands, Oswald Smith from South Africa, Anthar Racca from Mexico, and new young talent such as Mikaili Sol from Brasil. 

Our live stream will be running on our facebook page as from 11th of April, so stay tuned and follow all of the action as it unfolds. 

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