Valerie Ghibaudo is crowned as the 2009 Costa Brava Champion
The final day of the 2009 PWA Costa Brava World Cup summarised the frustrating week of waiting. With a solid forecast, all hope was for one last blast of action to cap off the event with some late drama. All the ingredients were in place for a grand finale, but as the wind filled in high-level cloud moved into town, shutting down the breeze
photos PWA
Valerie Ghibaudo took the honours in the women’s fleet, with an inspiring start to her season. Like Antoine, back-to-back victories puts her in a powerful position for the end of year ranking. When asked how she felt, the answer was typical of the French speed queen.
Valerie Ghibaudo “’appy, ‘appy, ‘appy. It’s my second win and puts me in a very good position for the overall tour. Last year I did really badly in Costa Brava, so it’s nice to come back this year and win.”
World Champ Karin Jaggi (F2/Severne) saw her world title chances take a massive blow. With two 1st places for Valerie, Karin will need to pull out all the stops to get ahead.
“I am a bit disappointed. We only had one race and I made a small mistake at the start of the final. My equipment was feeling very fast, but with only one race there was no chance of a come back. Now it is going to be really hard for the overall. Valerie has to really mess up, but 2nd is not too bad.”
Marta Hlavaty (Starboard/MauiSails) stood proud at the prize giving, celebrating her premier PWA podium position. She was clearly happy to make the podium:
Marta Hlavaty “I am a little bit surprised for sure, but I came to the event much more tuned up and ready this year. My gear and my training were better and I felt really confident on the water.”
The closing ceremony ended with an element of fun when competitors were awarded their own local ‘porons’ of wine. For a full list of results, an updated photo gallery and much more check out www.pwaworldtour.com
