They tried, but no one could Maikel Meleroundoubtedly the best freestyle representative of the moment who closed his performance with a double “back flip”, or what is the same, two 360 degree turns in the air that lifted the spectators from their seats.
The new edition of the Leomotor Freestyle Cup, sponsored by LA NUEVA ESPAÑA, packed the Palacio de los Deportes in Gijón yesterday, as the list of participants was the best in recent years with three world champions in contention. If Melero took the final victory, the show was undoubtedly put on by Edgar Torronteras, ET, who for years has been one of the favorite drivers of the Asturian public. Edgar excitedly dedicated his performance to his sister who died 14 years ago precisely when she was traveling to Gijón to see him in one of the first editions of this test. Torronteras not only finished in third position in the final standings, but also sang and interacted with the audience that responded to all of his requests, including a wave in slow motion from a crowded stands. This year the test had some innovations such as a new reception surface that replaced the original earth and the later metallic one. The one released this year was a gigantic inflatable on which the participants fell with much greater security. In addition, the gigantic marker that he had hung from the ceiling is no longer in the Palacio de los Deportes, which allows the pilots to gain more height in their jumps. Another novelty is that there was no initial high jump, which was replaced by a double round of freestyle in which the pilots gave their all from the first jump.
Dani Torres, Edgar Torronteras and Maikel Melero played from the start for the podium positions, relegating fellow world champion Remy Bizouard, winner once in Gijón, to fourth position. Javi Dolls and Francis Costela were fifth and sixth, respectively.
Melero was the clear winner since in addition to his double “back flip” he performed a “front flip” that nobody repeated. Second place was so close that it ended in a tie, but Dani Torres was second because he had a better qualification in the final round.
The organization of this traditional Christmas event wanted to take advantage of this year’s edition to pay tributes, one to the late worker of the Municipal Sports Board and one of those responsible for the fact that Gijón was one of the important stops in the freestyle competitions, Javier Faes. His daughter Paula and his wife Begoña collected a souvenir. The other honoree was the young pilot Pablo Suárez Jandrina, runner-up in the trial world in the TR2 category.
The final touch was, as in previous editions, a carousel in which the six participating pilots performed their best tricks one after the other and at high speed, so there were practically always two pilots in the air. Fans are already eagerly awaiting the next edition.
