Yesterday was Day 5 of the Mondial du Vent and brought a continuation of the double elimination in Leucate, France.
It was another beautiful day set against the backdrop of the village of La Franqui, and riders were hungry for the chance to advance as winds built throughout the day. Hopeful competitors entered the water at 1pm, when the wind registered 20-28 knots. Riders started on 7-9 m kites.
Resuming the men’s first round, the action continued putting three French riders in the second round, much to the delight of the fans on the beach cheering for their home competitors. In the fifth heat of the day, Frenchman Paul Serin rode against Sergie Borisov. In a close battle, the fight came down to the final minute, when Borisov landed a Front Blind, putting him shy of the win by just .22 points.
Fellow French rider Valentin Garat made it to the third round but faltered in his heat against Alexander Neto, putting the Brazilian against Stefen Speissberger in round three and Neto taking the win. As the day went on, the wind continued to build to 30 knots with higher gusts demanding that riders use all their skills to land their tricks on their smallest kites.
The strong conditions proved challenging for most including big wind enthusiast Youri Zoon. However, Zoon was able to come out on top and advanced past Robinson Hilario, Eudazio Da Silva and later, Mario Rodwald in the last men’s heat of the day. Although Rodwald had a strong start to his heat with a nice Front Blind and Back Mobe, he faltered in the strong, windy conditions and Zoon advanced.
The women’s ladder saw a big upset for Bruna Kajiya who did not ride to form in her heat against Kristiin Oja. Kajiya’s Blind Judge and 313 scored well, but she was unable to land any other big tricks. In the end, a big S1 and Mobe from Oja, amongst others, put her in the lead for the win. Also notable, was Annabel Van Westerop who edged out Switala and Vieira in the first two rounds respectively.
For more details from Day Five of Mondial du Vent, visit the PKRA website at www.prokitetour.com.