IKA Kiteboarding World Championships Pingtan - Day 5
Today was the real test of all the competitors skills and determination, as previously it was possible that their direct competition had in fact been racing in a different fleet parallel to them. This had certainly been the case with Mens racers Yo and Kerneur, who would now be competing head to head, whilst in the Womens fleet it would be yet another battle royal between Chen and Magaji for the 1 st place overall.
Magaji managed to beat Chen to the line in the very first race of the day, Magaji was determined and it looked very possible that she could go all the way through the four heats and take Chen out for the overall first place. Chen however came back strong herself in the second race, showing Magaji that she wasn’t going to give up. After Chen took out the third race as well it was clear that Chen would be our overall Womens TT Race champion this event. Magaji having the consolation of beating Chen to the line in the very last race of the day. Thai rider Jantawan was also heavily in the mix for all four races, taking out a solid 3 rd place just behind the top two Women and securing herself a deserving 3 rd place overall.
Mens Swedish racer Kappel managed to hold onto a very consistent lot of 2nd place finishes narrowly edging out Frenchman Lhotis who had some very good results early on. Lhotis possibly could have taken Kappel out had he kept his speed up, but it wasn’t to be as he faded in the final races of the day, the pair finishing up in 3 rd and 4 th place overall (respectively).
Mens Thai racer Yo had a hard time this event, injuring his ribs whilst competing in the big air, he was rushed off to hospital and it was uncertain if he would participate in the TT races at all. Amazingly Yo came back to the beach the next days, taping up his ribs with clear packing tape and competing in every single race. Surely this must have hindered Yos racing speed a little but the Thai terminator somehow managed to continue pushing the eventual winner Kerneur hard until the very last race.
Kerneur managed to take the first race of the day, with Yo coming back strong in the second at which point it still looked like it could be anyone’s game. In the third Yo had what looked like a bit of bad luck with a boat blocking his fastest route to the finish line making him change course slightly and possibly costing him the race. In the fourth it looked like the pain may have got too much for Yo as he narrowly managed to hold on for a respectable third place finish securing Thai racer Yo the 2nd place overall for the TT race class. The Frenchman Kerneur once again used his excellent experience and gear choice to propel him to the front of the fleet, securing him the coveted 1 st place
finish overall.
At 7pm the awards ceremony took place on the fifth floor of the riders hotel where management had organized a massive banquet for the competitors and our special guests. The Chinese riders were awarded their National rankings first with the international IKA champions awarded their respective places in each discipline soon after. Good vibes filled the air as the competition commentator Willy played his eclectic selection of world music, everyone having a great time late into the night.
It was amazing to see yet another hugely successful event here in Pingtan, surely this is mostly testament to the consistently contestable conditions they get in this region and the great staff the event has had on board each year helping to make sure things run so smoothly.