- Alexia Kiefer threatens Maria Morales’ lead in U21 women’s
- The riders from the Canary Islands will duel in a potential play-off after winning one elimination each
- Tenerife’s María Morales revolutionised the beach with the first double forward attempt seen in the women’s junior categories
Santa Lucía de Tirajana, July 5, 2024.- On the seventh day of action at the Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup 2024, spectators enjoyed the return of the Waves discipline, with the men’s and women’s double eliminations taking place. For the men, the finals of the U13 and U15 categories were contested, as well as further progress in the open category to determine the top positions. The women competed in the second round of eliminations in the U18 and U21 categories.
Gran Canaria’s own Alexia Kiefer confirmed her outstanding form by regaining the provisional first position in the U21 women’s category, defeating her good friend, Tenerife’s María Morales. In doing so, Kiefer is closer to achieving all her goals: winning her category and stepping onto the podium in the open competition, where she finished in third place. The judges intend to hold a tiebreaker between Kiefer and Morales, with the winner taking the definitive throne in the U21 category.
If the conditions do not allow for the competition to proceed, Kiefer would be declared the winner, as the victor of the second elimination round takes precedence over the first. “Today was more challenging due to the wind intensity and lack of waves, which made finding jumps and rides difficult. If the heat is repeated, the final winner will be decided,” expressed the Gran Canaria rider.
Meanwhile, Morales thrilled the Pozo Izquierdo beach by attempting a Double Forward, the first in the history of the junior women’s categories. It should be noted that none of the veteran competitors in the women’s categories have managed to land this maneuver in their illustrious careers. This advanced acrobatic maneuver involves performing two consecutive forward loops in the air while maintaining control of the board and sail.
Belgian Sol Degrieck, considered a windsurfing prodigy, reaffirmed her victory in the U18 women’s class at just 14 years old, with another display of excellent jumps and waves in conditions that were quite difficult for the riders, with a wind blowing somewhat less forcefully than during the single eliminations and flatter waves that did not allow for much elevation in the maneuvers. Degrieck was joined on the podium by Italo-Spanish Annagiulia Piccaglia and Trine Gobisch, respectively.
In the U13 boys’ category, Tarifa’s Elías Antolín repeated his strong performance from last Saturday in the single elimination, dominating his heat for the second time and once again demonstrating that he is another product of the inexhaustible talent pool from Cádiz, to be watched closely in the coming years in the various junior categories. German Anton Gobisch secured second place after a good heat, followed by French Raphael Dumesnil.
The U15 boys’ category saw changes in the standings. After a single elimination that saw Japan’s young star Ryoma Sugi triumph, Denmark’s Bjôrn Olessen managed to improve his performance and snatch the first place from Sugi, who could only finish third in this second elimination. The second place was taken by another Tarifa native, Yannis Kolb González, improving his third place from the single elimination.
Activities in the tent
This Friday, the scheduled guided tour to the Canary Islands Technological Institute took place at 5:00 PM, along with an autograph signing session by the competitors of the Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup 2024 and organizer Bjôrn Dunkerbeck. The session was enlivened by the presence of a resident DJ from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
The Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup 2024, endorsed by the Canary and Spanish Sailing Federations, is sponsored by the Cabildo of Gran Canaria through the Sports and Tourism Departments, the Government of the Canary Islands through Promotur, the Santa Lucía de Tirajana City Council, as well as companies such as Gloria Palace Hotels, which also lends its name to the championship; Seven Island Film; Neilpryde; Red Bull; Volkswagen Canarias; Water Speed APP; and Sevend Island Film. It also enjoys the collaboration of the Canary Islands Technological Institute; Canary Blue; Helados Peña La Vieja; Poema del Mar; Ejove; Bazar Ani; Bahía Grill; Semilleros Sardina; Jaklar, WS, As Acción; Surf, Wind; Windsurf TV and Daily Dose.
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