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Day 4 – PKRA – KiteXtreme Brazil World Cup 2007

The fourth day of intense kiteboarding competition at the KiteXtreme Brazil
2007 happening in Luís Correia, Piauí in the northeastern coast of Brazil gave both the spectators and everyone at the site an awesome event. Strong 25-knot winds provided some beating to the competitors, creating moderate waves which transformed the games into a difficult but challenging contest. The remaining competitors most of which are the cream of the PKRA 2007 season, did their best and managed to overcome the weather, with the smoldering Brazilian sun heating up the event site to a maximum of 36°C (96.8° Fahrenheit).

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Men’s Double

The first heat of the day started at around 13:30h with the continuation of the men’s doubles going into the final round. First up was heat #28 with Mallory De La Villemarque (North, France) going up against Spain’s Alex Pastor (Naish). Pastor was on a mission this time after being denied by Hadlow the chance for a podium spot in the men’s single round last Thursday. Pastor landed more technical moves including a front mobe 5, regular and switched mobe, a mobe and a double handle pass while De La Villemarque landed a regular and switched front mobe but rode with his kite a little high and tripped up on a few landings, loosing the heat to Pastor.
In the second round of heat #28, Ruben Lenten (Slingshot, Netherlands) got the best of United Kingdom’s Tom Court (North) and won the heat via more powered and bigger moves. Lenten won the heat with a huge front mobe, mobe, non-inverted slimchance and his trademark mega loop while Court tried his best with a regular and switched mobe, kiteloop non-inverted slimchance, blind judge and a front mobe.

In the second round of the 29th heat, the battle of the two Brazilians and North teammates Reno Romeu and Victor Adamo took to the waters. Romeu proved to be the better kiteboarder this time and managed to win the heat, landing a mobe 7. Although his kite angle was fairly high, he landed several more powered and technical tricks to take the win. So after winning both their respective heats, Lenten went up against Pastor next, with the Spanish kiteboarder nailing two regular and switched moves plus a double handle pass, winning the heat with more powered moves and technical difficulty.
Lenten equally rode well but had limited technical moves and had no switch moves which became among the deciding factors of the heat.

Romeu went up against Russian kiteboarder Petr Tyuskevich (Cabrinha) in the 30th heat going into the final round. The Cabrinha rider lost the heat courtesy of an all-fired up Romeu, who was the last Brazilian kiteboarder standing and had to carry the hopes of the host country on his shoulders.
Romeu managed to pull through with a solid display of moves including a regular and switched slim, mobe, 313 5 and a blind judge with aerial handle pass. Tyuskevich in return, tried hard with a regular and switched slim, mobe and KGB but lacked the power and risk factor to beat Romeu. Then in the next heat, all hopes went down the drain for Romeu when he lost the round courtesy of an all-fired up Pastor, who went on with another display of powered moves and superb technical riding. A mobe 7, switch mobe 5, huge powered front mobe, 313, blind judge with aerial handle pass and a massive kiteloop 5 made life tough for the Brazilian who managed a slim, mobe, front mobe, 313, blind judge with aerial handle pass and big kiteloop-backloop.

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Up next against Pastor was Italy’s Alberto Rondina (Cabrinha) who was completely outshined in the heat with risk factors and variety. Rondina managed to stomp some really nice moves including a mobe, hasselhoff and s-bend to blind with air pass but were not enough to beat Pastor’s massive kiteloop handle pass, mobe 7, slim and blind judge with aerial handle pass.
In heat #33, Alvaro Onieva (Best, Spain) came out firing against countryman Pastor who started to show signs of fatigue and exhaustion after beating one kiteboarder by another. Onieva nailed a massive mobe with the kite only feet off the water and went on to land a huge kiteloop 5, a KGB and an s-bend to blind with air pass before he took off for a front mobe and crashed his kite into Pastor’s. In the wrong for jumping upwind of Pastor and tangling kites, Onieva was disqualified. Pastor did managed to land a regular and switched mobe, blind judge with aerial handle pass, front mobe and butt-checked a mobe 7, a huge kiteloop handle pass and an s-bend to blind with air pass.

As with any Freestyle final round, everyone was in for a show and the Brazilian leg proved no exception. Pastor went up against the reigning world champ Aaron Hadlow (Flexifoil, UK) in heat #34, for a chance at the top podium spot. Pastor rode like a man possessed, running on fumes, landing a front mobe 5 and butt-checked out of a mobe 7. Although he had a higher kite angle on the mobe 7, he did two super technical moves. Hadlow rode fast and with height in some moves which earned him favor for overall impression.
Pastor nailed a regular and switched mobe, regular and switched back to blind air pass, regular and switched slim, a 313, kiteloop handle pass, a massive front mobe off a big kicker out the back and a mobe to wrapped, earning him favor for tech and switched moves. Although his kite angle was higher Hadlow landed a double back to wrapped, mobe to wrapped, front mobe to blind, a powered blind judge with aerial handle pass and s-bend to blind with aerial handle pass, KGB, front mobe, 313 with another spin after the pass, a mobe and a back to blind air pass. No switch moves and several high kite angle moves proved to be Hadlow’s downfall in the eyes of the judges.
In the end Pastor won with a decision of 4-1 with greater technical difficulties (double passes) and switch moves.

In the final round, Pastor seemed to gave all what was left of his remaining strength giving Kevin Langeree (Naish, Netherlands) a run for his money, pushing the games all the way. Pastor managed to land a regular and switched back to blind air pass along with a blind judge with aerial handle pass, slim, mobe 5, and a backside 360 off the kickers on the inside. Langeree on the other hand managed to do his best also, keeping his championship title hopes alive going with his usual bag of tricks including a 313, non-inverted slimchance, double back mobe, mobe 7, kiteloop handle pass, front mobe 5, a huge KGB, front mobe, a back side 3 and a blind judge with aerial handle pass with the kite just feet off the water. Langeree won with more power, technical difficulties, height and smoother riding.

Women’s Double

In the continuation of the women’s round, Susie Mai (Cabrinha, Germany) defeated Wiktoria Boszko (North, Poland) in heat #14 which kicked off the women’s freestyle event. A railey to blind, front to blind, double back and kiteloop sealed the win for the German kiteboarder. Boszko managed to land a railey to blind and a few other tricks including a railey and vulcan, loosing the game with less variety and risk factor. In the same heat, Jalou Langeree (Naish, Netherlands) won over Kari Schiebevaag (Ozone, Norway) with a big kiteloop, vulcan to surface pass and krypt to surface pass. Winning both of their matches, Mai went on next against Langeree who won via more variety, technical moves and powered riding, landing a krypt to surface pass, railey to blind, vulcan to surface pass and a huge kiteloop. Mai landed a railey to blind and a double backloop-kiteloop. Audrey Meyer told a different story in heat #16 and struggled in the waters trying to nail her big handle pass move and went for a few big kiteloop and a front loop-kiteloop while her opponent Langeree, landed a blind judge, vulcan and krypts to surface pass and a kiteloop, winning via more variety and technical difficulty. In heat #17, Ania Grzelinska (North, Poland) ended Langeree’s aspiration for a podium position, landing a blind judge, a huge frontloop-kiteloop, and a krypt to surface pass. The Naish kiteboarder landed a krypt and vulcan to surface pass but crashed her blind judge and therefore lost out on risk factor plus with a smaller kiteloop and high kite angle, lost on power.

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In the 18th heat, Grzelinska went face to face with Gisela Pulido (Slingshot, Spain) who landed a 313, front mobe, a sent handle pass and a slim, winning via technical difficulty for her air pass moves against Grzelinska’s railey to wrapped, railey to blind, back to blind and kiteloop.

The final round was equally a crowd pleaser as that of the men’s final with Pulido going up against Karolina Winkowska (Naish, Poland) in two heats. In the first round, Pulido landed her big moves while Winkowska struggled to find her form of the singles. Pulido landed a front mobe, 313, blind judge, sent handle pass and sent front mobe. Winkowska did land a slim but crashed most of her other big moves which lead to a second round for the overall win.

In the second round, Winkowska opened the heat with a blind judge but again struggled on her smallest kite to nail her big moves. Pulido on the other hand came through like a champ and delivered well, nailing a blind judge, slim, 313, front mobe and a sent handle pass to win the Brazilian championship crown for the ladies.

The wind continued out strong after the final rounds which wrapped up at around 17:00h. Afterwards, there was an expression session with the competitors hitting the water to be filmed and photographed by the media and crowd on the beach along with a helicopter from the sky.

Final Results:

Men’s Double:

1. Kevin Langeree (Naish, Netherlands)
2. Alex Pastor (Naish, Spain)
3. Aaron Hadlow (Flexifoil, UK)
4. Alvaro Onieva (Best, Spain)

Women’s Double:

1. Gisela Pulido (Slingshot, Spain)
2. Karolina Winkowska (Naish, Poland)
3. Ania Grzelinska (North, Poland)
4. Jalou Langeree (Naish, Netherlands)

One interesting fact of information is that if Aaron Hadlow had come in 2nd or 1st place today he would have enough points to be crowned world champion for the 4th time. Kevin Langeree’s hopes are still alive so it all comes down to the last event of the year in Chile from September 29 to October 6 for the World Championship Title. This is the first time in PKRA history that the world champion title will be decided on the last event. Stay Tuned”¦

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