Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam
The inaugural day of the 2015 Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam saw extreme conditions as howling winds in excess of 40 knots and super choppy waters meant the world’s best were pushed to their limits. At the end of the first day Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins) has taken a huge step towards her eighth consecutive title as the Aruban gem remained unfazed by the tricky conditions to produce another spectacular display of sailing. Meanwhile in the men’s division Kiri Thode (Starboard / GA Sails) struck first to take the single elimination crown, as he showed the consistency needed to come out on top in a day where many of the top seeds fell earlier than anticipated.
Men’s
Winners’ Final
Kiri Thode (Starboard / GA Sails) lined in up against fellow teammate Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails) in the opening winners final of the week. The Frenchman had been in inspired form in the run up to the final, but things didn’t quite click for him in the against Thode despite landing a trademark no-handed burner, an explosive pasko and coming extremely close to landing a massive air shaka. On the other hand Thode sailed a near perfect heat when it really counted. The 2013 world champion made his intentions clear right from the moment the green flag was raised as he rotated through a textbook spock into culo, before quickly adding a stylish shaka and an air funnel into funnel to his scoresheet. Thode then hammered the final nail into the coffin with an exquisite kabikuchi to take the single elimination crown.
Nicolas Akgazciyan (99NoveNove / Point-7 / Maui Ultra Fins) achieved his first podium finish on the PWA Freestyle World Tour, in what proved to be another fine day in the windsurfing world for the French contingent. On his way to claiming third Akgazciyan defeated Jeremy Plüss (Tabou / GA Sails), Bjorn Saragoza (Starboard / Hot Sails Maui) and Balz Müller (Patrik / Severne), before defeating Tonky Frans (Tabou / GA Sails) in the battle for third and fourth. The Frenchman sailed brilliantly over the duration of the day, but he also claimed the move of the day with an amazing ankle dry shifty in Heat 9. Akgazciyan will now look to defend his place on the podium when the double elimination begins tomorrow.
Tonky Frans was the King on the way out in Fuerte today as he showed off his extensive repertoire of jumping supremacy. The Bonairean landed several of his trademark bongkas together with backloops, paskos and pushloops to dispatch of Loick Spicher (North), Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / North / Maui Ultra Fins) and rising star Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde).
However, perhaps the biggest story of the single elimination involved the aforementioned Yentel Caers and reigning world champion - Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / North / MFC) - who sailed against each other in Heat 20b. Many thought that with current world tour leader - Steven Van Broeckhoven (JP / NeilPryde) - out of the equation due to injury, that victory for Gollito may be somewhat of a formality. However, things are never quite as simple as they may see. The six-time world champion was reportedly under the weather, but you can take nothing away from Caers, who caused the biggest upset of the day, whilst claiming the biggest scalp of his career thus far to defeat the reigning world champion. Earlier this year in France, Caers, had shown glimpses of how dangerous he could be and during his seven minutes against Gollito he was unstoppable as everything he tried came off, whilst oozing power and style. The twenty-year old landed skopus, paskos, monster culos, a pushloop, kabikuchi and perhaps the best of the bunch a quite brilliant double burner to earn his best result to date - 5th. In the meantime, Gollito now faces a huge uphill task to fight back from joint 9th in the single elimination.
Also sharing joint fifth at this stage of the competition are Dieter Van der Eyken (Starboard / Severne), Julien Mas (JP / Avanti) and Balz Müller) - with the latter causing one of the other biggest upsets of the day as he defeated Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) in Heat 17b. Muller knew that he would need to go big against the Bonairean to stand a chance of advancing, and go big is exactly what he did, much to the delight of the crowd on the beach. Muller exploded through a huge air shaka, clean skopu, one-handed forward - which was received huge cheers - and his trademark Chewbacca toad to progress. Vrieswijk will be another sailor looking to storm back through the double elimination tomorrow after a disappointing day.
Youp Schmit (99NoveNove / Avanti) will be another man on the warpath tomorrow after suffering a second round exit to the hands of Yentel Caers and you can expect to see him come charging out of the blocks tomorrow as he looks to recover.
Marco Lufen (JP / NeilPryde) also deserves a mention after pushing Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails) all the way in Heat 13b. The German was on the verge of defeating the Frenchman as he showed great consistency, before exploding through a pasko, but just lost out via way of a 2:1 decision, with Ruenes’ superb no-handed burner 360 probably being the difference between the two sailors.
Women’s
Winners’ Final
Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) set up a tie with Sarah-Quita Offringa in the women’s final after defeating Ziva Trajbaric, Maxime van Gent (Fanatic / North / Maui Ultra Fins) and Arrianne Aukes (RRD / Simmer / Maui Ultra Fins). However, there was no stopping the Queen of freestyle and she produced another flawless display to put one-hand on an eighth consecutive world title. The Aruban gem combined sliding moves such as funnels and punetas with powerful air flaka 360s and shakas, whilst earlier in the day landing the latest power moves such as burners and culos. Johanne also threw down some big tricks with a smooth flaka and a high shaka being the pick of the bunch. It does look as though it will take a super human effort though to knock Offringa off the top of the podium.
There was an all Dutch battle for the remaining place on the podium between Arrianne Aukes and Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) and this time around it was Huvermann who got the upper hand of proceedings. The seventeen year old showed great consistency throughout the day as she landed spocks, grubbys, flakas and even shakas to cement third place.
The forecast predicts more wind for tomorrow in Sotavento, although slightly less than today, which may not be a bad thing. The skippers’ meeting has been called for 10am with the action commencing from 10:30am. Don’t miss any of the explosive action by tuning into www.pwaworldtour.com - here you’ll be able to follow everything as it happens via the PWA live stream and live ticker.
Results After Single Elimination Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam - Men’s Freestyle
1st Kiri Thode (Starboard / GA Sails)
2nd Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails)
3rd Nicolas Akgazciyan (99NoveNove / Point-7 / Maui Ultra Fins)
4th Tonky Frans (Tabou / GA Sails)
5th Balz Müller (Starboard / Severne)
5th Julien Mas (JP / Avanti)
5th Dieter Van der Eyken (Starboard / Severne)
5th Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde)
9th Bjorn Saragoza (Starboard / Hot Sails Maui)
9th Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne)
9th Julien Mas (JP / Avanti)
9th Phil Soltysiak (Starboard / Sailworks)
9th Rafa de Windt (F2 / Hot Sails Maui)
9th Adrian Beholz (Fanatic / Sailloft Hamburg / Maui Ultra Fins)
9th Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / North / Maui Ultra Fins)
9th Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / North / MFC)
Results After Single Elimination Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam - Women’s Freestyle
1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)
4th Arrianne Aukes (RRD / Simmer / Maui Ultra Fins)
5th Maxime van Gent (Fanatic / North / Maui Ultra Fins)
5th Eva Chiochetti
5th Yoli Freites de Brendt (Fanatic / North)
5th Lene Kyte