Moroz Wins 2nd Consecutive World Crown
December 11, 2017
Junior Daniela Moroz swept away the competition at the women’s IKA Formula Kite World Championships in Muscat, Oman on November 19-24, winning her 2nd consecutive world title.
Kitesurfing combines many aspects of surfing and wakeboarding into 1 sport, which means Moroz can reach speeds of up to 40 knots even in the light conditions at the Gulf of Oman.
According to Linda Moroz, Daniela Moroz’s mother, her daughter had participated in several other international championships leading up to the world event, including the European Championships in Turkey, an event in Sydney, Australia, and another in Mauritius, Africa.
With all the international travel, Moroz had to miss a considerable amount school in the fall. She didn’t attend as many events as other kiteboarders and was accordingly ranked 3rd by the International Kiteboarding Association prior to the world championship. However, she was undefeated.
In an interview with her sponsor, the St. Francis Sailing Foundation, Moroz said, “Once school started at the end of August, I didn’t have as many opportunities to really train on the water outside of events, so I tried to make up for that by going to the gym and swim practice, and really paying attention to what I was eating.”
Moroz admitted that she considers herself better in harder conditions because she practices in San Francisco. The conditions at the race varied from 6-25 knots each day, which affects the speed and type of kite each surfer uses. “I think that’s the best kind of event because that way only the true best people can win because they have to be good in everything,” Moroz said.
Because of the varying conditions, Moroz had to switch out her equipment to what was better suited for the race. She used Ozone R1 V2’s and Mike’sLab board and foil “almost every kite I registered,” said Moroz.
Although it was not her 1st time, attempting to win consecutive world championships put extra pressure on Moroz. “Coming into this there was a lot of expectation heaped on me, but I managed to stay calm. I just had fun with it and tried to keep all the pressure out of my mind,” she said.
By the first race, Moroz had gained a 27-point lead ahead of 2nd place, Russia’s Elena Kalinina. By the end of the 1st day, she had won all but 1 race.
On the 2nd day, Moroz won 10 out of 12 races.
According to Lectronic Lattitude, a kitesurfing magazine, Moroz won the women’s division with a day to spare, on November 23. Out of a total of 58 sailors from 22 countries, Moroz was 1 of 6 women in Muscat.
As for the rest of the year, Moroz said she would like to focus her energy on school. But next year, she’ll attempt to add a 3rd consecutive championship win to her resume.
