French riders dominate rivals in wakeboard worlds

MANILA, Philippines - Frenchman Raphael Menconi used his experience to outclass the field and capture the veterans men’s crown in the World Cable Wakeboard Championships 2012 at the Deca Clark Wakeboard Park in Angeles City, Pampanga yesterday.

Menconi, coming off a victory in the European Championships in Toulouse last September, earned three 75s in the first three judges with the veteran 41-year-old rider besting Germany’s 2010 world champion Wolfram Wagner, and Great Britain’s Lee Mart for the top plum.

Wagner settled for second this time with 68.67 points from 69-68-69 while Mart had three 64s for third in the six-day event backed by Rixen Cableways, IWWF Wakeboard 2020 Vision, Smart, Gatorade, Deca Homes, Stoked Inc, RipCurl, Monster Energy Drink, Devant LED TV, Bacardi, Department of Tourism Region 3, Aktion Parks, Plus Event Marketing and organized by Eventking Corp.

Teener Clement De Premonville, also of France, saved his best in Run2 to top the junior men final with 83.33 points with the 17-year-old bet frustrating a pair of Germans in Moritz Thiele and Marcel Tilwitz, who finished with 78 and 68, respectively, in the event held in cooperation with the Waterski and Wakeboard Association of the Philippines. 

Filipino Angelo Louise Linao wound up eighth with 20.67 points in Run1.

Israel’s Ori Boujo, meanwhile, topped the junior ladies final wakeskate, assembling 47-46-50 for a 47.67-point output to beat Australia’s Jaimi Oxlade, who had 42.67, and Sophie Cordery of Great Britain, who made 34.

Host Philippines’ entry in the six-rider finale, Mike Selga of Davao, wound up last in the field with an average of 22.67 in Run2.

The event, bidding for a berth in the 2020 Olympics, also features the men’s and women’s competitions in the Open, veterans and masters categories as well as the highly technical Wake Skate discipline.
Early winners were Hegedus Akos of Hungary, who topped the boys’ division and Sanne Meijer of the Netherlands, who reigned in the girls’ side Wednesday.