Wazzup Pilipinas!
Young water sport champ Christian Tio reached for the skies and the top spot, finishing third in the U19 (under 19) Men’s category, at the 2016 Kiteboarding Youth Cup (KYC) held from June 27 to July 3, 2016 at Camping La Ballena Alegre in the coastal region of Costa Brava, Spain. Maxime Chabloz from Switzerland and Roman Giuliano from France came in at first and second places, respectively.
The first four days saw Tio, a Boracay native and the Philippines’ first-ever Red Bull international sponsored athlete, weathering unfavorable wind conditions and rendered him initially unable to complete a full run on testy waters. In time, the tides turned and Tio pulled through with an impressive combination of his signature moves – easily knocking out his quarter-final competitor but failing to surprass the Frenchman Giuliano in the Semi-Finals due to sporadic winds and consistency.
Tio has competed and ranked number 2 in the world twice before: in the consecutive riding seasons of 2014 and 2015 at what was then dubbed the Junior Virgin Kitesurfing World Championships also held in Costa Brava.
Organizers of the KYC, recognizing 15-year-old Tio’s above average skill level, moved him up from the U17 (under 17) category to the U19. Despite the age discrepancy, the young athlete was still the number 1 seed among fellow competitors – further proof of his exceptional, world-class talent.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
