35th Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup Pozo Izquierdo - Day 6
by Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup 8 Jul 2023 04:21 PDT
1-9 July 2023
Lliam Dunkerbeck, crowned Sub 20 - 35th Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup Pozo Izquierdo © John Carter
With gusts of 30 knots and little wave action, Pozo Izquierdo tested the male sub-20 windsurfers in the Waves category on Friday, precisely due to the lack of waves. However, Gran Canaria's Liam Dunkerbeck seemed to find ramps in every heat, leading him to once again be crowned sub-20 champion for the second consecutive year in Pozo Izquierdo after an exciting final against Danish rider Tobias Bjornaa.
"During the final, I had to change my sail because there was little wind, but in the end, I managed to find a ramp and, well, winning at home two years in a row always feels good," said the rider from Maspalomas, after stepping down from the top of the podium.
Dunkerbeck, currently ranked 20th in the world in Waves, surfed solidly in all his heats, although he struggled to land his jumps during the final. Nevertheless, the jump that secured him the victory was a foot backloop.
The third-place in the class went to Greek rider Lennart Neubauer, who expressed being "happy to be on the podium in Pozo," behind Bjornaa, who stated he is "already thinking about the next year."
For his father, Björn Dunkerbeck, organizer of the World Cup and windsurfing legend, "seeing your child on the podium always makes you feel happy." In his opinion, "if we had had bigger waves, it would have been more fun." Likewise, the organizer highlighted the fact that the Masters had an opportunity to compete, although there was only a men's Masters category for those over 40 years old.
Ben Proffitt (GBR) Triumphs in the Masters, riding close to the rocks After experiencing the thrilling final of the sub-20 class, the senior riders also put on a great show in Pozo Izquierdo, especially during a close-fought final with tight scores between local legend from Pozo Izquierdo, Darío Ojeda, and British rider Ben Proffitt, who managed to secure victory with the surf rides that "brought him close to the rocks," according to the commentators. In fact, the British rider even had to go out to change boards.
For the British rider, Darío Ojeda is "a local legend, having been in the top 3 several times in Pozo, so beating him is incredible." In his own words, the final was "quite challenging, and the heat didn't go very well, with moments of getting too close to the rocks," and it was only in the last ten seconds that he managed to land a maneuver, "maybe that's why I won the heat, so I'm very happy," said Proffitt, who is also the official PWA commentator.
Meanwhile, well-known local rider Darío Ojeda expressed being "motivated and especially happy that we have the Masters category. I felt good in the first heat, but in the second one, I missed some good waves." It is worth noting that the last time Ojeda competed in Pozo Izquierdo was five years ago in the men's Waves discipline with the world's best, where he was always in the top 10. Following the local rider, another Spanish rider, Toni Pijoan, claimed third place in the Masters category.
Pozo Izquierdo Celebrates Sustainability
Additionally, on Friday, the sustainability day was celebrated, organized by the City Council of Santa Lucía de Tirajana, with a reforestation activity in which the organizer of the Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup 2023, Björn Dunkerbeck, and Slalom champions Blanca Alabau and Enrico Marotti participated, accompanied by about twenty children. They also took a guided tour of Las Salinas de Pozo Izquierdo, and several talks on sustainability were held. The day ended with music in the marquee at Pozo Izquierdo.