2024 Defender GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Sylt - All smiles in Sylt as Delannoy tops podium

by Caroline Morris 26 Aug 2024 11:10 BST 20-25 August 2024

Defender GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Sylt day 6 © Lukas K Stiller

The sun was shining on day six of the Defender GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Sylt 2024 after an epic week of action. The wind was pumping as the mini-final saw France's Clémence Derrien facing off against Brazil's Kesiane Rodrigues to decide third and fourth place.

"We've got nice wind like yesterday", said Derrien. "It's more onshore, so it's a bit difficult for the waves, but at least the wind is powerful. I'm gonna give everything and go for it".

Defender GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Sylt day 6 - photo © Lukas K Stiller

Mini final plays out

Rodrigues executed her tactics flawlessly, landing a rodeo for the first score of the heat, while Derrien, unfortunately, crashed her kite during a front roll attempt. Rodrigues scored the highest freestyle trick with her tic tac flip and rodeo, cementing her lead before the focus shifted to the wave segment.

The onshore wind allowed the athletes to choose their direction on the wave, favouring their preferred stance, but Derrien needed to deliver two big wave scores after only securing one in the freestyle. Meanwhile, Rodrigues looked comfortable, locking in a solid 4.67 wave score that was enough to claim her third place in the competition, leaving Derrien in fourth.

Camille Losserand - Defender GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Sylt day 6 - photo © Lukas K Stiller

The climax unfolds

Excitement was building as the buzzer sounded for the final heat between Losserand and Delannoy.

"I finished second last year, which I'm pretty proud of", said Losserand. "To be in the final again against Capu is going to be pretty interesting. I trained a lot for this, so let's see if I can manage to take the win this time."

Delannoy, ranked number two, was in a strong position to reclaim her crown after winning the world title in 2022. Losserand, determined to improve on her second-place finish from last year, went all out but lost her board on a big move, while Delannoy put in an unbelievable start.

Kesiane Rodrigues - Defender GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Sylt day 6 - photo © Lukas K Stiller

A first time ever score

Delannoy was having the heat of her life, just as she landed an incredible front roll shove it three, the first ever time seen in women's competition. The judges rewarded the move with a well-deserved ten-point score which put Delannoy with a strong advantage. Losserand responded with a beautiful double back roll board off, but it unfortunately wasn't enough to catch up.

In the wave segment, Delannoy quickly put down a 4.2 score, while Losserand searched for the perfect wave. Unluckily, the waves were not forming as well as on previous days, leaving Losserand struggling as her wave closed out with only foam to work with. Tension was building with just a few points separating first and second place.

Losserand went on to achieve a great 6.07 wave score but still needed one more like it. As the final minute ticked down, it became clear that Delannoy had done enough to secure victory.

With smiles already showing on her face, Delannoy went on to take the win with a score of 22.97 to Losserand's 19.67, a difference of just 3.31 points.

Capucine Delannoy - Defender GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Sylt day 6 - photo © Lukas K Stiller

Emotional win for Delannoy

The beach erupted in celebration as Delannoy, in tears of happiness, shared a heartfelt moment with her family and she reeled at her perfect ten score.

"I landed it before," said Delannoy, "but in these conditions, it was pretty hard. I am super happy to win another title and Sylt is such a special place for me."

It was all smiles on the podium, with fans crowding around the athletes and cheering in admiration. Capucine Delannoy wins first place, followed by Camille Losserand in second, Kesiane Rodrigues in third, and Clémence Derrien in fourth place.

Congratulations to all the winners of the Defender GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Sylt 2024 and for an incredible week of nail-biting competition.