Press Release: Australian Kiteboarding Freestyle Nationals

It's been 12 years since the Australian Kiteboarding Freestyle Nationals have been in Western Australia. For the first time in Kiteboarding history the title has been run and won at arguably Australia's premier freestyle kiteboarding location, the Safety Bay pond.

Riders turned up from around Australia and were blessed with the infamous Fremantle Doctor for the entire event window and allowing the competition to be completed by Saturday afternoon.

After Western Australia premier Mark McGowan opened the event, the riders quickly took the water for a jam packed two days of national competition.

In the juniors it was local rider Harrison Johnston who stepped up to the plate taking home first place. Harrison ability to ride with power and consistency saw him earn his well deserved title.

In the men's draw, competition favourite Ewan Jaspan rode with immense skill combining technical grabs with powered handle passes. Ewan completed the draw despite having an ongoing shoulder injury and respectfully took the number 1 men's spot.

We were proud and excited to see equal men and women in the Nationals competition draw. The women's riding has taken a significant leap forward this year with Katie Potter from Melbourne executing 7 out of 8 technical handle pass attempts in the women's final. Although no stranger to the competition scene Katie is continuing to progress her riding year on year.

In the masters Denys Karantonis took home the number 1 spot with a stylish display wowing the crowd with his combination of manoeuvres.

Congratulations to all the riders for their participation and involvement in the event. 

The freestyle competition scene in Australia is moving in a strong forward direction. The national freestyle series has event stops run by state associations in Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia giving riders a pathway to train at local events and move forward to a national competition.

Kiteboarding Australia would like to thank all the sponsors from the event: Coco Keeling Islands, Zephyr Tours, Classic Holidays, Department of Sport Western Australia, Zian Kites, City of Rockingham and many more. 

To the local event organisers at WAKSA including Drew Norton, Becky Bury, Chrissy Gaudieri, Levi Fowler, the rest of the team at WAKSA, all the dedicated volunteers at the event a massive congratulations and thank-you.

Photo: Hotdiggitydog