Stone knocks rivals cold in classic

Geraldton’s Jaeger Stone says he took a lot of confidence from his second consecutive victory in the Lancelin Ocean Classic’s wave competition.

The PWA world No.3 beat a star-studded field that included world No.1 Philip Koster and the UK’s Robby Swift.

“Knowing that I can compete in those conditions and that I’m mobile and feel really comfortable, and to do enough to impress the judges to be awarded the win for that little event was good,” he said.

“There is just more of an emphasis on wave riding, which is the surfing aspect of windsurfing so (it is about) just selecting the right waves.

“You can still do tricks on the wave, no problem, it’s just the jumping that’s taken out of it a little bit more.”

Light conditions meant the competition was held in an “expression session” format rather than the traditional heat system, which meant all competitors went into the water at the same time for half and hour of intense action.

A lack of wind meant there was more of an emphasis on wave riding and Stone adapted best to the conditions to be awarded top honours by the judges.

“I was lucky enough to move around and I had some big gear that helped me out a lot, so I managed to win it,” Stone said.

“It would have been a really good opportunity if they had run it as a normal competition.

“I think of that event as preparation for the world tour, so if I had got to sail against Philip Koster, the world champion, or Robbie Swift — these top Professional Windsurfers Association sailors — in a normal format, it would have been really good.

“But I just tried to treat it the same and sail with the same intensity, so it was good fun.”

Stone will be travelling as part of the PWA World Tour, which starts in July.