Sunday, 18 March 2018 18:00
Philippines, China, Australia and New Zealand Grab Coveted Youth Olympics Berths
The Philippines’ Christian Tio secured an inaugural kiteboard racing spot for his country at the upcoming Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in the tightest Asia boys’ qualifying group fought out on the Gulf of Thailand’s peerless waters.But in the end after five frenetic days of thrilling competition in the TwinTip:Racing (TT:R) Slalom discipline where the lead continually changed hands, 17-year-old Tio stretched his lead to win comfortably with assured and consistent performances over the final two days.“It’s been a tough week,” said Tio. “It’s been a goal to get to the Olympics and we’ve been waiting for kiting to get in…
Saturday, 17 March 2018 16:25
Girls Rush to Seal Youth Olympics Places in Tough Racing in Thailand
China’s Jingle Chen again proved untouchable at the Asia and Oceania Youth Olympic Games (YOG) kiteboard racing qualifiers, putting in another flawless shift to win all her races on the warm, flat waters of the Gulf of Thailand.None of Chen’s rivals in the girls’ Asia division seemed to have any answers for the pace and consistency of the reigning TwinTip:Racing (TT:R) Slalom Open World Champion in the lighter 14kts breezes on day four of the qualifiers being staged off Pranburi’s glorious Paknampran Beach.Chen has barely put a foot wrong and won every one of her races in the girls’ Asia…
Saturday, 17 March 2018 04:16
Drama Starts to Unfold at Youth Olympics Qualifiers in Thailand
None of the top contenders in the hotly-contested boys’ Asia division at the Youth Olympics Games (YOG) kiteboard racing qualifiers in Thailand had it all their own way in a day of dramatic ups and downs.But local favourite Sarun “Nai” Rupchom—whose home waters off Pranburi’s Paknampran Beach are hosting the unfolding drama—again climbed to the top of the leaderboard, but only by the finest of margins.Rupchom notched up two wins in the vital elimination round deciders in kiteboarding’s fast and furious International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) TwinTip:Racing (TT:R) Slalom discipline, but crashed and suffered a poor start in two others that…
Thursday, 15 March 2018 17:07
Hard Fought Racing at Youth Olympics Qualifier Shuffles the Pack
Intense battles at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) kiteboard racing qualifiers being played out on the Gulf of Thailand’s pristine waters saw the leaderboard reshuffled as the top young athletes got faster, with little between the leading trio.China’s Haoran Zhang climbed to the top of the standings in boys’ Asia division in a day of gripping action on the water that ensured the lead swung back and forth in the tight TwinTip:Racing (TT:R) Slalom discipline that will be used in the upcoming Youth Olympics in Argentina.His ascendency gives the strong Chinese team control of the Asia division, with reigning senior…
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Wednesday, 14 March 2018 17:23
Riders Push Hard for Youth Olympics Places in Stellar Conditions
The opening exchanges in the hotly-contested battles to secure a spot to fight for kiteboarding’s first medals at the upcoming Youth Olympic Games (YOG) saw young riders push to the limit in glorious racing conditions in Thailand.In thermal breezes that freshened to about 20kts under clear tropical skies, the young competitors fought tooth and nail for the four slots available for the Asia and Oceania regions.With such high stakes due to the limited number of places—just two for boys and two for girls—the contests in the fast-paced TwinTip:Racing (TT:R) Slalom discipline was intense, with white-knuckle photo-finishes and spills as the…
Tuesday, 13 March 2018 16:00
Stage Set for Top Asian and Oceanian Kiteboarders to Fight for Prized Slots in Forthcoming Youth Olympics
The fastest young riders from across Asia and Oceania are lining up to battle for the chance to compete for kiteboarding’s inaugural medals at the upcoming Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Argentina.Kiteboarders from seven countries around the region have been fine-tuning their TwinTip:Racing Slalom skills on the warm, flat waters off Pranburi’s glorious palm-fringed Paknampran Beach on the Gulf of Thailand’s western flank.The International Kiteboarding Association’s (IKA) YOG qualifier for Asia and Oceania is set to take place over five days of gripping action on the water that will earn the winners—one boy and girl each from Asia and Oceania—the…
Monday, 26 February 2018 00:42
Marocco, South Africa, Italy and Slovenia clinch spots for Kiteboarding Youth Olympic Games in thrilling Climax
Young riders from Europe and Africa earned their chance to compete for the inaugural kiteboarding medals at the upcoming Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Argentina in a nail-biting finale to the qualification event in Dakhla, Morocco. Italy’s Sofia Tomasoni’s performances were so dominant in the girls’ European division that she had her slot in the bag even before the last races at the climax of the five-day competition on Dakhla’s renowned kiteboarding lagoon. Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek in the boy’s European had no such luxury. The extremely quick 17-year-old thought he had blown his chances and allowed bitter rival, France’s Benoit…
Saturday, 24 February 2018 23:50
Fight for Kiteboarding's Youth Olympics Slot Tightest in Girls’ Europe Division
The battle for the sole slot in the girls’ European division for the forthcoming Youth Olympic Games (YOG) kitebaord racing discipline saw perhaps some of the most keenly fought contests at the qualifier being staged in Dakhla, Morocco.Margins between the top girls are so fine that even after exhaustive heats in the pulsating Twin-Tip:Racing slalom-boardercross format, the push for the line in the elimination round deciders often ended tense photo-finishes.But on the penultimate day four of the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) qualifier, Italy’s Sofia Tomasoni stood on top of the pile in the European division after a series of dominant…
Saturday, 24 February 2018 21:44
Youth Olympics Hopefuls Battle Challenging Conditions in Stellar Racing
It was a day of ups and downs as young kiteboard racers from Africa and Europe fought each other and the challenging conditions as they opened their bids to land a place in the upcoming Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Argentina.The first day of racing at the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) Twin-Tip:Racing (TT:R) regional qualification event in Dakhla, Morocco, finally threw up strong winds that hit more than 30kts, in stark contrast to the light breezes that dogged the competition’s opening two days when no racing was possible.On day three of the five-day contest, the wind blowing over Dakhla’s renowned…
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