2014 PKRA World Cup Dakhla Comes to a Close
Today the second tour stop of the year officially finished with a closing ceremony celebrating the event and honoring the champions of the competition. In what was the fifth time that the PKRA tour has come to Dakhla. the 2014 PKRA Kiteboarding World Cup Dakhla came to a close after 4 consecutive days of fierce competition.
After a festive night, day five saw riders enjoying a slow start to the morning. With the winds still blowing, some competitors opted to kite, while others chose to explore the local area, surf, or simply relax after a busy week.
Many freestyle competitors remarked that this event had some of the strongest winds they had experienced here in Dakhla. Despite the challenging conditions, riders were stoked to have experienced such remarkable riding here.
“I’m going home really happy and super surprised because the conditions were hard, which is not usual for Dakhla. With the really strong winds and coming back after the knee injury it feels really good to pull it together and deliver a podium result.” Bruna Kajiya commented.
The wave discipline here in Dakhla saw an incredible pool of talent coming together after very few wave events in 2013. As the first wave stop of the 2014 PKRA tour, riders are hungry for more. Speaking with Jalou Langeree, third place finisher in the women’s waves.
“The level of riding improved a lot since last year. I came from a competition in Maui in December and I already thought the level was high. Seeing everyone ride now, riding in these conditions, they were just so good!”
With a mix of regular and goofy footers reaching the podium, riders from around the globe pushed the levels of progressive kite surfing. Despite smaller conditions than was seen at last years event, the competitors were very happy nonetheless.
“I was training in Capetown in big waves so I was hoping to get some bigger swell, but the wave is fun yeah. Once it is getting bigger than a meter it is a really nice clean wave that seems to just go on forever” Langeree added.
After an amazing week of Saharan hospitality and culture, the competitors and organizers are thrilled at the success of the event. In true Moroccan style, a beautiful awards ceremony took place at the Dakhla Attitude Camp on the edge of the lagoon. In front of an audience of journalists, riders, officials and fans, trophies and prize money totaling $47,000 was awarded to the winners.
The next stop for the PKRA World Tour will be the Mundial Du Vent in Leucate, France. For additional information, visit www.prokitetour.com. Be sure to stay tuned to the Facebook and Twitter feeds for all the latest info from the PKRA World Tour.
2014 Dakhla Kiteboard World Cup Winners
Freestyle Men
1st - Marc Jacobs (NZ)
2nd - Christophe Tack (BE)
3rd - Alex Neto (BR)
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1st - Gisela Pulido (ES)
2nd - Bruna Kajiya (BR)
3rd - Winkowska (PL)
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1st - Keahi De Aboitiz (AU)
2nd - Pedro Henrique (BR)
3rd - Mitu Montiero (CV)
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1st - Moona Whyte (US)
2nd - Kirsty Jones (UK)
3rd - Jalou Langeree (NL)
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