Documentary: KTA Asia Pacific Hydrofoil Series Malaysia
by KTA Asia Pacific Hydrofoil Series 5 May 2019 21:10 NZST
14-16 December 2018
Day 3 - KTA Asia Pacific Hydrofoil Series Malaysia © Alexandru Baranescu
KTA Asia Pacific Hydrofoil Series Desaru Coast took place from the 14-16th of December along the sandy shores of eastern Johor, Malaysia.
Following on from the first ever leg of the series - which was held in Koh Samui, Thailand early this summer - this event sees 40 registered riders from 18 different countries go head to head to compete for the title and 5,000 USD of prize money.
The leader of the weekend in the men's division, Max Maeder, maintained his overall lead throughout the final day, coming in first in every race but his last, when he miscalculated his position for crossing the finish line and ended on the wrong side of the finish boat. Even so, Max's near flawless performance across the weekend has secured him the number one spot for the competition.
Coming in second overall, Daniel Leow pulled off an excellent performance throughout the day, achieving second and third place for each of his races. He was closely followed by Thailand's Whatcharpong Juntham, whose efforts today have earned him a well deserved third place on the podium. Daniel also sits at the top of the leaderboard in the Master's class, followed by Korea's Soon Ho Kwon in second and Japan's Kazumasa Sugihara in third.
In the women's division, it's Emi Hirada who will be walking away with first prize after a well-fought battle in the challenging conditions, closely followed by Thailand's Fon Benyapa Jantawan in second place.
The evening closed with a prize giving ceremony right on the golden sands of Desaru Beach, along with a relaxed social evening which saw athletes, spectators, and staff enjoying a collective wind down after the full weekend of action.