Korat, Thailand (November 27, 2017) – The man of the day, Timo Kapl (AUT) took home his first ever victory in Features Only at the Korat Open this weekend at the new Thai Wake Park in Korat, Thailand. Not only did Kapl win the Features Only division, he also earned himself a bronze medal in the Pro Men’s Traditional category. Daniel Grant (THA) solidified his place at the top of the podium in Pro Traditional with his return to the WWA Wake Park World Series.
The final stop of the 2017 WWA Wake Park World Series did not disappoint with insane performances coming from riders in every division. The day started off with Intermediate Men’s Traditional finals which saw Thailand’s Audi Groennenboom take the win with his smooth hits on the spine and a mix of spins and inverts off the kickers. Giving him a run for his money coming in second was Russia’s Lurii Fedorov followed by Nopadol Pattanamunee (THA) in third.
As the day moved on, the Junior division showcased the sport’s future pros, proving that there is no end in sight to the rapid progression we’ve seen all season long. The action was nonstop as Dong Hyun Park from Korea posted a perfect score of a 100, winning the rails, kickers and air tricks along with comp. Finishing just behind Park on the podium was famous rider Daniel Grant’s little brother, Bobby Grant (THA) in second followed by Wasut Leksantikun (THA) in third.
The Pro Women’s division featured the most dominating rider in all of wakeboarding, Julia Rick (GER), claiming her usual spot of first place with a score of 95.60. Rick stomped a heelside backside 360 transfer on the kinked rail transfer, along with a switch 313 and a switch heelside 720 off the kicker.
“After watching Maxine and Carro throw down, I knew that the only way I could win was if I pulled out all of my hardest tricks,” said Julia Rick.
Joining her on the podium was Maxine Sapulette from the Netherlands in second and Carro Djupsjo from Sweden in third.
Open Wakeskate had one of the event’s deepest fields of competitors with fifteen riders representing five countries duking it out for three podium spots. No stranger to the podium, Thailand’s own Daniel Grant laid down a run that consisted of a kickflip, backside bigspin off the kicker and a switch heelside frontside 360 into the bank on the spine, earning him a first-place finish. Closely behind him was USA’s Andrew Pastura in second followed by Germany’s Andy Kolb in third.
Daniel Grant kept the streak rolling as he also showed dominance in the Pro Men’s Traditional division. Daniel pulled out the most insane trick of the weekend, landing an Indy Tantrum to backside boardslide transfer on the transfer to kink rail. To top it off, Grant landed a toeside backside 9 and a nose grab moby dick 5 to lock up his first-place finish.
“After watching Guenther Oka ride all weekend, the only way to compete with him and the other guys was to pull off something no one was going to expect; the indy tantrum transfer. That, along with my kicker tricks really came together for me as all the other boys killed it!” said Daniel Grant.
The most dominant rider of the year, Guenther Oka placed second and Austria’s TimoKapl rounded out the podium in third.
The main event of the entire weekend was the Pro Men’s Features Only division and it lived up to the hype. Between Germany’s Bene Tremmel, Austria’s Timo Kapl, Belgium’s Victor Salmon and Sweden’s William Klang, the riding had plenty of diversity and originality. In the end, Timo Kapl was the man of the day as he pulled off his first ever victory with a switch heelside frontside 1080 and insane rail to rail transfers on the street box. Kapl was followed by William Klang in second and Thai Wake Park’s Victor Salmon in third.
What a season it was for the 2017 WWA Wake Park World Series. Guenther Oka absolutely dominated at events across the globe in Features Only and Traditional Cable, claiming the 2017 overall WWA Wake Park World Series title in both categories. Oka has sealed his name in wake’s history books two years in a row winning the overall WPWS and world titles in both divisions. In Features Only, Timo Kapl took a close second behind Oka and England’s Joe Battleday took third in the overall series. In Traditional Cable, placing second behind Guenther was Australia’s Busty Dunn followed by the man of the day, Timo Kapl in third.
The 2017 WWA Wake Park World Series has now completed its ninth year, traveling all over the world and playing host to the most rapidprogressionin the history of the sport. The series has established itself as the frontrunner in wake park events, showcasing the best of the best and giving athletes a premier, global platform on which to compete.
CLICK HERE to view Sunday’s final results.
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via Dana Preble Wakeboarding
