F-One athlete Christopher MacDonald put on a masterclass in the final for the GWA Freestyle event in Fuerteventura, for HUGE scores. The level of freestyle tricks evolving in the sport is beyond crazy, and only getting more intense. He is a perfect 1-1-1 in all three past events, Leucate (France), Tarifa (Spain) and Furteventura (Canary Islands), putting a stamp on the competition and proving to be pretty much unbeatable this year. Stay tuned for the final event of the year upcoming in Brazil!
The progression train started by the champion last spring with his first win, launched a demand for quality over quantity by the judges that drove GWA riders to hit every trick harder, higher and with more control. In Fuerteventura, they battled through this rising tide of challengers and closed out the final jam session with near perfection.
“I’m super proud of all these guys,” said MacDonald who was trading the lead in the finals jump-for-jump with Axel Gerard (FRA) who had dropped an event high trick score of 9.7 with a triple backflip combo in the semifinals. “Coming into this I thought I had an advantage, but everyone showed me they’re right there with me or even ahead of me.”
Gerard was gathering 8-point then 9-point scores in the finals but MacDonald would hit the same trick, just higher, crisper and with smoother landings, gaining a half point here and there. Xavier Corr (ESP) was the lone challenger to the battling pair after Malo Guénolé (FRA) qualified for the finals but was carried off the beach on a stretcher in the middle of his semifinal heat when a landing went wrong and he injured his arm and back.
When the dust settled, Gerard had a 28 points and MacDonald had a miraculous 28.89 punctuated by a 9.83 frontside 1080 he said, “was the best of my life.”