PWA TENERIFE WORLD CUP
From the 12th to the 18th July the wave fleet will once again take centre stage as they return to the stunning shores of El Médano, Tenerife, for the second successive year.
El Médano is situated on the South East coast of Tenerife, just minutes away from the airport. Furthermore El Médano’s beautiful golden sand beaches are blessed with glorious sunshine, regular trade winds and pumping waves year round, which make this amazing spot a windsurfers haven. The week ahead is guaranteed to be packed with unbelievable action, as the elite of the wave sailing world take full advantage of the world class conditions to wow the both the crowds and the judges.
What’s The Deal?
Seven days of intense wave sailing supremacy, as the most radical sailors in the world resume battle and fight it out for the €50,000 prize purse, as well as those crucial world tour points. After the amazing show in Pozo, we can expect to see more of the same radical action as the title race hots up.
Ones To Watch
Men
Phiiip Köster (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) made the perfect start to the season as he successfully defended his 2011 Pozo crown. Köster’s latest victory means that he has now won the last four PWA Wave events, so there’s no doubting that he’s both the man to watch and also the man that everyone else wants to beat. The eighteen year old looked in formidable form in Pozo as he landed his trademark ankle dry double forwards, massive wave 360s and some truly monstrous backloops on his way to victory. We can expect to see the same incredible maneuvers and more when the competition kicks off in Tenerife.
Victor Fernandez (Fanatic / North) was Köster’s closest rival in Pozo and we can expect the Spaniard to push him all the way again here. Fernandez showed that he’s not scared to take chances against Köster and this could prove to be pivotal in Tenerife. Expect to see more super fluid wave riding combined with one handed goiters and takas. We may even see Fernandez pull off his clew first goiters, so keep your eyes peeled as he looks to keep his title bid firmly on track.
Dario Ojeda (Tabou / Gaastra / MFC) performed brilliantly at his home spot of Pozo to finish third for the second year in a row. Ojeda looked as much of a threat in the air as he did on the wave in the opening event of the season, and the Canarian performed fantastically in Tenerife last year meaning that he’ll be a major threat again. Expect to see radical wave 360s and huge stalled forwards as he hunts for another spot on the podium come the end of the week.
Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins) sailed through the pain barrier to finish fourth overall in Pozo. The Brit came storming back through the double elimination as he produced some of the finest sailing of the competition, including an astonishing pushloop forward. If his broken toe isn’t too much of a hindrance and he can produce the kind of form that he showed in Pozo, then we can expect to see Swift pushing for the top places by the end of the event.
The event organizer and local boy, Dany Bruch (Starboard / Severne / AL360), will be aiming for the podium on his home turf after an impressive start to the season. Bruch will be implementing all of his local knowledge to ensure he takes down his peers. We can expect to see more silky smooth wave riding and massive one handed, one footed backloops as he sets his sights on the top.
Marcilio ‘Brawzinho’ Browne (Goya / MFC) showed glimpses of genius in Pozo, if the Brazilian is able to consistently perform his perfect double loops and massive backside wave 360s then he has enough talent and potential to beat anyone, he’s also one of the few sailors that possesses the pushloop forward in his arsenal. Brawzinho will be hungry to break into the top five and we expect him to be there or there about come the end of the week
Klaas Voget (Fanatic / Simmer / MFC) may have only just returned from injury, but this didn’t stop him from producing an incredible performance in Pozo as the German finished in joint seventh. Voget landed super tweaked pushloops and radical wave 360s to take the field by storm on his return. We can expect Voget to continue in the same vein of form in Tenerife.
Alex Mussolini (Tabou / Gaastra) was one of the form men in Pozo. The Spaniard demonstrated an unrivaled level of wave riding as he destroyed wave after wave to take down anyone in his path. Expect to see more amazing wave riding, with takas and wave 360s galore, as well as some massive backloops as Mussolini looks to break into the top five.
Ricardo Campello (JP / NeilPryde / MFC) didn’t enjoy the best start to his season in Pozo, so we can expect the Venezuelan to return with a vengeance as he looks to set the record straight. Campello is considered one of the most radical jumpers in the world and he’ll be launching into super fast double forwards at a minimum to wow the judges and the crowds.
Other sailors to keep an eye on include; the three times World Champion, Kauli Seadi (JP / NeilPryde), the Brazilian started to find his form by the end of the week in Pozo, after a slow start by his standards, and with a greater emphasis on wave riding in Tenerife we can expect Seadi to be challenging for the top. Ross Williams (Tabou / Gaastra) made a terrific start to the season, as he impressed the judges with his fluid wave riding skills. The Brit should be right in the thick of the action again this week. The Frenchmen, Thomas Traversa (Tabou / Gaastra), looked a real danger in Pozo and we expect that to be no different in Tenerife as he launches into more radical maneuvers.
Women
Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne) sailed flawlessly in Pozo to steal the crown away from her sister, Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne), for the first time since 1999. Iballa’s confidence will be sky high and she’ll be looking to excel once again with her tweaked pushloops and seamless wave riding. We fully expect her twin sister, Daida, to come storming back in Tenerife. She’s a woman that has become accustomed to winning and she’ll do whatever it takes to do just that. Daida will be throwing huge stalled forwards and super tweaked pushloops as she looks to return to the top.
The multi-talented Swiss Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne) produced a sterling performance in Pozo to claim her place on the podium. Jaggi delivered amazing backloops and stalled pushloops to keep the rest of the competition at bay. Jaggi possesses all the experience and tactical know how to be pushing for the podium again in Tenerife.
Steffi Wahl (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg) fought her way back through the double elimination in Pozo to finish in fourth overall. The German’s wave riding is second to none and we expect the see more of her big backside smacks in Tenerife. Wahl was also trying wave 360s so it will be interesting to see is if she can pull any off in her heats, if she can then she may well force her way onto the podium.
Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North) delivered some magnificent wave riding of her own, as well as stalled forward and backloops in Pozo. The Swiss styler has been training out in Tenerife before the event, so she should be well prepared for the conditions that present themselves. Treboux landed a couple of takas on one wave in Pozo whilst freesailing so she’ll be hoping she can land them in her heats this time to progress into the top four come the end of the week.
Astrid Muldoon (Fanatic / North), Eva Oude Ophuis (Fanatic / North) and Carmen Afonso Martin will all be hoping to build on their performances from Pozo as they look to break into the top five.
The forecast for the second event of the 2012 PWA Wave Tour is absolutely epic with strong wind and big waves being predicted. This means that we are guaranteed another breathtaking show from the most extreme sailors in the world. You’ll be able to watch the action unfold as it happens by tuning into the PWA live stream, which will be available at www.pwaworldtour.com.
Scope The Action
For information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, navigate to www.pwaworldtour.com
Here you can use our:
Live streaming service
Live ticker service for heat-by-heat bulletins
• Check live elimination ladders
• View results
• Read daily news summaries
Browse awesome action photo galleries
Dedicated event website : http://tenerife-pwa.com/
Or for more information, please contact the PWA office via info@pwaworldtour.com