HIGHLIGHTS
There are some moves that have left me stunned when they have been landed for the first time in competition, like the latest double air moves or crazy combos, but moments that I really remember and impressed me are special performances of riders under pressure in crucial situations, that keeps the thrill of competition alive to me. Two of these recent moments for example were the PWA freestyle final in Sylt 2016 when most people were calling Amado already world champion after a single elimination victory and then suddenly on the last day of the event unexpectedly suitable conditions for freestyle kicked in just in time to finish a double elimination and we could see how determined Gollito was sailing to take that win in the event and title deciding heats. The other moment I remember was at last years EFPT competition in Lanzarote, when title contender Jacopo Testa went out early in the single elimination and fought his way back up the rankings in the double elimination through 9 heat wins in a row forcing an event deciding sail-off against Steven Van Broeckhoven. Jacopo was basically out of power and ready to collapse on the beach after so many heats, but he mustered his last bit of energy to land two crucial moves in the final minute of this all deciding heat and that gave him the event victory and also the major step towards his 2017 European title, a real thriller to watch!