Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam - Summary

Windsurfing

The 2008 Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam - Event Summary

13.07.08 -

Pozo turns up the heat for nine days of mind blowing freestyle, slalom and wave competition.

Josh Angulo at pace

Evi Tsape launches

Nina Tjernberg in action

Wave single elimination

Launching onto action on day one, Pozo Izquierda?s legendary wind machine roared to life, churning out 40 knot wind, alongside a sizeable swell for the single elimination of the wave contest.

Danny Bruch (Gaastra) started as he intended to go on, knocking out Aleix Sanllehy (F2, North Sails) in round one, then experienced rival Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra) in round two.

Levi Siver (Quatro, NeilPryde, Dakine) took an early exit at the hands of local wonder kid Philip Koster (F2, Neil Pryde), who proved he?s a talent not to underestimate as he continued to cause upset in subsequent rounds.

As the 48 man fleet continued to narrow, more and more big names dropped from the elimination. Alex Mussolini (RRD, NeilPryde) fell victim to Koster?s seemingly unstoppable run, and Julien Taboulet (F2, Naish) departed courtesy of Browne?s impressive freestyle-wave fusion.

Local favourite Dario Ojeda (Quatro, MFC) was stopped in his tracks by the super smooth wave riding of Josh Angulo (Maui Sails), and Bruch continued to dominate the airwaves with his gravity defying aerial rotations, defeating Scott Mckercher (Starboard, Severne).

Entering the quarters, crowds were treated to arguably the heat of the day, when underdog Koster took on the mite of competition favourite Victor Fernandez (Fanatic, Simmer Style). The pair went off the scale with their jumps, but eventually Fernandez took the victory aided by a perfect double forward loop.

Also departing in the quarter finals was Browne, who was beaten by team mate and mentor Nik Baker (Mistral, North Sails), and Angulo, who fell at the hands of double looping maestro Campello.

The semi finals were a fierce affair, but ultimately Fernandez and Bruch would prevail, going on to do battle in the final. This was a close tussle, but Fernandez delivered a more polished, and technically higher scoring repertoire to take first place ahead of Bruch.

Moving onto the women?s elimination, Karin Jaggi (F2, North Sails) pieced together a solid quarter final heat to advance ahead of Silvia Alba Orozoco (MFC), and Laure Treboux (Fanatic, North Sails) met her match when she faced Iballa Moreno (North Sails).

In the bottom half of the draw, Nayra Alonso (Fanatic, Severne) had to deliver a stellar performance to defeat Japan?s Junko Nagoshi (Simmer Sails, Dakine) and Daida Moreno (North Sails) fended off her rival Evi Tsape (Fanatic, NeilPryde).

In the semi final, Jaggi and Alonso departed the elimination after some devastating sailing from the Moreno twins, paving the way for a Moreno showdown in the final

The final witnessed some outstanding riding from the pair, but Daida chalked up more points on the score sheet to take the win, leaving Iballa in second.

Wave Double Elimination

Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra, Dakine, MFC) showed his hunger to climb the ranks, defeating Jose Estredo (Fanatic, North Sails, MFC), Peter Volwater (F2, North Sails) and local hotshot Dario Ojeda (Quatro) to him clear a path through the double, before he finally fell to Vidar Jensen (North Sails).

Mounting a sustained attack, Julien Taboulet (F2, Naish Sails), aided by his trademark super contorted tabletop forward loops, cleared John Skye (RRD, Naish), Phil Horrocks (JP, NeilPryde), Philip Koster (F2, NeilPryde) & high flying Jonas Ceballos (Fanatic, Simmer Sails, MFC) to the side, as he advanced from the third round to within touching distance of the final.

Taboulet would finally fall at the hands of Kauli Seadi (JP, NeilPryde), who was gaining momentum after knocking out Vidar Jensen (North Sails) and Klass Voget (Fanatic, NeilPryde, MFC).

Seadi went on to knock out Nik Baker before losing to Ricardo Campello, who continued to dominate when he took down Danny Bruch, giving him a shot at Victor Fernandez in the final.

The epic final saw perfect double loops from both sailors, but checkmate came when Fernandez clocked up an awesome wave ride, including a goiter on the wave face. Campello had fought bravely, and was by no means outclassed, but the day belonged to Fernandez.

Fernandez?s victory marks an impressive run for the Spaniard; Three years of competition in Pozo, three victories, and not a single heat lost. Impressive by anyone?s standards.

In the women?s double elimination, Silvia Alba Orozco (MFC) proved to be a tough contender, mounting a spectacular four heat resurgence thanks her aggressive wave riding. The run came to an end when she came up against hard-hitting rival, Karin Jaggi, who took control of the airwaves with her sizable aerial artillery.

Jaggi departed the elimination when she lost to Iballa Moreno, meaning the fight for first position would be a repeat of the single elimination final, Moreno versus Moreno.

The battle was a class above the rest, however when the heat ended, the judges awarded a conclusive 5-0 victory to Daida. The victory adds to Daida?s unprecedented run at top of the podium.

? 2008www.pwaworldtour.com

#News #Windsurfing #Gaastra #F2 #North #Starboard #Quatro #NeilPryde #Dakine #Rrd #Naish #MFC #Severne #Fanatic #Sailing #Epic

Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam - Summary

The 2008 Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam - Event Summary

Pozo turns up the heat for nine days of mind blowing freestyle, slalom and wave competition.

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