
Patri McLaughlin and Ninja Bichler Win KSP Mauritius
Epic conditions graced day nine of the holding period for tour stop number two of four at the One Eye Kite Surf Pro.
Epic conditions graced day nine of the holding period for tour stop number two of four at the One Eye Kite Surf Pro.
With an 11-foot swell at 17 seconds forecast for the day, today started off with a Local’s Expression Session for the resident riders. KSP competitors and staff watched from the judge’s tower, cheering on the 17 locals during the hour-long heat. Laurent Le Bolloch (MRU/Le Gall/North) won the event by showcasing excellent top-to-bottom riding on the 10- to 15-foot-plus wave faces.
Kicking off the last six heats of the 2011 KSP One Eye Pro in Le Morne, Mauritius, Airton Cozzolino (Italy/North) faced Mauricio Pedreira (Brazil) in the first of two strapless semifinals. Early in the matchup, the 17-year-old Cozzolino was called on interference, resulting in his second highest wave score to be slashed in half. Nevertheless, his progressive kite surfing advanced him to the finals by a slim margin of .47 points.
With the long-anticipated mega swell hitting One Eye today and winds holding strong, the KSP One Eye Pro resumed with Men’s Round 4. Ten to twelve foot faces (and the occasional fifteen footer) kicked the day off to an exhilarating start. Blowing more offshore than normal, the strong winds kept the wave faces exceptionally clean, setting the stage for some history and career-making heats.
Amidst 25 to 30 knot winds and overhead surf, the KSP One Eye Pro resumed with Round 2 of the Men’s Division. With a total of 54 heats (36 Men and 18 Women) scheduled, the event passed its halfway point today with the completion of Men’s Round 3 Heat 20 and Women’s Round 3 Heat 10.
September 25, 2011: With a solid breeze mid-morning on day three of the KSP One Eye Pro, Round 1 of the men’s division resumed. Kiting on 7- to 9-meter kites, competitors once again had phenomenal waves — 4 to 6 feet (Hawaiian), 8- to 12-foot faces.
As winds hovered around 10 to 12 knots and 3- to 4-meter swell detonated on the reef during the morning and early afternoon of day two of the KSP One Eye Pro, competitors stayed on call for the wind to ramp up just a bit more.
The KSP World Tour is pleased to officially kick off the One Eye Pro in Mauritius, the first of its three World Championship Wave Riding Tour stops.