Kappel, Tio dominate ICTSI kiteboarding

SWEDE ace Atte Kappel put up another dazzling act to rule the men’s Masters Class while young Christian Tio annexed two titles in the second leg of the ICTSI Philippine Kiteboarding Tour Season 5 in Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island, Cebu recently.

Kappel, a regular campaigner in the ICTSI circuit and among the top 5 Twin Tip racers in the world, bested an elite pool of rivals to clinch the crown in the premier category of the threeday event which drew local and international riders.

Philippine Kiteboarding Association president Jay Ortiz and Carlo Leongson finished second and third, respectively, while first leg winner Bong Fernando from Boracay struggled to place fourth in the event featuring riders 40- years- oldand- above.

Tio, on the other hand, reigned supreme again in his pet Freestyle then surprised the field in the Men’s TT Slalom race, edging Puerto Galerabased swimming champ Aryzx Garcia. ICTSI team rider and - los Santos from Boracay ended up third in the event backed by title sponsor International Container Terminal Services Inc. and tour partners Cabrinha, Greenyard Boracay, Cobra Energy Drink, Aboitiz Foundation, and Float Captain.

Others who shared center stage in the event, which featured Twin Tip Slalom Border Cross Racing, Freestyle and the high flying Cabrinha Hang Time Challenge, were the Netherlands’ Mariska Wildeberg, Remel Rentillo, Tony Baysa and Aiden Candava and Helena Lundberg, also from Sweden.

Wildeberg, one of the top riders for Flysurfer, sustained top form as she topped the ladies racing division after ruling the Lakawon event last month. Manila- based Kara Leongson placed second while Jingjing Gajisan from Boracay and Boracay- based Aussie Ali Dudfield came in third and fourth, respectively.

Rentillo, one of the Philippine Youth Olympics hopefuls, defeated Warner Janoya and Mark Magliquin to rule their side of the event while Baysa and Candava shared top honors in the Novice category with Lundberg dominating the women’s class.

Tio also kept the momentum of his emphatic triumph in Bacolod last month as he outclassed the Freestyle field, including Morocco’s Abdul Moutaouakil and Boracay’s Ken Nakor in a field that saw a slew of younger riders putting up more aggressive skills to earn the nods of the judges.

Wildeberg also topped women’s Freestyle, besting Dudfield and Gajisan, who placed second and third, respectively.

Kappel and Gajisan, meanwhile, ruled the Cabrinha Hang Time Challenge with both riders putting up impressive high- flying stunts that likewise netted new kites from Cabrinha.

Action is expected to heat up when the circuit, organized by the Philippine Kiteboarding Association, moves to Boracay Island for the third leg on February 9 to 11. Cagbalete Island in Quezon will host the final