Report from Day Five – Sotavento, Fuerteventura
FINAL EVENT WRAP-UP
- Two disciplines within five days of competition were completed
- Suardiaz won both FreeFly-Slalom & Surf-Freestyle divisions
- Macdonald took the win in Surf-Freestyle and Galea fought hard to secure the top podium of the FreeFly-Slalom discipline
The final day of the competition at the GWA Wingfoil World Cup in Fuerteventura saw the climactic finale of three days of FreeFly-Slalom action with the 40 men battling through nine elimination rounds on Sotavento’s turquoise waters, fuelled by 30 knots’ breezes.
France’s Titouan Galea clinched the title in the FreeFly-Slalom battles at the GWA Wingfoil World Cup in Fuerteventura, Spain, in a thrilling contest that went down to the wire on the final day. The veteran racer sealed the win in the very last race, just seeing off a stiff challenge from his closest rival, Italy’s Francesco Cappuzzo, by the finest of margins. It gave Galea back-to-back FreeFly-Slalom crowns in the Canaries, a week after he landed the win in Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria.
The women’s FreeFly-Slalom had already been concluded on day four. After 15 elimination rounds, Spain’s Nia Suardiaz had proved almost unbeatable. The 16-year-old had won 13 of the rounds and had the title in the bag long before the finish. The young Spaniard was equally dominant as she grabbed the Surf-Freestyle crowns at both Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura, where wingfoiling was making its debut as the historic event celebrated its 35th year.
The 35th edition of the Fuerteventura World Cup was also host to a piece of history. On consecutive Sundays, the US’s Chris MacDonald, 17, landed the Surf-Freestyle titles with unmatched riding that left rivals flailing.
SURF-FREESTYLE RESULTS
Women’s Surf-Freestyle:
1 Nia Suardiaz 🇪🇸
2 Bowien van der Linden 🇳🇱
3 Orane Ceris 🇫🇷
Men’s Surf-Freestyle:
1 Christopher MacDonald 🇺🇸
2 Jerome Cloetens 🇪🇸🇧🇪
3 Malo Guénolé 🇫🇷
FREEFLY-SLALOM RESULTS
Women’s FreeFly-Slalom:
1 Nia Suardiaz 🇪🇸
2 Flora Artzner 🇫🇷
3 Orane Ceris 🇫🇷
Men’s FreeFly-Slalom:
1 Titouan Galea 🇫🇷
2 Francesco Cappuzzo 🇮🇹
3 Bastien Escofet 🇫🇷
Words: Ian MacKinnon
Photo: Lukas K Stiller
