PWA Slalom World Cup

Windy start at the Windsurf World Cup on Fuerteventura - Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU-91) and William Huppert (FRA-330) lead the slalom ranking after the first races

27.07.2023 - Foil or fin - that is the big question at this year's PWA Windsurf World Cup on Fuerteventura. For the first time in the 35-year history of the event, slalom races here can be done with either a fin or a foil under the tail of the board.

The all-important question of whether windsurfing or windfoiling is faster was answered differently by the women and men.

The multiple freestyle, wave and slalom world champion Sarah-Quita Offringa from Aruba decided in favour of the fin under the windsurfing board and proved that this was the right choice with three victories in the four races of the first of five regatta days. Only in the last final was Spain's Blanca Alabau (E-3) able to escape her and save a narrow lead to the finish on the foil.

The men's race was a different story. Almost all of the 36 participants decided to compete with foil boards. Taty Frans (NB-9) from Bonaire stayed true to the fin and mixed in the field of today's superior Foilers. With his setup, he managed a seventh place in the final of the first race round, but is in 19th place overall in the addition of both eliminations. Dutchman Jordy Vonk (NED-69) switched from foil to fin in the meantime and reached 15th place in the ranking with this combination.

With stronger winds and more swell, this picture could change, as more riders are then likely to reach for the fin.

The leader of the 2023 Slalom Tour ranking, Poland's Maciek Rutkowski (POL-23), got off to a great start today with victory in the first race, but then faltered in the final runs of the second round. In the end, a collision with Italian Matteo Iachino (ITA-140), which was not his fault, meant that he only finished 16th in the second elimination. Overall, this results in fifth place after the opening day at Sotavento Beach.

The best German rider is currently Michele Becker in 9th place. After an early exit in the first round, he not only made it to the final in the second elimination, but also finished second there.

The slalom competition will run for four more days before the event winners are decided.

Hat-trick for Nicolas Goyard (F-465) and Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU-91)

28.07.2023 - Frenchman Nicolas Goyard takes the lead at the Windsurf World Cup in Fuerteventura with three wins. Sarah-Quita Offringa from Aruba also added three more wins to her points tally and continues to lead the women's standings. Denmark's Johan Soe (DEN-37) and Amado Vrieswijk (NB-20) from Bonaire follow in second and third positions.

The day started unusually cloudy but soon the typical Canarian summer weather with bright sunshine and constant trade winds returned. With the wind picking up, Frenchman Nicolas Goyard got the maximum out. Three wins in three finals were sufficient to put him in first place in the overall standings. However, the lead is wafer-thin, only 0.9 points separate him from second-placed Dane Johan Soe. Should Johan Soe finish just once ahead of Nicolas Goyard, the two would swap positions. Not far behind is Amado Vrieswijk, who is definitely one of the favourites in Fuerteventura.

In the women's race, Sarah-Quita Offringa leads almost unchallenged after nine individual races ahead of Marion Mortefon (FRA-118) and Justine Lemeteyer (F-171). Sarah-Quita Offringa continued to race exclusively with Finn, winning three of the five races held today and finishing the last one with a high jump over the finish line.

Three more days of battling for the slalom crown in the south of Fuerteventura, the winners will not be known until Monday.

Dane Johan Soe (DEN-37) takes the lead.

29.07.2023 - The trade winds started late today, blowing rather moderately at 12-19 knots, and were locally disturbed by a wind current running in the exact opposite direction as the day progressed. These wind shifts were the reason why only one men's race round could be held today. One start attempt in the women's race was aborted.

By winning the only race lap of the day, Denmark's Johan Soe also takes the overall lead in the event's 36-strong regatta field. He benefited from the crash of the Frenchman Nicolas Goyard in today's final. Amado Vrieswijk from Bonaire remains third.

The athletes still have two days left to achieve further results.

The day of the foiling French - Marion Mortefon and Nicolas Goyard put their foot down.

30.07.2023 - A total of seven results, 3 in the men's and 4 in the women's, were recorded today. The best performance came from Marion Mortefon and Nicolas Goyard, both from France.

Thanks mainly to the second strike result which is possible after the seventh race, Nicolas Goyard was able to move up in the overall standings. Two results from the first race rounds now fall under the table, plus a win, a fourth and a third place. Nicolas Goyard thus regained the lead in the overall standings from Dane Johan Soe, who, however, is only 1.9 points behind. Italian Matteo Iachino moved up to third place, partly due to his victory in the last race of the day.

In the women's field, Frenchwoman Marion Mortefon won three races today. She was thus able to take second place in the overall standings and close in on the leader Sarah-Quita Offringa. Marion Mortefon was sailing with a foil and it was exactly this choice that made the difference today. While Sarah-Quita Offringa finished sixth, two fourths and one third in the four races of the day with a Finn, her second strongest competitor, Spain's Blanca Alabau, also foiled ahead of her in all races. Now everything depends on the last two races, which are the maximum that can still be held tomorrow. With a lead of only 4.6 points, the windsurfer from Aruba will have to hope for strong winds to stand up to her foiling opponents.

Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU) and Nicolas Goyard (FRA) win the Slalom competition off Fuerteventura.

31.07.2023 - On the final day, the wind really picked up on Fuerteventura and created an appropriate setting for the last two races in the women's and men's events. After a total of eleven races, Frenchman Nicolas Goyard also held his own on the final day. Only the Dane Johan Soe could have threatened Goyard. But Soe retired in the last elimination with a broken mast and could no longer threaten Goyard's position. Third place went to Italy's Matteo Iachino, who had to fight for this position until the last race.

In the women's competition, the strong wind benefited Sarah-Quita Offringa, who had gambled on a lot of wind from the start when choosing her equipment. With victories in the two final races, the 19-time world champion once again demonstrated her extra class. Second place went to Marion Mortefon from France, ahead of Blanca Alabau from Spain.

The PWA Windsurf World Cup on Fuerteventura will continue with the freestyle discipline in the next few days. The event will run until 5 August.