September 21, 2024
Day 4 of the 2024 FPT Geneva saw the completion of the fleets for the final. The top 8 for the men was finalized with Lennart Neubauer (Starboard/Severne/Maui Ultra Fins), Jamie Howard (Severne), George Grisley (Duotone) and Tigo Kort (JP/NeilPryde). In the women’s, Lisa Kloster (MB-Boards/Sailloft) will join Maaike Huvermann (Severne/Maui Ultra Fins) in their showdown for event winner tomorrow. Check out the highlight video and the full account of day 4 below.
As always, the day was marked by a waiting game for wind. The forecast was relentless though, no Foilstyle would be seen today. The riders indulged in a pump foiling competition though to pass the time until the afternoon training sessions started. The second qualification round was on the menu, deciding which 4 men and 1 woman will join for the grand final tomorrow. Check out the stream from the qualification session below:
The big upset of the second round was Julien Mas (Gunsails). The french rider, known for his Tow-In skills in the past, had come back from retirement after being inspired by previous action in Geneva. Unfortunately, his performance did not live up to the expectations he set in the practice sessions. In the end it was Tigo Kort who put him across the line, thanks to a wonderful Culo.
The next one to make it in was George Grisley. The defending 2023 Tow-In Champion had big plans for the session. Due to being a Goofy footer, he had to put in his runs early, meaning that he could not respond to his opponents scores. He put in tow solid double air rotations, followed by a Double Air Funnel. The Combo move was clearly done for safety, as his eyes were set on the Air Funnel Burner instead. Nevertheless, he managed to amass enough points to safely go through.
Following his british compatriot, Jamie Howard was not in a great position to advance until his last run. With the points being super close, all potentially qualifying riders within a point of eachother, he had to go all in for the last run. Delivering on his reputation, he landed a beautiful Pasko rotation, staying dry on his board. Adding a claim to the crowds afterwards, he knew he secured himself a spot in the final.
At the top of the scoring sheets – Lennart Neubauer. The current Tow-In tour leader was dominating this exchange, with countless clean moves. Most impressively, he knocked it out of the park with one of the most pristine and powerful Pasko rotations ever seen in Tow-In. Masterfully stopping the rotation mid-air and stomping the landing, he kept his hair dry throughout the entire session.
In the women’s, Lisa Kloster fought it out with Anina Heimoz for a spot in the final. Lisa landed a solid Air Funnel to take out her opponent behind the wakeboat wave. It will be exciting to see Lisa square up against Maaike Huvermann again tomorrow, considering how close she was getting in terms of scores last year.
Curious about the finals? They start tomorrow at 14:15 local time. Tune into the livestream linked below:
Qualified for Final:
Yentel Caers
Lennart Neubauer
Sam Esteve
Foivos Tsoupras
Tim Gerdes
George Grisley
Jamie Howard
Tigo Kort
Qualified for Women’s FInal:
Maaike Huvermann
Lisa Kloster
