El KiteFest Cesantes Trofeo Xunta de Galicia despide su 6ª edición en plena forma.

The KiteFest Cesantes Trofeo Xunta de Galicia says goodbye to its 6th edition in top form.

July 9, 2023

BETWEEN RANDE AND CESANTES CONSTANT BLOWS, with this motto the Cesantes Kitefest trophy Xunta de Galicia is announced.

Cesantes (Redondela), July 9, 2023.

Family photo of winners, runners-up, third-place finishers and authorities © SailingShots.

The Saturday of the KiteFest Cesantes Xunta de Galicia Trophy was an exciting and action-packed day on Cesantes Beach in Redondela. Nearly 100 riders from different locations in Galicia, Spain, Portugal, and France participated in the kitesurfing competitions.

Image 📷 @seakitepics

Six kitesurfing disciplines were held, including Louzao Kite Foil, Pro, Aceites Abril Twintip, Surf, Tiki, and Wingfoil. The competitions began around 1:30 p.m. in the Vigo estuary, and three qualifying races were held in each discipline.

In the Louzao Kite Foil class, last year's champion, Justo Fernández, stood out with a third place finish and two stage wins, placing him in provisional first place. Gabriel Arias placed second, closely followed by Ignacio Vicente.

In the Pro category, Rafa Montero, a 16-year-old rider from Eleveight Kites and Freestyle World Championship runner-up, leads the standings with strong splits. In Aceites Abril Twintip, Antonio Fernández positioned himself as the first rider, while Vera Vázquez leads the women's category.

In the surfing category, Ramón Mantilla and José Dios, both from the TM Kite Club Cesantes, tied for first place. In the women's category, Victoria García-Lastra from RCN Sanxenxo took first place.

Lucas Muller excelled in the Tiki event, while Hugo Martínez led the men's Wingfoil event and Helène Lambrey led the women's event.

Image 📷 @seakitepics

Sunday will be the final day of competition, with Freestyle and Big Air events, where participants can show off their jumps and maneuvers in front of an audience on Cesantes Beach. The Medal Race will also take place, with double points awarded and only the top finishers in each category. Sunday marked the end of Galicia's premier kite event. Cesantes Beach and the Vigo estuary did not disappoint, with excellent conditions for racing and for the jumps and maneuvers of a water sport that is gaining popularity every day. A huge crowd and new winners, among whom the Argentinean Justo Fernández, based in Cangas, stands out, rising to the top in three of the six categories.

The KiteFest Cesantes Trofeo Xunta de Galicia (Xunta de Galicia Trophy) has closed the curtain for another edition, bringing together nearly 100 riders from across Spain and Europe on Redondela beach. Today, Sunday, the last of three days of the event took place, featuring the Medal Races, as well as jumping and freestyle competitions, which a large audience watched from the beach and from the village set up in Cesantes.

Image 📷 @seakitepics

Medal Races for five categories

The Louzao Kite Foil, Pro, Aceites Abril Twintip, Surf and Tiki kite categories competed today in the Medal Races, which were no longer open to the entire fleet but only to the top 10 or three finishers from yesterday depending on the category.

No changes were made on the Louzao Kite Foil podium, with Justo Fernández maintaining his lead from yesterday, retaining his championship title from last year. Gabriel Arias, seven points behind, took silver, while TMKiteClub rider Ignacio Vicente finished third.

Fernández has once again climbed to the top of the podium in Pro, sharing it with Marcelo Cortés (second) and Catalan David Marín (third), who is making his fifth appearance at KiteFest.

Thanks to a 4-6 split, Iván Carballo from Baion has not only managed to get onto the Aceites Abril Twintip podium but also climb to the top to beat Horacio Pequeño and Francisco Costas.

In the women's classification, her TMKiteClub teammate Mª del Carmen Nieto is the winner, followed by Vera Vázquez and the Frenchwoman Helène Lambrey, who this year leaves Cesantes with two bronzes (in Twintip and Wingfoil).

Patricia Suárez, from Vigo—a sailor on the Spanish pre-Olympic sailing team—added her name to the list of winners of the KiteFest Cesantes Xunta de Galicia Trophy by winning the Surf category (kite with surfboard). Victoria García-Lastra finished second, and Mª del Mar Gallardo third.

In the men's overall standings, there were no changes compared to yesterday, with Ramón Mantilla taking the overall win, followed by José Ríos, also from TMKiteClub Cesantes, and Luis Sampedro.

Two more events were added today by the riders who competed at Tiki, with the podium also unchanged, ending with Lucas Muller, Andrés Douglas, and Fernando Martín.

Revolution in the ABANCA Wingfoil general

It's the latest trend in water sports, and therefore couldn't be missed at the KiteFest Cesantes, Xunta de Galicia Trophy. It involves "flying" over the water with the help of an inflatable wing controlled by the hands, and, at the feet, a board with a foil that lifts it above the water.

After three more heats, the podium was completely rescinded and finally occupied by Justo Fernández—who won all three races today—, Hugo Martínez, and Frenchwoman Helène Lambrey.

Freestyle and Big Air competition to close the day

After 4:00 p.m., the Freestyle tricks and Big Air jumps closed out the day's sporting events in full view of the public.

Fran Costas won the amateur freestyle competition, and Rafa Montero, the young U-19 world runner-up, won the pro competition. Professional surfer David Marín emerged the best in the surfboard competition. Iván Carballo achieved the highest jump, taking his second prize this year.

The trophy presentation, period and end

The awards ceremony began at 6:30 p.m., with prizes awarded for the six categories, as well as the winner of the show jumping competition.

The event was attended by Digna Rivas and Iván Valles, mayor and sports councilor of Redondela, respectively; Daniel Benavides, head of the sports department of the Xunta de Galicia; Francisco Naranjo, private banker at ABANCA; Elena Pérez Canal, marketing director of Aceites Abril; Juan Villar, sales manager at Mercedes-Benz Louzao; Viviana García, vice president of the Royal Galician Sailing Federation; and Ricardo González, president of TMKiteClub.

The VI KiteFest Cesantes Trofeo Xunta de Galicia has been organized by the TMKiteClub and the Council of Redondela, and has had the sponsorship of the Xunta de Galicia, ABANCA, Aceites Abril, Mercedes-Benz Louzao and the collaboration of the Royal Galician Sailing Federation.

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