Tio, 2 others share kiteboarding honors

MANILA, Philippines - Christian Tio and Doque delos Santos soared to their third straight victories while Bibiana Magaji of Slovakia pulled off a twin title feat in the ICTSI Philippine Kiteboarding Tour Season 4’s third leg in Boracay last weekend.

Tio, a Red Bull rider, came out of the double elims virtually unscathed then nipped Jaka Komocar of Slovenia in a thrilling finale to rule the men’s Freestyle for the third straight time after topping the elite field in Cuyo, Palawan and Bantayan, Cebu.

Frenchman Lazare Gournay placed third while Ukraine’s Michael Khromykh wound up fourth in the penultimate leg of the four-leg circuit sponsored by ICTSI and organized by the Philippine Kiteboarding Association marked by thrilling finishes and kite tangles.

Spanish rider Julia Castro took the women’s Freestyle crown over Magaji with Mariska Wildenberg of the Netherlands and Filipina Mary Jane Gajisan taking the next two spots in the event which drew 60 competitors from various countries.
Delos Santos likewise made it three-in-row in the men’s Twin Tip Racing, beating Julius Non with Ken Nacor, Popeye Li and Ronel Mateo placing third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

But the day also belonged to Magaji, the world Hangtime champion who nailed the women’s plum with 5.57 seconds on air, nipping Wildenberg with 5.47 seconds. Simone Bartmann had 4.04 seconds for third while Castro ended up fourth with four seconds and Kathrin Borgwardt of Germany had 3.41 seconds for fifth.