THE best kitesurfers in the world were crowned on the Surf Coast at the weekend in the final stage of this year\u2019s GKA Kite-Surf World Tour.<\/p>\n
The sixth event in the tour, which was making its debut in Australia, ran over three days in varying conditions at Point Danger and 13th Beach.<\/p>\n
Australian kitesurfer Keahi de Aboitiz had a Saturday to remember, winning the men\u2019s final in cross-off winds and peeling waves against Brazilian Sebastian Ribeiro and also celebrating his birthday.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, I\u2019m just stoked to have an event in Australia, to be able to take out the first GKA event that happened here, it feels pretty amazing,\u201d de Aboitiz said.<\/p>\n
The win elevated de Aboitiz from third to second on the overall standings, behind only world title winner Airton Cozzolino (Cape Verde\/Italy).<\/p>\n
\u201cI really love Torquay, this is an amazing place,\u201d Cozzolino said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBells Beach is one of the foremost beaches in the world for surfing, so for us to be kiting near Bells Beach is so great.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the women\u2019s side of the competition, Jalou Langeree from the Netherlands defeated Spain\u2019s Carla Herrera Oria in the final to not only win the debut Torquay event but also retain her spot at the top of the championship standings and the title.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s awesome, it feels great to win the tour,\u201d Langeree said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been competing for so many years, so this is a\u00a0massive reward for all the hard work and all the training I\u2019ve put in; I\u2019m super-stoked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Australian wildcard Jennie Milton finished fourth at Torquay and was named rookie of the year, while the men\u2019s rookie of the year was Beau Pilgrim. The GKA Kite-Surf World Tour will return to Torquay in 2019 and 2020.<\/p>\n