Aussie double at first Qatar Airways GKA Kite Park League Worlds
by Ian MacKinnon 13 Aug 05:43 PDT
August 3-10, 2024
The Australian pair of Ewan Jaspan and Katie Potter were crowned at the first-ever Qatar Airways GKA Kite Park League World Championships which went down over a thrilling week in the iconic setting of the US's Hood River.
For Jaspan it was his third successive KPL championship, though the first to be sanctioned as a world title by GKA under the banner of a World Sailing Special Event. Potter, like Jaspan a native of Melbourne, made it two in a row.
KPL was founded in 2016 and focused on Hood River, the birth-place of Kite Park. But after events in various locations around the world, KPL decided to concentrate on a one-stop world championship event, fostering the collaboration the GKA.
Kite Park's roots owe much to wakeboarding, skateboarding and snowboarding. Its foundations in those "urban" sports are reflected in the relaxed vibe on the beach.
But in Oregon's Hood River, on the fabled Columbia River Gorge, the action at the first Kite Park world championships was deadly serious. The top 17 men and three women from around the world were eager to see their names on the inaugural championship trophies.
The men's contest in a dingle-elimination format opened with two heats, with the riders hitting two kickers and two sliders in challenging winds of more than 25 knots. The top two men in each heat went straight to the seven-man final.
Full of suspense
In the semi-final, eight athletes battled and it was a banger. It was a heat full of suspense as it was halted overnight half-way through, when the wind dropped out, despite starting with gusts of more than 35 knots.
Last year's runner-up Noè Font (ESP) came out charging and got an early lead on the Box to Corrugated feature, and cemented it on the subsequent Kicker. Chris Bobryk (USA) and Brendan Kerr (USA) sat second and third.
When competition resumed the following afternoon, Font began nailing down his lead on feature three, the Step Down, and Kerr moved himself up to second spot as the smooth thermal breeze built.
It would all come down to the XL Kicker on starboard tack, with Font and Kerr securing their spots in the final. Eric Rienstra (USA) made a big comeback to take third and go the final with the highest score on the XL Kicker.
But in the final Britain's Sam Light, who had been pulled back to competition by the lure of GKA-sanctioned world title after a break of several years, could not match the firepower of the leading trio. Font suffered a rib injury just ahead of the final and could not defend his runner-up spot of the previous year.
Driving force
Jack Rieder (CAN) qualified after convincingly winning the opening heat. He took third place in the KPL championship last year in Brazil. In the final he was trailing after the first round. On the second feature Rieder made up some ground with the highest trick score of he competition—8.8 from 10. Two big tricks at the close cemented his third place overall.
Argentina's Rami Gallart has long been a driving force in the Kite Park movement. He recorded many high-placed finishes in KPL events. In the final Gallart was on it from the first round, but soared on the Box to Corrugated feature taking the highest round three trick score. Gallart kept the pressure up on the fourth feature, to secure the overall runner-up spot.
Defending KPL champion Ewan Jaspan was keen to add a third crown in succession. He came out of the blocks fast and established a lead in the final's first round, building his momentum on the second feature.
But Jaspan struggled on the third Box to Corrugated feature and was reeled in by rivals. The Australian grimly hung on to his lead on the last slider with a trick that was just enough to keep his nose in front by a fraction of a point. It gave Jaspan his first Qatar Airways GKA Kite Park League world title.
The women's race for the title was made up of a select line-up of three athletes, but the competition was intense. Katie Potter, the returning champion from 2023, was in a league of her own. In the final she showed her class, dominating every round with the top scores that gave her a first world championship title, with Lauren Holman (CAN) in second and Kristen Cooper (USA) in third.
Qatar Airways GKA Kite Park League World Championships 2024 results
Men
1. Ewan Jaspan (AUS)
2. Ramiro Gallart (ARG)
3. Jack Rieder (CAN)
Women
1. Katie Potter (AUS)
2. Lauren Holman (CAN)
3. Kristen Cooper (USA)