The 2005 Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam – Day 6
Monday July 4, 2005
More info on this event: Event Preview| Event Summary| Event Results| Photo Gallery
In a radical display of women’s freestyle, Daida Moreno (E-64, Mistral/ North) proved once again to be the superior force here in Pozo Izquierdo at the Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam 2005. In a sizzling final, she succesfully fought off her sister Iballa Moreno (E-63, Mistral/ North). In the men’s freestyle department, Ricardo Campello (V-111, JP/ Neil Pryde) showed the world he’s the reigning freestyle champion for a reason by winning the single elimination of the men’s second freestyle round by beating Anthony Ruenes (F-85, Tabou/ Gaastra) in the final.
As Pozo was windy as ever but without significant waves this morning, it was ladies freestyle time in the form of the single elimination of the second round. In winds gusting up to 40 knots, the women put up a formidable show with daring moves considering the hardcore conditions. After the smoke from round one cleared, the first quarter final went featured Uli Hoelzl (AUT-123, F2/ Neil Pryde) vs Iballa Moreno (E-63, Mistral/ North) and Yolanda Freites de Brend (V-26, Fanatic/ North) vs Karin Jaggi (Z-14, F2). Moreno knocked out Hoelzl with a clean clew first spock, while Jaggi deployed her shove its and shaka attempts to take out Freites de Brend, moving on into the semi final to meet Iballa Moreno. In the second quarter final Silvia Alba (E-67, Tabou/ Gaastra) came out superior to Junko Nagoshi (J-11) and Daida Moreno (E-64, Mistral/ North) went all out against Ania Ostrowska (POL-00, Fanatic) and advanced to the semi with forwards, backloops, spocks and going for a clew first spock at the horn.
In the semi-final, the Moreno twins called the shots. Iballa was sticking multiple spocks, including a clewfirst one to claim her spot in the final. Her semi-final opponent Karin Jaggi went big with her trademark shove it and a spock coming in, but Moreno wouldn’t allow Jaggi to beat her on her homespot and went on to the final where she would either meet her sister Daida or Silvia Alba. Daida Moreno set the tone with a spectacular clew first forward attempt. If Alba was impressed, she didn’t show it and landed a clean spock coming in and went for a big backloop, but couldn’t keep it together at the landing. Moreno finished Alba off with a radical T-bone at the horn and advanced to the final to meet her sister in a classic Moreno showdown.
In the final, both Moreno’s launched into a fullspeed forward coming in, Daida sticking it, Iballa flying out of the straps and going down hard. She quickly recovered with a clean forward and a backloop which she didn’t quite land. Daida touched down ankles dry from a solid backloop and then went for an aggressive ponch coming in, nearly landing it clean. Iballa was getting down to business going for a grubby and an amazing clew first forward. But it was Daida who took it with a perfect big backloop at the end of the heat.
Third place went to Karin Jaggi, who laid down an impressive arsenal of moves in the losers’ final including big shove its and a fluent flaka. Fourth place went to Silvia Alba, who pulled off a silky smooth spock right in front of the spectators, but had to bow to Jaggi in the end.
 gc05_ricardo wins it again! |
In the semi it was Kauli Seadi (BRA-253, Quatro/ Naish) vs Anthony Ruenes (F-85, Tabou/ Gaastra) and Nick Warmuth (US-36, Starboard/ Gaastra) vs Ricardo Campello (V-111, JP/ Neil Pryde). Ruenes got the party started with a shaka into flaka, followed by a huge shaka. Seadi ponched his way into the heat and stuck several high end moves including a gozada and a funnel. But Ruenes wouldn’t be intimidated and made all the right moves to take the heat at the cost of the Brazilian. At the other end of the heat, Campello was fired up as usual and pulled out an air flaka to impress the judges. Combined with moves like a switch chachoo, a funnel and a switch spock into flaka, the Venezuelan supertrickster was just too much for Nick Warmuth, who impressed jury and crowd alike by charging the reigning freestyle champion head on.
As the final between Ricardo Campello (V-111, JP/ Neil Pryde) and Anthony Ruenes (F-85, Tabou/ Gaastra) got underway, the wind seemed to increase a notch for extra effect. Campello started his heat with his customary ponch coming in, but didn’t clear it like he normally does. Ruenes’ first move was a forward coming in, turning with a perfect spock 540. Campello was back up and landed a pushloop and a ponch before sticking his first shaka of the final. Meanwhile shaka king Ruenes was ripping with a shaka’s, forwards, shove its and nearly making a switch spock into flaka. Campello was paying attention and went for the switch spock into flaka himself and completed it perfectly. Up until then, Ruenes kept the score levelled with a gozada, a switch spock, another shaka and a flaka. But then Campello had played around enough and launched into an overwhelming final assault; a fullspeed flaka, a textbook spock 540, a gozada and a switch chachoo. Ruenes kept the tension up with a monster shaka, but crashed it. Campello was right behind him and as a wave built up, he went for the kill with a perfect big shaka virtually flying over Ruenes who was still down in the water. At the sound of the horn, Campello nailed it and won the single elimination of the second round.
In the battle for third place, Nick Warmuth (US-36, Starboard/ Gaastra) pulled out all the stops to claim his spot in the top 3 against Kauli Seadi (BRA-253, Quatro/ Naish). But the Brazilian was not going to give it away. Seadi landed fullpowered ponches coming in and going out, while Warmuth was going for his highspeed double flaka, but failed to complete it. Both sailors pulled off a clean clewfirst spock. Warmuth went big with a shaka, but went down hard in Pozo’s hammering wind, as Seadi added a puneta and a switch spock to his scoresheet. The Hawaiian fought hard, but it was Seadi who come out victorious, taking third place.
 gc05_jonas goes big! |
The wavesailors are eager to complete the double elimination to give single elimination winner Kauli Seadi (BRA-253, Quatro/ Naish) a run for his money and as both the men and women have started the second round of freestyle and there is still a possible women’s double elimination wave lined up, the Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam 2005 is far from over yet. Log onto www.pwaworldtour.com again tomorrow for the latest from Pozo Izquierdo.
WOMEN’S FREESTYLE SINGLE ELIMINATION LADDER 1
WOMEN’S FREESTYLE DOUBLE ELIMINATION LADDER 1
WOMEN’S FREESTYLE SINGLE ELIMINATION LADDER 2
WOMEN’S FREESTYLE DOUBLE ELIMINATION LADDER 2
WOMEN’S FREESTYLE RESULTS
MEN’S FREESTYLE SINGLE ELIMINATION LADDER 1
MEN’S FREESTYLE DOUBLE ELIMINATION LADDER 1
MEN’S FREESTYLE SINGLE ELIMINATION LADDER 2
MEN’S FREESTYLE DOUBLE ELIMINATION LADDER 2
MEN’S FREESTYLE RESULTS
MEN’S WAVE SINGLE ELIMINATION LADDER
MEN’S WAVE DOUBLE ELIMINATION LADDER
MEN’S WAVE RESULTS
WOMEN’S WAVE SINGLE ELIMINATION LADDER
WOMEN’S WAVE DOUBLE ELIMINATION LADDER
WOMEN’S WAVE RESULTS
