|
Thirty-five times world champion, Bjorn Dunkerbeck claims the final event crown, but it’s Antoine Albeau who walks away with the last race of the season and the 2010 title!
With the possibility that the wind would be more suitable for the discipline of freestyle today, the world’s most tricked up windsurfers arrived at the beach at dawn, only to be greeted by almost exactly the same conditions that had prevented them from taking to the water the past few days.
After a couple of hours of trying to make the most of what the weather had brought, the organisers decided to switch over to slalom. Many of the more experienced sailors in the fleet opposed the decision having been tested to their limits over the past few days in the brutal conditions dealt out by the North Sea. However, once the heats were in full swing, and the sun came out, they were happier than ever battling in the gusty 12-24 knots for the final time in 2010.
An Exciting Finale
The first winner’s final of the day was arguably one of the most exciting seen this season. All too often, we witness the newly crowned world champion, Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde) or the legend Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic) leading from the start, controlling the pack as they hammer their way round the course at full throttle, and then crossing the line with a fist in the air. Race six however was completely different!
Both Albeau and Dunkerbeck were buried at the beginning allowing the PWA’s president, Jimmy Diaz (Starboard, North) to have his moment of glory. Diaz lead the pack around the first mark, but unfortunately for him, his team mate, Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard, North) was hot on his heels, and halfway round the race managed to sneak his way past to take line honours.
Meanwhile, Albeau and Dunkerbeck were having their own battle out the back. And, despite those battles not being with each other, their final finishing positions would none the less determine their overall event standings. Dunkerbeck fought his way through the fleet, using his outstanding speed to eventually be within touching distance of Diaz, and finished a split second afterwards to take third. Albeau battled hard throughout the heat, but was fighting a lost cause with Dunkerbeck out in front. A fifth for the current world champion saw him comfortably in a top two position, but the thirty-five times world champ had already secured the Sylt crown.
Event Results
1st Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic)
2nd Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde)
3rd Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard, North)
4th Finian Maynard (RRD, Gaastra)
5th Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra, Dakine, MFC)
2010 Men’s Slalom Rankings
1st Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde)
2nd Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic)
3rd Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard, North)
4th Micah Buzianis (JP, NeilPryde)
5th Finian Maynard (RRD, Gaastra)
Freestyle
Head judge, Duncan Coombs made every effort to get the double elimination going in the gusty winds by doing everything within his power to please the competitors, but it just wasn’t meant to be. This left the results unchanged from day three when the single elimination came to its conclusion.
Event Results
1st Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North)
2nd Taty Frans (Starboard, MauiSails, Mystic)
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2, Gaastra)
4th Kiri Thode (Starboard, Gaastra)
2010 Men’s Freestyle Rankings
1st Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North)
2nd Taty Frans (Starboard, MauiSails, Mystic)
3rd Kiri Thode (Starboard, Gaastra)
4th Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2, Gaastra)
SOURCE: PWA World Tour
|
