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Letzte Pressemitteilung vom King of the Air 2004
Written by Stephan
Wednesday, 29 September 2004 Maui, HI – (September 25, 2004) - After nearly a year of anticipation, today saw the close of the 6th annual Red Bull King of the Air kiteboarding event and the crowning of the new King and Queen of the Air. It took 16 internationally organized "Fly To...Red Bull King of the Air" qualifiers, bringing together hundreds of athletes from some 20-odd nations, to end up at the decisive eight minute men and women's final heats which would determine the 2004 Red Bull King of the Air winners.Winning the men's freestyle division and the honored "King of the Air" title was 17 year-old Tuterai Montaron of Bora Bora. In the women's freestyle division, reigning "Queen of the Air," Susi Mai of the Dominican Republic, won her second "Queen of the Air" title in a row, a feat no one in Red Bull King of the Air history has done before.
Today's freestyle men's final showcased two of the world's most progressive kiteboarders at the top of their game. Antoine Jaubert, originally from France and now living in the Dominican Republic, made his way to the final by defeating last year's King of the Air champion, Charles Deleau, also of France, in the "one-loss" final. Jaubert began the men's freestyle final with high altitude "board-offs" and big grabs which put the crowd in to a frenzy. As the heat progressed, Jaubert and Montaron exchanged move for move, each pulling off difficult "handle passes" back to back. Yet, it was Montaron's 40 feet big air jumps with stylish rotations and technical handle passes that earned the newcomer the judges' nod.
From relative obscurity, Tuterai Montaron made is debut to the kiting scene at this year's Red Bull King of the Air. Kiteboarding is a new sport in his native Bora Bora, yet Montaron and his family (mother and father included) have taken to the sport with amazing aptitude. "I am very happy to win today. Thank you to my family," said Montaron, the youngest competitor to ever receive the Red Bull King of the Air title,
The women's freestyle final today was also an illustration of contemporary kiteboarding at its best. Yuri Drexler of Haiku, Hawaii is considered one of the sport's best women kiteboarders. She is one of the few who can pull off the challenging "handle pass," which she did during the final in the remaining moments of the heat. But these impressive moments were not enough to edge out reigning Queen of the Air champ, Susi Mai, who followed a smooth and consistent routine to gain the win.
"This year I felt more pressure going in to the competition compared to last year. No one really knew who I was last year, I was an underdog. But this year, I carried some expectations going into it. It was tough. Yuri kites so well, she might have beaten me in any other competition," said an elated Mai after her win.
In addition to the freestyle division, a highlight of the event was the hang time contest. In this discipline, kiteboarders are judged on how long they stay airborne, the longest one in the air wins the event. While the wind conditions deteriorated towards the end of the day, impressive numbers were posted by all hang time competitors. In the men's division, Damien Leroy of Florida lofted 6.65 seconds and won $1,750 for his impressive flight. Kristin Boese of Germany stayed airborne for 5.25 seconds and won the women's hang time title and $500.
Maui, HI – (September 25, 2004) - After nearly a year of anticipation,