GKA Kite-Surf World Cup | Cape Verde 2020 | Competition Day 1

Today we decided to run a Pure Wave format, with best two waves counting to final scores, after judges decided conditions were not suited to a mixed format. Fourteen-year-old Charlie Martin RE dominated his heats, the youngster from Reunion showed impressive skill, with powerful hacks in the small waves and advanced to round 5. Judges were looking for riders who could adapt to the conditions of the day, and those that could link their turns in the mushy waves were scoring high. The smaller waves must have been frustrating to riders like James Carew AU, but it didn’t put the Australian off his stride, he put on a solid performance scoring a respectable 11.53, setting himself as one of the riders to keep an eye on at this event. The high vibes and passion of the home crowd kept the mood light, despite the lack of conditions and riders from each heat were coming of the water full of stoke. The Cape Verdeans know how to show their support and do so with pride! One local rider who should be feeling great this evening is Djo Silva CV, not only has Djo played a huge part in the organization of this event, he also won his first two heats and went through to heat five. In the women’s division Peri Roberts AU put on an impressive performance, with powerful hacks and smooth links, she scored 12.83. We’re excited to watch her next heat tomorrow. Irati Fonseca Kohler CV showed how local knowledge of the spot and waves, can really help when conditions are tricky, and knowing which wave to pick is paramount to scoring big. The Cape Verdean won her heat with a complete score of 6.76 in difficult conditions. World Tour veteran Charlotte Carpentier FR was another rider managing to show strength in weak conditions, coming away with a complete score of 7.97 in her heat. In the final heat of the day Carla Herrera SP took a complete score of 10.90 over Stella Groschupf and her tidy 9.67. However, it was Ines Correia PT who took the days overall, highest, complete score, with a whopping 15.77 scored in the first heat of the day.