As announced, the first strokes of the oars were given at 10 o’clock sharp, under a bright sun and crushing heat. Heading for Hitia’a with 22 km to go in the presence of about fifteen follow-up boats. Shortly before noon, Kyle Taraufau was the first to cross the finish line, in front of the marina. “My goal was to go as straight as possible to Hitia’a. I believed in my course, and I think that’s what made the difference by staying to the left to avoid the current coming out of the pass at the finish, when everyone was rather to the right. I remained confident: it bodes well for the future! We’ll try to keep up this momentum.”he told us, determined to do better than last year, when he finished sixth overall.
The ‘aito of the day did not fail to congratulate his comrade from Team Air Tahiti Va’a, Hotuiterai Poroi, who came second less than thirty seconds behind. “The conditions were quite difficult, with the high heat and the calm sea. I still managed to do better than last year, where I came sixth on this first stage. And above all, it was my team mate, Kyle Taraufau, who won! We still have two days left, so we’re going to try to continue to make our mark on each other, and we’re still going to keep an eye on the next ones.”the rower prepares, especially since several other champions crossed the finish line neck and neck a minute later, such as Hitiroa Masingue and Steeve Teihotaata.
Disappointment, however, for the yellow jersey Kevin Céran-Jérusalémy, who finished in ninth place, more than two minutes behind the leader. But the winner of the 2023 edition has probably not said his last word.
