Insane
26th January 2003, 07:34 PM
Kuala Lumpur, 24 January 2003
Today welcomed the start of competition for Wakeboarding and Bicycle Stunt Vert at the Asian X Games V presented by Toyota. Athletes braved the intense heat to get one step closer to finals on Saturday and Sunday, while Mat “the Condor” Hoffman ended the day with a special demo on the vert ramp, proving once again why he is the best vert rider in the world.
Bicycle Stunt vert finals brought seven riders from Australia and Japan to the ramp today to vie for the chance to reign as vert champion. Spectator stands and every area in between were filled with excited fans waiting to see the riders in action. Matt Fairbairn of Australia led the pack early on and continued to put in top performances all the way to gold with the difficult variation of an X-up to double barspin and huge 540s to end both runs.
Alongside Fairbairn on the podium today was second place finisher Seiji Saito of Japan. No stranger to the Asian X Games, Saito, who at last year’s Asian X Games also took silver, performed the highest airs of the day and landed back-to-back tricks to put him closely behind Fairbairn. Shuji Ueyama, also of Japan, rounded out the top three, clinching the bronze with two runs highlighted by original style and filled with multiple tricks including opposite airs.
Out at the Mines Resort and Spa, the wakeboarding prelims saw athletes from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Thailand and New Caledonia qualifying for tomorrow’s finals. Lone Australian and veteran of five Asian X Games Adam Bruce showed great form at the prelims and is a serious contender for top spot. Japanese wakeboarders outnumber any other country with five out of the 12 athletes competing in the finals. Thai wakeboarder Akarin Intaragranchit, who injured his ankle during the morning practice still managed a clean run to qualify. All of these athletes will be aiming for gold and a chance to go to LA this year.
Back at the KLCC site, Moto X continued to awe the crowd. People in the stands at the park course on the other side of the venue could still see the riders take to the air. The four pros from the United States - Jake Windham, Chuck Carothers, Jeremy Carter and Doug Parsons - are displaying their best tricks for Kuala Lumpur and will be performing at the Asian X Games all weekend.
Other events that took place today were: Skateboarding park preliminaries, Aggressive In-line vert preliminaries, and Men and Women Bouldering semi-finals. The finals for each of these events will be held Saturday and Sunday.
Today welcomed the start of competition for Wakeboarding and Bicycle Stunt Vert at the Asian X Games V presented by Toyota. Athletes braved the intense heat to get one step closer to finals on Saturday and Sunday, while Mat “the Condor” Hoffman ended the day with a special demo on the vert ramp, proving once again why he is the best vert rider in the world.
Bicycle Stunt vert finals brought seven riders from Australia and Japan to the ramp today to vie for the chance to reign as vert champion. Spectator stands and every area in between were filled with excited fans waiting to see the riders in action. Matt Fairbairn of Australia led the pack early on and continued to put in top performances all the way to gold with the difficult variation of an X-up to double barspin and huge 540s to end both runs.
Alongside Fairbairn on the podium today was second place finisher Seiji Saito of Japan. No stranger to the Asian X Games, Saito, who at last year’s Asian X Games also took silver, performed the highest airs of the day and landed back-to-back tricks to put him closely behind Fairbairn. Shuji Ueyama, also of Japan, rounded out the top three, clinching the bronze with two runs highlighted by original style and filled with multiple tricks including opposite airs.
Out at the Mines Resort and Spa, the wakeboarding prelims saw athletes from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Thailand and New Caledonia qualifying for tomorrow’s finals. Lone Australian and veteran of five Asian X Games Adam Bruce showed great form at the prelims and is a serious contender for top spot. Japanese wakeboarders outnumber any other country with five out of the 12 athletes competing in the finals. Thai wakeboarder Akarin Intaragranchit, who injured his ankle during the morning practice still managed a clean run to qualify. All of these athletes will be aiming for gold and a chance to go to LA this year.
Back at the KLCC site, Moto X continued to awe the crowd. People in the stands at the park course on the other side of the venue could still see the riders take to the air. The four pros from the United States - Jake Windham, Chuck Carothers, Jeremy Carter and Doug Parsons - are displaying their best tricks for Kuala Lumpur and will be performing at the Asian X Games all weekend.
Other events that took place today were: Skateboarding park preliminaries, Aggressive In-line vert preliminaries, and Men and Women Bouldering semi-finals. The finals for each of these events will be held Saturday and Sunday.