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 three-day 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-old-and-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 Galera-based swimming champ Aryzx Garcia. ICTSI team rider and 2016 Tour champion Doque delos 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, topped the ladies racing division while Manila-based Kara Leongson placed second and Jingjing Gajisan from Boracay and Boracay-based Aussie Ali Dudfield came in third and fourth, respectively.