Amazing Level On Day 2 At WKT Youth Cup 2016
Thu 30th Jun, 2016 @ 9:00 pm
Action has been hot at the 2016 World Kite Tour Youth Cup, in Costa Brava, Spain. Riders age 19 and under, from all over the globe, have convened to compete for the top spot on the podium. Boy’s single elimination was the highlight of day two. Read all about it below, and stay tuned for more updates throughout the week.
All riders had amazing performances on the second day of competition of the World Kite Tour (WKT) Youth Cup 2016. Today it was the boys’ turn. Lars De Groof (U17) from Belgium showed us amazing skills landing five sick tricks from different categories; backside 313, 313, Heart Attack, Slim and Back to Blind. This kid is knocking at the senior’s Tour door.
In the U15 category, Frenchman Oscar Pirreneau advanced to the quarter finals. Oscar is doing great, landing tricks like a Double S-bend to Blind and Heart Attack. With this kind of progression, Oscar will be playing with the big boys next year. For a rider who has only been kiting a couple of years, he shows pure talent!
The other Frenchie, Théo Fermon, had to fight hard to beat the Spaniard Joan Mir. The heat was really tight against Joan, who surprised everyone with his improved technique and skills this year.
“I am really happy, I enjoyed every second of my heat, and the conditions were great. I feel really comfortable at this spot. Joan did great too, but he crashed many times and I could take advantage while he was re-launching the kite, landing a good 313 at the end of the heat. Now I have to focus on the next round which is against the Austrian Max Samhaber”, explained Théo Fermont.
We had the pleasure to have a few words from local Costa Brava rider and Senior Pro Rider Rita Arnaus. “I love this spot, this is where I learned to kite and I always pass by to support my friends and teammates. I competed in this event a few years ago and I always had fun and learned a lot. I really recommend young riders to come and enjoy the experience. You meet people from all over the world and the campground at La Ballena Alegre is great because it has everything you need and there is always a good vibe”, Arnaus said.
Around 4:30 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.
As for U17 category, tomorrow we’ll have what should be a very interesting heat featuring the Italian Francesco Contini and the Frenchman Nino Liboni. These two shredders are surprising everyone with their sick moves.
Tomorrow, a clinic will be held in English and the next days in Spanish and French. The WKT crew will give a talk to the new generation of kiteboarders about the importance of their image as professional athletes and the opportunities that athletes can have after their competitive career. They will also discuss the importance of physical training in addition to kiteboarding in order to prevent injuries. The meeting will take place at 9:30 a.m. The forecast looks good for the afternoon with south winds at 14 to 18 knots. If that happens we will have some action from girls and boys U17.
Daily results, pictures and videos of the event will be uploaded on WKT’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts. Photo credits: Santi Font & Noe Font.
