MOROZ & DE RAMECOURT DOMINATE IN LA PALMA
Frenchman Theo De Ramecourt and USA’s Daniela Moroz took gold in Palma at the first Hempel World Cup Series for Formula Kite as an Olympic Event that saw 38 women and 75 men from 24 countries and 5 continents taking part.
Men’s
It was a relatively straightforward win for the reigning Men’s world champion, who won 13 out of 15 races to qualify directly to the finals, together with compatriot Benoit Gomez. It was interesting to see the two teammates, 30 kilograms apart in body weight, leading the qualifying series convincingly and then battling it off in the front of the fleet. After Briton Connor Bainbridge and Germany’s Jannis Maus won their respective semifinals, it was time for the 4-kiteboard final. Before the final de Ramecourt said: “As the qualifying winner, I carry two ‘race wins’ into the final. The boards contest a four-board final where it’s the first to three wins. So if I win a race in the final, I become the overall winner. I think it is a fair system.” The second-placed athlete in the qualifying, Benoit Gomez (FRA), took through one race win to the final. In the end, De Ramecourt got the single race win he needed on his first try and leaving Gomez with silver and Bainbridge with bronze.
Women’s
It was a bit different for the 5 times Women’s world champion Moroz, who found herself trailing the leaders after the first two days of the regatta, and although she dominated racing in the second half, Lauriane Nolot of France followed her closely and did not let her take over. Moroz had to settle for going to the finals with one race win, while Nolot, with two wins, only needed to win one final race to go home with the gold. They were joined in the finals by two British riders, Ellie Aldridge, who won both her semifinals races and Katie Dabson, who qualified after Poema Newland from France was disqualified for a rules breach in the second semifinal race. Moroz won two races in a row and took home the gold, leaving Nolot in second and Aldridge in third.
2022 Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca – Men
1 Theo DE RAMECOURT (FRA – 13 points)
2 Benoit GOMEZ (GBR – 20 points)
3 Connor BAINBRIDGE (GBR – 32 points)
2022 Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca- Women
1 Daniela MOROZ (USA – 31 points)
2 Lauriane NOLOT (FRA – 23 points)
3 Ellie ALDRIDGE (GBR – 37 points)
The full table of results is available here.
Source: https://www.formulakite.org
Photo credit: Sailing Energy / Trofeo S.A.R. Sofia Mallorca Iberostar
