Marc Jacobs is back in the groove on the Virgin World Kitesurf Championship professional tour.
Marc Jacobs is back in the groove on the Virgin World Kitesurf Championship professional tour.
Mount Maunganui kitesurfer Marc Jacobs has bounced back from a season-ending injury in 2014 to claim a victory in the second event of the 2015 Virgin World Kitesurf Championships.
The 25-year-old stormed to the win in the big air discipline at the second round in Isla De Coche, Venezuela, bettering, by one place, his result from the first round in Morocco and pipping the winner of that round, Netherlands' Kevin Langeree.
Severe knee damage - tearing his meniscus when landing heavily on a large wave - saw Jacobs pull out of last year's tour, with four rounds remaining, while second overall.
"(The win) definitely feels good, especially after the injury," he said.
"An injury definitely sets you back and winning an event like that gets you back in the groove."
A combination of tricky conditions on the day and his physique made him question his ability to win.
"Conditions were tough," he said "I was on my biggest kite and I wasn't expecting to win because I'm one of the heaviest guys competing in big air.
"But, luckily, I spin fast and I ended up doing some really good tricks.
'I'm happy with what I did, a Kung Fu pass spin, spin, spin and five flips with a grab the whole way. For the conditions I think it's pretty good.
"I'm stoked and happy to finally win in big air because coming second in Morocco just made me want to win the next one."
While Jacobs' season-ending injury happened at last year's Fuerteventura, remarkably he managed to compete in the following round in Germany. "That type of injury can't be diagnosed without a scan, but I knew something was wrong."
Rest was his only treatment.
"I was trying to not think about it because I knew I had a comp coming up, but when competing in Germany I knew it was something serious because of how sharp the pain was."
The world kitesurfing tour this year is vastly changed from its 2014 incarnation, with rights to the series being bought by Virgin.
All rounds are scheduled to feature freestyle and big air competitions and there will also be wave competitions at some.
"It's really cool that the tour is now offering both because the spectators really enjoy seeing the height of the big air."
Jacobs started kitesurfing in 2006. With just a kite and no board, he would jump off sand dunes to get used to flying and handling the kite.
He started competing professionally in 2011, finishing third overall.
The next event on the tour is in Tarifa, in Spain, starting on July 11.
- Bay of Plenty Times