Today was a day that went down in kiteboarding history. Not only for the insane action during finals, but also for the successful completion of the very first World Kiteboarding League event, which was created by the riders, for the riders, and showed the world just how amazing a kiteboarding event really can be.
The action commenced at 3pm, with the ladies final. All four women put on a tough battle for the podium, but the queen of this event was Brazilian rider and former World Champion Bruna Kajiya. Bruna rode with focus and determination, pulling off a nice back to blind that scored her 8.4 points that gave her the advantage. Following close behind her in second place was Paula Novotna, who also pulled out a nice back to blind and S-mobe, but it wasn’t quite enough to catch up to the Brazilian Kajiya. UK rider Hannah Whiteley performed an amazing back mobe, which put her into third place overall, and Estefania Rosa, also from Brazil, rode incredibly well with a nice slim chance, but not enough to gain a higher spot on the podium.
Congratulations to all the girls in the final for putting on such an amazing performance!
The Men’s finals consisted of a 6 man heat, which was intense from the very beginning. The points remained close throughout the entire heat, and it became impossible to know who would come out of it victorious. The crowd on the beach anxiously waited for each score on the big screen to see who was in the lead after each trick.
The beach was delighted when first place was announced for Luis Alberto Cruz, a local rider from Cabarete. Luis Alberto rode incredibly hard since the beginning of the competition, showing from the very start that he had his eye on the podium. He landed an impressive Hinterberger mobe 7 that scored him 9.17 points, and gave him the first position on the podium here in Cabarete. He was followed closely by Carlos Mario, Liam Whaley in 3rd, Adeuri Corniel in 4th, Alex Pastor in 5th and Alex Neto in 6th position.
The final was nothing less than spectacular, and the crowds lined up along the beach in Cabarete to cheer on the riders. The World Kiteboarding League live stream was running all day long, with viewers tuning in from all across the world.
A big thanks to everyone who helped make this event a reality and congratulations to all of the riders!