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Rey Del Rio Waterfall Kayak Championships

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AaronNRS ambassador Aaron Koch had a front row seat at this year’s inaugural Rey Del Rio waterfall kayak championships while helping set safety for the groundbreaking event. Here’s his report.

 

It’s not very often that you get invited to a whitewater event that has never been done before. This year my company, Kayak Huasteca, was invited to bring competitors and help with safety at the Rey Del Rio waterfall championships. The three-stage competition took place on the Cascadas de Agua Azul in the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico, where aquamarine waters cascade over a complex series of travertine drops and slides. As you can imagine, the event was insane!

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After an opening day of time trials, the Rey Del Rio kicked into high gear on day two with a boatercross competition. 25 elite kayakers from around the world went head to head in eight heats with the winners continuing to the next rounds. There was a series of three drops on the race course.

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1st drop: A 90-foot slide, with a 20-foot freefall at the bottom.
2nd drop: A cushy, sweet 25-foot boof.
3rd Drop: A 30-footer with a technical entry and three-foot-tall reactionary waves!

race slide entrance

It was the perfect venue for a boatercross competition. Pat Keller took the win, with Dane Jackson and Egor Voskoboynikov rounding out the top three.

last lap for the media

The next day was the freestyle event, whichtook place on three big waterfalls that conclude the last series of rapids on the Agua Azul. It was unlike any other whitewater course I’ve ever seen, with a 40-foot waterfall leading into a 60-foot drop before finishing with a 50-footer. The athletes were judged on three criteria: Progression, Flow and Style. Keller again took the win, followed by Rush Sturges and Aniol Serrasolses.

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Needless to say, it was a spectacular event. Incredible athletes on an incredible river. Lots of tacos consumed and good times had by all. This is the kind of event that Mexico, and kayaking, need. It has the potential to bring some real notoriety to the sport, especially when it’s done with safety in mind, like this event was.

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Until next year, keep those lines clean and don’t forget to tuck!