The final day in Korea saw yet more twists and turns, in an event where no-one has been able to dominate. One more elimination was completed on Friday and the tricky Korean waters continued to claim new victims. As the 2012 PWA Ulsan World Cup concluded, Valerie Arrighetti (Tabou / Gaastra / Mystic) who had stepped up to the plate to reign victorious at Jinha beach.
Women
Elimination Five
It was not only in the men’s division that the current event leader would be missing from the winner’s final, as Deja Vu struck when Valerie Arrighetti (Tabou / Gaastra / Mystic) made the same mistake of sailing to the wrong buoy in her heat. The French woman had been leading but she finished in seventh place to miss out on heat four.
Losers' Final
Arrighetti picked herself up from the disappointment of missing the winner’s final by winning heat three, despite not having the best start. Once she was at the top, there was no way she was letting her lead slip this time and she powered home to victory. Japan’s Ayako Suzuki (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic) enjoyed an excellent race to claim second place, whilst her fellow countryman Mio Anayama (Starboard / NeilPryde) finished third. Fourth went to Lise Vidal (Fanatic / North).
Winners' Final
Karin Jaggi (Severne / Patrik) failed to punish her rival, Arrighetti’s, mistake as she finished in third place. This wasn’t good enough to knock Arrighetti off her throne and the French woman was let off the hook. Credit shouldn’t be taken away from either Delphine Cousin (JP / NeilPryde) or Fujiko Onishi though, as Cousin led from the beginning to the end as she won the fifth elimination, whilst Onishi finished second. Alice Arutkin (Starboard / North) couldn’t quite hold off the challenge of Jaggi and she had to settle for fourth.
After the days action we caught up with the winners of the 2012 PWA Ulsan World Cup Korea:Valerie Arrighetti:
How were you feeling after your mistake in the semi-final and how did that compare to when you knew you had won?
“I thought I had ruined my chances of winning the event. I was sure that Karin Jaggi would go on to win as she is such a good competitor. I was just left to pray that she didn’t win. I watched the winner’s final and I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw that Karin was in third place. It hasn’t fully settled in yet that I have won, as I have a lot of things running through my head, but I’m obviously delighted because I knew I had to win here to improve my overall ranking. I really thought it wasn’t going to be my year in Korea, especially after the last race yesterday when I got seaweed around my fin on the last reach and it cost me first place. Luck was definitely shining on me today.”The 2012 PWA Ulsan World Cup Overall Standings : Women’s Slalom
