Sea, Sail & Surf newsCosta Brava PWA Freestyle Qualifier
Remko De Weerd of Holland has taken victory in Costa Brava
lundi 26 mai 2003 –
Sailors awoke this morning to the sight of ominous grey clouds and pouring rain .... not the type of weather normally associated here on the Spanish Mediterranean coastline. With tension building throughout the day the remaining competitors were kept on standby until the gusty Tramontana winds finally picked up to the level required for official competition.
In the first heat of the day Sammer advanced over Nicolas Akgazciyan (Neil Pryde, AHD) without getting his hair wet ! The Austrian sailor nailed every single maneuver in his routine while his opponent fell several times possibly due to the pressure of the situation. Sammer nailed eight moves on starboard and eight moves on port in the seven-minute heat duration.
With Christian now fired up for the final against Remko, who had been waiting all week to defend his position, the atmosphere on the beach was extremely intense. Remko opened up his routine with a planning forward while Sammer hit back with a clean spock 540. De Weerd uncharacteristically failed to land his trademark flaka on the way back in and Sammer took full advantage of the situation and nailing a one handed flaka. As the heat progressed Remko finally found his rhythm and busted out flakas on both tacks, a switch stance flaka, a tweaked shuvit, a willy skipper 360 and several spock variations. Sammer kept pilling on the pressure right up until the red flag was hoisted but failed to land his last few moves.
The final was one of the highest scoring heats of the whole competition and after a tense wait on the beach ; Remko was awarded the event victory with a 3-2 decision from the judges.
REMKO DE WEERD (GAASTRA, FANATIC) : I am feeling great. After the first day I had a lot of waiting to compete again. It was pretty hard to go straight back in 100 per cent. I think I sailed a good heat so I was happy about that. The water was a bit smoother today so we could do a few more technical tricks. I am stoked to win !
CHRISTIAN SAMMER (F2, ARROWS) : It is unbelievable. It is the first time I am sitting here under the PWA flag having been in the final. I am so happy I cannot believe it. For me it did not matter at all who was the winner in the final. I am so happy with second....that is a victory for me. Costa Brava is so cool - I love it !
Costa Brava finished in style here today with a sensational final in front the captivated Spanish crowds. The week has been excellent in every possible respect, with spectacular action, rocking parties and superb hospitality.
Next stopover for the PWA world tour will be in Cape Cod on the east coast of America for a recognized $15,000 Pro-Am on the 6th to the 8th of June. Then the action moves to Pozo, Gran Canaria for a massive Grand Slam spectacular, which will take place on the 26th of June through until the 3rd of July.
RESULTS AFTER ONE DOUBLE ELIMINATION :
1. Remko De Weerd (Gaastra, Fanatic)
2. Christian Sammer (F2, Arrows)
3. Nicolas Akgazciyan (Neil Pryde, AHD)
4. Mariano Estivill (Arrows)
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