Christophe Tack Claims the 2014 PKRA Kiteboarding World Cup
The PKRA was back in Pingtan, China for what was sure to be another great event. This year the event featured three disciplines including Freestyle, Slalom, and a Twin- tip Course Race. The event was widely anticipated by many of the competitors, mainly because of the intense competition set to unfold as the race for the freestyle world title was coming down to the last two events. But it was day five of the Pingtan Kiteboarding World Cup that already decided the 2014 PKRA Freestyle World Champion.
The freestyle finals dealt with heavy conditions suitable for epic battles that would ensue. Youri Zoon (NL) put together an explosive final heat to win the event, while Christophe Tack (BE) stopped Liam Whaley’s (ES) run at the title securing his place as the 2014 PKRA Freestyle World Champion.
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Zoon’s win here does not weigh heavily on the rankings but proves that he is back from his injury and is ready to be a title contender in the 2015 season. After landing a massive Blind Judge 7 and a 317 within the first minute of his heat in the final, Zoon scored big and set the tone for the remainder of the heat despite some impressive kicker tricks from Tack. “For me it was just something to prove. Standing in eighth place before competition, I had no pressure at all. I’ve been training a lot, competing all of these years, I’ve been two-times world champion and wanted to prove that I could still do it.”
Youri Zoon
All eyes were on the heat between Tack and Whaley, as it would decide whether the battle for the world title would come down to the last stop in Hainan, or be determined here in Pingtan. In one of the highest scoring heats in PKRA freestyle history, Tack crushed Whaley’s chance at the title earning 40.4 points with an impressive Front-side 720, Toe-side Backside 5 and Blind Judge 5, amongst others. “It’s like a dream come true, just unreal- after all these years” he exclaimed.
podium winners
“I’ve been really focused on breathing and being present in the moment. Not having thoughts about the past or future, just thinking about what I want to achieve and visualizing success. For the eight minutes before the heat I was just breathing in and breathing out. I didn’t go into the heat with a fixed routine, but I just did the tricks that I felt to do. I saw Liam and said okay, I need to do this, let’s finish it off. Once I landed the Seven and Toe Back Five, I was like, okay this is going my way.”
Congrats to Christophe Tack! Watch Pingtan's finals below.
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