Story By Zachary Foo/Red Sports. Photos courtesy of Todd Beltz
The young Guy Tanaka impresses the crowd with his clean stand-up pass. His 86.68 points was good enough for first place. (Photo 1 courtesy of Todd Beltz)
Bedok Reservoir, Sunday, September 8, 2013 — Guy Tanaka of Japan pulled off an extremely technical run in the final, fending off former SEA Games gold medallist Padiwat Jaemjan of Thailand, to clinch first place in the Men’s Open at the 2013 Wakefest Singapore.
Guy, 14, finished with 86.68 points while Padiwat had 80.12.
“It was good, I managed to land all the tricks I wanted, like the KGB (Backside roll with a blind 360) and the toeside 720 (2 rotations),” said Guy. “It is my first open men’s win and I’m very happy with it. I tried a backside 720 for my wild card because I knew my competitor had two of those tricks, so I needed to match him. I am looking forward to the Asian Championships at the end of this month, hopefully I’ll do well and get a podium finish!”
In the Women’s Open, Chen Lili of China pipped Singapore’s very own Sasha Christian for the title. Lili topped the standings with 74.45 points while Sasha had 63.57.
Lili said: “I’m so excited that I won because my competitors rode well and put pressure on me. The boat was great and similar to the one I train with. Having a stand up pass was unbelievable! I would have never done as well as I have today. I tried doing a toeside 720 but it was only my second time ever attempting it, so I was not surprised when I did not land it. But I was not upset as I put all I had into it and tried!”
Wakefest Singapore has been one of the premier regional events in the Asian wakeboarding scene, attracting participants from countries like China and Korea.
One competitor of note was 8-year-old Park Jiho of Korea, who held his own against older and more experienced competitors in the Men’s Outlaw final. His arsenal of tricks combined with a composure that belied his years saw Jiho clinch second place and the hearts of the crowd as well. Jiho had 50.12 points, just behind fellow Korean Son Yuhyeong who had 51.12.
Each competitor had two passes in their routine to impress the judges and were judged according to three criteria: execution (how well and fluid the tricks were performed), intensity (how high their jumps were) and composition (how tricks are placed one after another and variety of tricks performed).
A new element was introduced in the Open Division for both the men and women. Should a competitor complete a stand-up pass (not falling on one pass), they would be allowed to perform a wild card trick at the end of their run to improve on their score.
Women’s Novice Final
1st Lai Ya Ling (TPE) — 26.13
2nd Chang Youli (TPE) — 24.34
3rd Pun Wai Kwan (HKG) — 21.78
Men’s Novice Final
1st Melvyn Tan (SIN) — 35.45
2nd Masamichi Azuma (JPN) — 29.89
3rd Jonathan Leong (SIN) — 26.00
Women’s Intermediate Final
1st Gooi Jia Yi (SIN) — 20.89
2nd Melanie Tan (SIN) — 17.01
3rd Mary Ngo (SIN) — 14.68
Men’s Intermediate Final
1st Owen Huish (MAS) — 23.11
2nd Melvyn Kee (SIN) — 19.75
3rd Anto (INA) — 17.35
Men’s Masters Final
1st David Tan (SIN) — 54.79
2nd Jean-Michel Bour (FRA) — 49.90
3rd Jack Lo (HKG) — 48.57
Men’s Masters Open Final
1st Frankie Ng (SIN) — 58.79
2nd Lau Chi Ho Vanho (HKG) — 51.78
3rd Terry Tang (HKG) — 21.86
Men’s Outlaw Final
1st Son Yuhyeong (KOR) — 51.12
2nd Park Jiho (KOR) — 50.12
3rd Ho Wai Shing (HKG) — 48.46
Women’s Open Final
1st Chen Lili (CHN) –74.45
2nd Sasha Christian (SIN) — 63.57
3rd Nadya Atalia Sinaga (INA) — 44.45
Men’s Open Final
1st Guy Tanaka (JPN) — 86.68
2nd Padiwat Jaemjan (THA) — 80.12
3rd Tatsanai Kuakoonrat (THA) — 74.11
More photos next page
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