TEAM NEWS: BEST TRICK, BEST HEAT SCORE, AND FINAL VICTORY!!!
Benjamin Castenskiold makes a sensational debut with Team GONG!
After a warm-up day, the best riders got down to business in Tarifa! As soon as the competition resumed in Round 4, our new team rider showed he was right at home on his Hyperloop FSP Pro, landing three tricks scoring over 9 points! Benjamin immediately claimed both the highest heat score of the day and the best trick, earning 9.5 points for a stunning palau frontside 720, without even getting his ankles wet.
In the following heats, our team riders Bastien and Clément also qualified for Round 5, as the bracket tightened around the competition favorites!
Wing foiler: Benjamin, GONG team rider, with a Hyperloop FSP Pro and Droid Aramid X.
Surprise turn of events in Round 5
The first heat of Round 5 brought together 3 of our team riders and Axel Gerard, for only two spots available in the semifinals. Bastien, Benjamin, and Malo were separated by just a few points before attempting their final tricks, with Axel sitting in second place. As Malo lands the trick that puts him in second behind Benjamin, Axel fails to improve his score with a fourth consecutive crash. It seems like the result is final, but in a twist of fate, a few minutes later the judges’ tower announces the heat must be re-run, this time only between Malo and Axel, to determine the second qualifying spot.
The reason: a protest over a trick that was allegedly under-scored. Several judges on the panel seem to have misidentified the trick in question. Debatable call, but in the end, the decision was made to re-run the heat. This judgement blunder cost Malo his spot in the semifinal, as he lost by 0.4 points to Axel, who took full advantage of this second chance.
In the last quarterfinal, Clément delivered his best heat of the competition but narrowly lost out to Charlie Loch and Aleksander Acherer.
Wing foiler: Clément, GONG team rider, in Hyperloop FSP Pro, Droid Aramid X, HM85 mast, Ypra Surf-Freestyle and Freestyle stab.
Day 3: Semifinals and Final
After Malo’s elimination the day before, another big contender exited the competition, none other than the championship leader, American rider Chris McDonald. In the other semifinal, our young team rider delivered another solid heat with over 25 points, earning his spot in the final alongside Austrians Acherer and the Italian Makana.
In the final, Benjamin set the tone with a FS10 earning him 8.63 points. He was closely followed by his rivals, all landing their first tricks. The competition remained tight until Benjamin pulled out all the stops with a spectacular palau to front flip, landed with instant repop! The score was decisive: 10 points. Aleksander Acherer followed the GONG rider with a similar trick, but didn’t land it as clean. Still, he scored a 9.63, keeping him in contention, until Benjamin sealed the deal with a palau to FS720 that scored 9.8. Best heat score of the event, best trick, and a thoroughly deserved victory.
Just one week before his 14th birthday, Benjamin takes the lead in the championship after his finals appearance in Leucate. A huge performance and massive congratulations from the entire GONG Team!
Next stop: Fuerteventura in a month, and as soon as next week, the Youth Championship in Costa Brava.
Wing foiler: Benjamin, GONG team rider, with a Hyperloop FSP Pro and Droid Aramid X.
Wing Foil Board Hyperloop FSP Pro
Wing Droid Aramid X
Foil Front Wing Ypra Surf-Freestyle V3
Foil Stab Ypra Freestyle V3
3 comments
Also, another comment from me! I don’t if this is correct, but I think I can see this power style from GONG riders generally… for example, Malo certainly has it, Bastien has it also, and it’s supercool that I think I see it also from Benjamin, although he is still a young guy, I feel like he is already a GONG rider in this power style. It’s much more cool to watch, in my opinion, than just technical flippy-spinny moves with no lines and no power… Forza GONG!
Yes, it is very difficult to disagree with your point about Malo. Personally, I really enjoy his powerful and fluid style more than the less fluid style of a lot of the lighter riders. And of course this style works beautifully on a wave – for me, I think it is more beautiful than the style, for example, from Cash.
Congratulations to Benjamin!
Do you think that some judges are biased to Malo? This is happening more than once