What is Kite Cross/Slalom?
It's a discipline featuring elimination races where 4 riders compete on a "W"-shaped course (see image).
Each turn on this course has a buoy that kitesurfers must navigate one by one, with competitors starting in groups of 4 and completing the route in very little time. These are extremely fast heats, meaning riders reach the buoys together and execute tight turns in close proximity. The kites can get tangled... guaranteed excitement!
Another highlight of this competition was the presence of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as they're considering including this discipline in the upcoming 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
The event organisation had the support of these organisations: the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Los Alcázares Town Council, the European Sailing Federation (Eurosaf), with Cartagena native Rafa González as vice-president; the Supreme Council for Sports (CSD), the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation (RFEV), the Sailing Federation of the Murcia Region, and several nautical clubs.
Who participated in the Kite Cross/Slalom?
None other than Spanish rider Pedro Garijo, current Spanish Course Racing champion - a discipline very similar to Kite Cross. This latter discipline, in fact, served as inspiration for Cross/Slalom. The competition also featured another Spanish participant, Augusto García, 2010 Spanish Kite Race champion, Miguel Villar, and the sole female representative - 2011 Spanish Course Racing champion Elena Antón.
International participants included Americans Damien Leroy and Bryan Lake, Turkey's Merve Ceylan, French competitors Julian Kerneur and Bruno Sroka, and Germany's Kristin Boese.
The Valencian Community has hosted this championship along its coastline, so if you want to stay updated on these and other developments, don't hesitate to click here.
