With ideal wind conditions of 18-22 knots, the Youth & Junior Slalom World Cup began on Bonaire at the weekend. On the first two days, eight elimination rounds in various age groups have already been completed on the fin, and there have been four eliminations on the foil so far.
Tycho Smits and Bobbi-Lynn de Jong push each other
Brendan Lorho once again dominated the boys' U21 category. With eight victories in eight races, he put in a flawless performance and clearly took the lead in the field. Behind him, however, there was an exciting battle for the other podium places. Dutchman Thijs Hanemaaijer managed to move up to second place despite an injury, edging out local favourite Storm Nicolai. Ibrahim Ali Donmez followed in fourth place, while Elias Wallden Jespersen improved to fifth place with strong performances in the early runs.
It was also exciting in the mixed fields of the U21 girls and U17 boys. Tycho Smits and Bobbi-Lynn De Jong fought thrilling duels at the top. While both were leading in their respective age groups, they pushed each other to peak performances. Smits won all the heats on the second day of competition, but De Jong was always hot on his heels.
Arxom Gompertz as "Taty Frans 2.0"
In the under-15 category, Local Arxon Gomperts once again showed impressive dominance. The young Bonaire athlete, who is also known as "Taty Frans 2.0", won all heats by a clear margin. Behind him, Victor Schulz Jakobsen, Thomas Michael, Joey Ross and Kenny Abrahamsz fought exciting battles for position with some wafer-thin finishes.
The standard was also surprisingly high in the youngest age group of under 13-year-olds. Local hero Julien Blom was in top form and won all five runs on the second day of the competition. He thus extended his lead in the overall standings. He was followed by Reef De Kanter from Curacao and Noah Coates and Daan Gootjes, who fought a close duel for third place on the podium.
On the foil Kasper Nielsen was in a class of his own - he won three out of four races, but showed his true speed in Elimination 3, where an early mistake set him back and he passed Brendan Lorho like a rocket on the last beat! Although it's still early days, it looks like he's the one to beat, not only in this event but also in the battle for the season title... Lorho and Thijs Hanemaaijer went head-to-head, but with a win in Elimination 4, Lorho has the edge at this stage.
