Australian star Nic Rapa produced a dazzling performance on Friday to stay firmly on course for a gold medal at the 2019 IWWF World Wakeboard Championships in Abu Dhabi.

Rapa underlined his status as one of the sport’s best and most daring professional athletes by producing three double flips in a single run for a brilliant top score of 93.56 in the Open Men’s quarter final heats.

The other heat winners among 12 riders going through to the Saturday morning semi-finals were

Japan’s Shota Tezuka, Australian Tony Iacconi and Italian Massimiliano Piffaretti.

Meanwhile, the first two gold medals to be secured in Abu Dhabi went to Australian Sienna Curren in the Under 14 Girls and Brazil’s Mariana Nep in the Over 30 Master Women.

Argentina’s Eugenia De Armas also moved to within reach of the biggest win of her career in the 2019 IWWF World Wakeboard Championships on Friday as the sport’s leading athletes set the stage for an enthralling grand finale in Abu Dhabi.

With De Armas landing the top score to progress from the Open Women’s semi-finals, the biggest surprise was the failure of Australian leading qualifier Zahra Kell to reach the Saturday afternoon final after falling twice in her heat.

But there was no stopping 19-year-old Italian twins Alice and Chiara Virag who both went through from the same heat to join De Armas, Japan’s Hinata Yoshihara, American Tara Mikacich and the Netherlands’ Sanne Meijer.

Among the first to congratulate the Virag sisters was Italian powerboat racing legend Guido Cappellini, manager of F1H2O world champions Team Abu Dhabi and former ten-times world champion driver, who was among the onlookers.

De Armas said: “Making it to the final here is for me the biggest thing I’ve ever done. I’m so excited and happy about it. The best way for me to win will be to go and do the things I know, and have fun. I’m going to risk it a little more tomorrow at the end of the second pass.”

Meijer, winner at the recent ANOC Worlds Beach Games, declared at the start of the week that she would need a miracle to secure another gold medal in Abu Dhabi.

“I really expected Zahra (Kell) to be in the final and somehow she didn’t make it, so doors are opening,” she said. “For the final, I want to change some stuff, but I’m not sure if I’m confident enough. All the girls are really good and we’re very close to each to each other. It just depends on who survives.”


Other Saturday finalists

Over-40 Veteran Men: Francesco Starita (Italy), Daniel Duquesnoy (France), Dayle Cartwright (USA), Travis Osborne (Australia), Dominik Lindemann (Germany), Bryan Simpson (New Zealand).

Over 30 Master Men: Marcelo Giardi (Brazil), Lucas Langlois (France), David Coates (Ireland),

Adam Fields (USA), Yann Calvez (France), Peter Steward (Ireland).

Under 14 Boys: Riito Shikai (Japan), Mikhail Doladov (Russia), Frederico Dal Lago (Italy), Alex

Albin (USA), Noah Bollard (Australia), Stefano James Comollo (Italy).

Junior Men: Maxime Roux (France), Pablo Monroy (Mexico), Wanley Fendrich (Germany), Sam Brown, Bryce Grey (Australia), Jamie Huser (Switzerland).



Saturday’s schedule:

8:00am - Over 40 Veteran Women Final                         

8:30am - Over 40 Veteran Men Final    9:15am -  Over 30 Master Men Final         10:00am - Under 14 Boys Wakeboard Final                     10:30am -  Open Men Heat 1 Semi-finals    Open Men Heat 2 Semi-finals         12:30pm -  Junior Women Final         1:00pm -  Junior Men Final               1:45pm -      Open Women Final         2:30pm -  Open Men Final