TRIPLE LOOP
JC: Did you plan to do the triple in the final or was it spontaneous?
PK: I was just doing the final and playing it safe! But I knew everyone wanted to see the triple and it had been talked about for years now. I just wanted to get it over with. I knew there were cameras on the beach so it was the right time. I just said to myself why not try it. I already knew I had great scores with the jumps, I had a perfect double and a huge push loop so my scores were safe. I was feeling confident, even my wave riding was in the bag so I was feeling in the right mood for it. I had two minutes left in the heat to try one, so I spent the time looking for the right ramp and making my way a bit more upwind. The moment came ten seconds from the end of the heat. It was not a big ramp, definitely not the perfect one. I just wanted to try it and it was then or never. I had great power in the sail on my 4m with my 82 litre board so I just tried it to see what would happen.
FM: Did you know it was 10 seconds to the buzzer?
PK: Yeah, I’d looked at my watch and saw time was running out. I had to go over a wave to get to the ramp so I lost a little bit of speed but it was fine.
JC: When you hit that ramp what went through your mind?
PK: During the double I was in control but when I passed beyond that I just did not know where I was. It was a totally new feeling! It was like starting a normal forward when you are a beginner. I just had that feeling that I did not know where I was or what to do even! Coming down it did not feel like I had that much wind in the sail as I was coming down behind the wave.