Nanami Nagura of Japan was crowned World Air Guitar Champion in Oulu, northern Finland, winning a third round run off. The 19-year-old Nagura, who uses the stage name Seven Seas and is also national champion in Japan, picked up a handmade electric guitar. She was tied with US national champion Matt ‘Airistotle’ Burns after the first two rounds. Both scored 35.3 points, setting up a decisive ‘air-off’, spokeswoman Susanna Kyllonen told dpa. "It was a really tight competition," she said of the event. Defending world champion Eric ‘Mean’ Melin of the United States finished third, on 35 points. Contestants in the annual competition are judged on their ability to pretend to strum rock or heavy-metal electric solos - minus the instrument. In the first round of the finals the contestants were expected to play a song of their own choice. Nagura opted for a medley, comprising Battery by Metallica and Foo Fighters' Bridge Burning. In the second round, contestants have to play a compulsory song. This year the organisers selected TNT Diet by Michael Monroe. The song selected for the run off between Nagura and Burns was Animal, by Finnish band Sweatmaster. The two listened to it (only) once, before stepping onto the stage. In all, 16 contestants from Belgium, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Taiwan and the US made it to the final. Eight qualified from ‘dark horse’ rounds earlier in the week. The championships have been held in Oulu since 1996. A crowd of about 5,000 people watched the competition. Contestants this time were younger - in earlier competitions many contestants were were in their 30s. "Nagura, and Bulgaria's entry, Atanas 'Air Grinder' Tsvetkov, were both aged 19, while Burns was 24," Kyllonen said.
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