The KTA Philippines can be summed up in one word - brilliant!! It really has provided a touch of everything you would want for a top level kiteboard event. A stop that has given us four days of great competition, in a stunning tropical location, with a group of amazing people who know how to party their socks off.
Certainly throughout the competition days we have seen a mixed bag of wind conditions ranging from strong and consistent in the early days to the testing variable patterns we were getting towards the end. A great result given the forecasts which we were all stressing over before the event began, so we have to in the end be very grateful to the local Boracay wind gods who saw fit to fire enough 'Amihan' our way to make the event a success.
Along with the good conditions it was very cool to also have a number of pro-riders along for this event, kicking off with Susi Mai hosting her girls kite clinic and guest MC sessions, and the boys Mallory, Florian, Bobo and Robby Snuggs mixing it out on the water with the rest of the KTA riders. So with everything on our side and an entry of 59 riders from 20 countries the stage was set.
The wind conditions were good throughout the event, so a complete double elimination could be run. We saw some great action-packed heats. The two heats of the day in the single elimination though would have to go to the fight for the first eliminator final against Robin Snuggs between Mallory and Florian, showing why these guys are pro-riders with Mallory beating Florain to reach the final. The final clash left Robin on top but not without some question marks as Mallory managed to down his kite for a few minutes of the heat.
In the double elimination at day 4, both contestants met again. Again both riders had to draw on all their experience as the heat began well with enough wind for nicely powered up unhooked moves to come out of the bag, but then as the 10 minute final continued things slowed down wind wise and the riders had to, once again, look to the alternatives to maximise their performance. This battle of wits was to go Robin's way, this time without any doubts, giving a popular result to a brilliant final and three days of competition.
The women's freestyle followed on and maintained a closely fought competition. The end results saw Kathryn and Carla in the final, but neither of them had it easy from the other girls with Nuria Goma and local Boracay rider Danielle Gonzalez in particular putting up a fight with some great riding. The final battle between Carla and Kathryn resulted in a win for Kathryn following the judges split decision.
Men's Freestyle Competition:
1st Place - Robin Snuggs - United Kingdom
2nd Place - Mallory De Villamarque - France
3rd Place - Florian Daubos - France
Women's Freestyle Competition:
1st Place - Kathrin Bogwardt - Germany
2nd Place - Carla Delmoral - Spain
3rd Place - Nuria Goma - Spain
Men's Course Racing:
1st Place - Taner Aykurt - Turkey
2nd Place - Deivis Maciulis - Lithuania
3rd Place - Narapichit Pudla (Yo) - Thailand
Women's Course Racing:
1st Place - Nuria Goma - Spain
2nd Place - Kathrin Bogwardt - Germany
3rd Place - Carla Del Moral - Spain
Text and images: kiteboardtour.asia
