World Kiteboarding Championships, Cumbuco – Qualifier Championship – Day One
Tue 20th Nov, 2018 @ 10:00 am
The WKC once again returns to the spectacular Duro Beach, Cumbuco, Brazil for our final event of the year.
The registration for the Qualifier Championship commenced at 9 am, and saw a fantastic turn out of twenty-seven men and eight women from14 different countries sign up. The Qualifier Championship is an opportunity for the riders to enter into the Elite for 2019, but also a chance to win the wildcard into the Elite Championship event here this week.
The Qualifier Championship is an ideal opportunity to spot new up-and-coming talent from local and international riders. The competition commenced at 1.30 pm local time. The winners from the heats in Round 1 advance directly to Round 3. Those placing 2nd and 3rd pass to Round 2, and those finishing 4th are eliminated from the Qualifier Championship.
Men’s Round 1
Heat 1
The level was high from the very start, and Louka Pitot from France set the tone from the get-go. He stormed through his first heat of the competition landing a varied array of tricks including a clean Backside 315 and Crowmobe 5. He cleared his way directly through to Round 3. Juan Rodriguez from Colombia also performed well and came in close behind, he passed through to Round 2, together with Marcelino Santos.
Heat 2
Heat 2 gave us a glimpse at some fantastic new talent, as local rider David Ribeiro who is just ten years old, landed some impressive tricks such as his Hinterberger Mobe and Slim Chance. He advanced to the next round. Aron Rosslee rode an intense heat and landed a nice Back Mobe and Heart Attack, passing through to the next round in the second position. Julian Krikken passed through directly to Round 3, landing a solid Heart Attack and Hinterberger Mobe 5 and finished his heat in 1st place.
Heat 3
Another high performance was seen from local rider Kalu de Sousa who advanced directly to Round 3 after riding a solid heat and landing a Double Heart Attack and Hinterberger Mobe 5. Russian Athlete Sergey Borisov and Joao Lucas from Brazil pass through to Round 2.
Heat 4
Erick Anderson was last years wildcard winner at this event, and his performance today once again did not disappoint. He opened with a nice Front Blind Mobe and followed it up with a series of clean tricks. Anthar Racca from Mexico landed a powered Backside 317 amongst several other good trick attempts, placing him 1st and passing to Round 3, and Brazilian Paulo Rogue 3rd, passing to Round 2 together with Anderson.
Heat 5
Edgar Ulrich, a young rider from France, successfully defended his spot throughout his heat and landed a solid Double Heart Attack amongst his tricks. He placed himself in 1st position and advanced directly to Round 3. Paul Serin, also from France passed to Round 2, followed by George Dufty from the UK.
Heat 6 was postponed after the second trick attempt, due to the decreasing wind conditions. The competition will be resumed tomorrow morning, with the skipper’s meeting called for 8 am and the first possible start at 8.30 am.
Follow all the live scoring from the Qualifier Championship here. Our live stream will start on Wednesday with the Elite Championship, so be sure to tune into our Facebook Page our Youtube Channel.
