Filipino teen places 3rd in world kiteboarding tilt
>> Thursday, July 14, 2016
Fifteen-year-old Christian Tio took third place in the under-19 men’s category at the recent 2016 Kiteboarding Youth Cup (KYC) at Camping La Ballena Alegre in the coastal region of Costa Brava, Spain.
The Boracay resident finished behind Maxime Chabloz of Switzerland and Roman Giuliano of France, who ended first and second, respectively.
The first four days of the tournament saw Tio weathering unfavorable wind conditions and rendered him initially unable to complete a full run on testy waters.
But Tio pulled through with an impressive combination of his signature tricks to get past his quarter-final competitor.
Tio has been ranked No. 2 in the world twice before: in the consecutive riding seasons of 2014 and 2015 at what was then dubbed the Junior Virgin Kitesurfing World Championships also held in Costa Brava.
Recognizing Tio’s above-average skill level, the organizers of the KYC moved him up from the under-17 category to U-19.
Tio’s KYC appearance is his first junior world championships since the loss of his father and coach, Chris Mohn, in February.
Tio is already looking forward to competing at the Pro World Kite Tour against big-name adult kiteboarders.
From: http://news.abs-cbn.com/
