Kitesurfing takes Kalpitiya by storm
Thailand’s Yo Narapitchit Pudla claimed the Men’s Asian Freestyle X Championship 2018 while Japan’s Aya Oshima emerged the Women’s champion as Anishka Dinel clinched the Sri Lanka Freestyle X National Championship at Kalpitiya yesterday. The dual Kitesurfing competition was conducted by KTA Sri Lanka with the sponsorship of Sri Lanka Tourism Ministry with over 70 kiteriders from 13 countries taking part.
Sri Lanka champion Anishka Dinel
The wind throughout the day pushed up to between 20 -25kts, meaning that even though riding conditions were not at all times stable, it certainly set the challenge and showed the judges who had the best all round ability.
With an overwhelming mix of deadmen, handle passes, kiteloops, F16’s and board offs of every variety, the early heats of the Sri Lanka Freestyle X National Championships began to unfold. In the finals, Anishka Dinel opened his account with powerful deadman front roll, only to be countered by a big board off switch, F16 and back-roll handlepass from Samara Priyanka. Dinel held his nerve though finishing with some powerful wake style tricks, while Priyanka pushed perhaps a little too hard and failed to land his final rush of moves, giving in the end the Sri Lanka Freestyle X National Championships to Dinel.
In the final stages though, the showdowns would be played out between Samara Priyanka and Gihan Anurudda Mihdukulasuriya in the first semi, with Amjath Nasar and Anishka Dinel in the second.
The runners-up final began in the same vein as the semi’s, but unfortunately at the halfway point Nasar’s slammed in a hard landing and his board snapped in two. Although after this Nasar was taken a replacement board by the rescue team, this is under the rules seen as outside assistance and gave the win to Mihdukulasuriya.
The women’s combined final featured Japan’s Aya Oshima, Turkey’s Elif Taluy and Thai riders Fon Benyapa Jantawan, and Tatsanee Phisin. The outcome however was not to be a repeat of the International Open earlier in the week, as Taluy and Jantawan were edged out by Phisin and Oshima.
Asian Men's champion Yo Narapitchit Pudla of Thailand
Phisin in particular had a blinding final, landing powerful new school moves and high well timed old school tricks that showed her confidence had grown over the week’s competition.
However, the experience and skill of Oshima proved unstoppable, with her range of new school moves in particular leaving her rivals in her wake. In the end there could only be one winner and for the 2018 Asian Championships, it was once again Japan’s Aya Oshima.
Attention then moved back to the men’s group, semi-finalists battled it out to grab their place in the finals. The final though would turn out to be an all Thai affair as Pudla and Buachatturat held off the challenges of their rivals. The Pudla / Magliqiuan semi-final was though in particular staggeringly close, with only a 0.5 difference in the score between the two.
Magliquian picked up the bronze medal podium slot, after his runner-up finals with Vietnam’s Phoang Lai, who’s early form of the week deserted him this time.
Asian Women's champ Aya Oshima of Japan