H2O - Day One Update

Kitesurfing’s Youngest Talent Steals Surf and Sky

Perfect conditions set the scene for an intense kitesurf opener, while the world's top wakeboarders prepare for competition on Perth’s Swan River

The Young & The Local

The premier international action sports competition Gravity Games H20, presented by Vodafone, lifted off yesterday with 16 of the world’s best kitesurfers reaching extreme heights and demonstrating superb skill in two preliminary rounds of the A$25,000 kitesurfing medal event, held at Mosman Beach in Perth, Western Australia.

Full 360-degree mid-air rotations with handle-pass twists were among the incredible sights witnessed by thousands of beachside spectators, in what organisers and competitors described as flawless kiting conditions.  Similar conditions are expected for the kitesurfing quarter finals today, setting the scene for more intense aerial action.

The field’s youngest competitors stole the show at yesterday’s preliminaries, with three of the top six athletes aged 18 or under.  The teenage stars, who are now all strongly placed for success in the finals, include world number one-ranked kitesurfer Aaron Hadlow, 16, of the United Kingdom; Ruben Lenten, 16, of the Netherlands; and chiropractic student Adam Ratajewski, 18, of Perth.  The risk-taking trio stunned the judges and crowd with spectacular displays of challenging kite tricks and jaw-dropping aerial stunts.

Achieving the highest overall score from the judges in yesterday’s preliminaries was Perth’s Ryland Blakeney, 22, who demonstrated his familiarity and love of the wild winds of the West.

Two other stand-out performers yesterday, also Aussies, included the country’s number one kiter Rich Stenning, 30, and Daniel Walstab, 20.

Tough Wake Course Set

Across town on the sparkling Swan River, the Gravity Festival Village in McCallum Park, South Perth, is the location to watch the world’s best wakeboarders in day one of competition, with the men’s quarter finals starting today.  The women’s first day of competition is tomorrow.

The Gravity Games H20, presented by Vodafone, has been officially endorsed as the final leg of the WWA Wakeboard World Series, with 28 wakeboarders competing for a share of the A$155,000 prize purse – the world’s largest-ever wakeboarding prize.

Competitors tested the locally constructed sliders and wake course yesterday, describing it as the most unique and challenging configuration ever encountered.  The free-ride practice sessions were seen by thousands of Gravity Games H20 spectators, who experienced a taste of the water thrills, spills and adrenaline rush to follow for the next three days.

Floating sliders and obstacles have transformed Perth’s Swan River into the equivalent of a floating skate park, where athletes launch 15 feet into the air performing spectacular tricks using sliders and wakes.