- It was an action-packed first day of competition in Leucate as we completed the full Surf-Freestyle discipline for the women, and up to the finals for the men
- Bowien van der Linden takes the win for the women’s Surf-Freestyle division
- We’re on hourly calls on the second day of the competition, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the wind
For the third event of the GWA Wingfoil World Tour this season, 48 men and 18 women have registered to compete. As the 26th edition of the Mondial du Vent in Leucate, it’s evident why this location is a prime spot for the World Tour.
With a solid forecast, the first competition day kicked off early with a skipper’s meeting at 7:30 am, promising a full day of Surf-Freestyle action from sunrise to sunset.
SEEDING ROUNDS
The seeding rounds for both men and women were first in sequence. The seeding rounds are a new addition to this season and were introduced to improve fairness in competition and ensure that nobody is eliminated in the first round. It simply ensures a fair seeding in Round 1 for all athletes. It also gives an accurate seeding into the main event according to the actual conditions that we have at that location.
WOMEN’S HEATS
After completing the seeding rounds by midday, we moved on to the women’s division, taking advantage of the strong Tramontana wind that allowed us to progress through the rounds at a steady pace.
The women exhibited fantastic performances in their heats, culminating in an intense showdown during the final between Nia Suardiaz from Spain and Bowien van der Linden from the Netherlands.
Nia opened the heat with a bang, stomping a 6.10 point Frontside 3. She followed it up with a solid Toeside Frontside 5. For Bowien, however, consistency was the name of the game, landing nine trick attempts and gaining an overall score of 21 points, giving her the win here at the Mondial du Vent!
WOMEN’S SURF-FREESTYLE RESULTS
Bowien van der Linden (NED)
Nia Suardiaz (ESP)
Paula Novotna (CZE)
Mar de Arce (ESP)
MEN’S HEATS
As we moved on to the men’s elimination, all of top seeds made a strong start to the competition, throwing down big manoeuvres from the start. Bastien Escofet scored the highest trick score of Round 1, earning a perfect 10 points for his outstanding combo trick consisting of a Frontside 7 into a Frontside 3 with height and clean execution.
In Round 2, the pressure was mounting as athletes had to go all-in to advance over their competitors.
There were several surprise eliminations during this round, with Titouan Galea being the first big name to be knocked out of the competition, by young rider Axel Gerard. Bastien Escofet was also defeated by Noe Cuyala, unable to repeat his high scoring tricks from Round 1.
Men’s Quarter Finals
Axel Gerard continued his impressive performance as he defeated Noe Cuyala and secured his place in the semi-finals. Xavi Corr also excelled, advancing over the current World Champion Malo Guenole with high scores in the innovation category.
Alan Fedit had another great heat, beating Riccardo Zorzi, and the last spot in the semi-finals went to Balz Muller, who had an incredibly close heat with Christopher MacDonald.
Men’s Semi-Finals
Axel Gerard stormed into semi-final 1 wasting no time, and stomped a clean Backflip followed by a Frontflip. Xavi Corr responded with the same tricks, but but then on his 5th trick attempt threw down a 9.40 innovation trick and with that he nailed his spot in the finals.
Alan Fedit continued to push the boundaries of the innovation category in the second semi-final. Balz Muller, one of the most experienced athletes on the tour, was close behind him, but Alan’s final score of 8.60 points was enough to secure a well-deserved spot in the final.
The wind unfortunately dropped before we could complete the men’s final, which will be Alan Fedit vs Xavi Corr. There is still plenty more action to come this week as we complete the men’s Surf-Freestyle discipline and move over to the FreeFly-Slalom discipline.
READ FULL REPORT HERE
Report from Wednesday’s action
Leucate-La Franqui, France
Words: Gemma Hamaini
Photos: Lukas K Stiller
Video: Mintautas Grigas
