Winds of between 15 and 20 knots and waves of more than two metres marked the fourth day of competition for the 160 Olympic windsurfers who contested an intense Marathon race between the islands of Lanzarote and Lobos and two course races.
Tomorrow’s Medal Series for the top ten in the gold groups are set to decide the winners of the event. The championship leaders, Sharon Kantor and Luuc Van Opzeeland, go directly to the Final.
Marina Rubicón (Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain), 14 December 2023
Perfect conditions with strong winds of between 15 and 20 knots and more than two metres of waves proved a great challenge for today’s Marathon race at the Lanzarote iQFOiL Games. The penultimate day of the championship saw the Olympic windsurfing fleet compete in a demanding course of just less than one hour’s duration between Lanzarote and Isla de Lobos passing the Punta del Papagayo. It was a fast and furious contest that again saw Sharon Kantor and Luuc Van Opzeeland prove fastest.
The Marathon, which counts as the points equivalent of two race course races, and the last two races of the Final Series decided the top ten windsurfers which will go forwards to the Medal Series. The leaders, Luuc Van Opzeeland and Sharon Kantor, go directly to the Grand Final.
Flying Dutchman Luuc Van Opzeeland, unbeatable
The standout event leader Luuc Van Opzeeland also proved unbeatable in the Marathon. With an elapsed time of 49 minutes from the starting signal until he crossed the finish line, the Dutchman claimed the best points from the marathon which offers the equivalent to two races in the overall standing.
Then in the afternoon’s two course races Van Opzeeland retired from the first one – which is his last discard – but bounced back for a second place in the other one. So as series leader he will go straight into tomorrow’s Final.
Behind him, the second and third placed pair. Frenchman Nicolas Goyard -second in the Marathon- and the Italian Nicolo Renna, go to the Semifinal. The next seven sailors compete in the Medal Series from the quarterfinals.
Sharon Kantor regains the solo lead after the Marathon
Sharon Kantor proved unstoppable in the women’s marathon. Her victory meant she went into today’s last two races of the Final Series with an advantage.
“I started the race really well, I got third at the first buoy and took the lead on the downwind leg. It was a really tough race but I managed to stay on the foil without falling off and I was able to keep my position, so I’m very happy,” said Kantor after crossing the finish line after a 55-minute course.
The strong wind and waves of the morning gave way to a more unstable wind in the afternoon, complicating the last race of the day in which only ten sailors managed to cross the finish line.
Kantor goes directly to the Final in the first position while Katy Spychakov and the British Emma Wilson, second and third classified, will start in the Semifinals.
Tomorrow, final day
Everything is decided in the Grand Final. The Medal Series comprises quarterfinals and semifinals leading into a Grand Final. The two top ranked riders today Luuc Van Opzeeland and Sharon Kantor- go straight into the Grand Final which decides the winners of the Lanzarote iQFOiL Games.
The prize-giving ceremony will be held at 17:00 local time at the Oasis Marina Bay.
The event is organised by Marina Rubicón and has the collaboration of the Royal Canarian Sailing Federation, as well as the institutional support of Promotur Turismo de Canarias, the Tourism Department of the Cabildo de Lanzarote through the sports product European Sports Destination (managed by SPEL-Turismo Lanzarote), the Yaiza Town Hall and the private entities Dinghycoach, Naviera Armas and Cabrera Medina (Cicar).
Provisional podium. iQFOiL Women. Day 3.
1. Sharon Kantor, 1+1+1+1+1+(3)+2+(3)+(17)+1+5+4+1+1+5+(DNF)=24 puntos
2. Katy Spychakov, (13)+3+(11)+3+2+1+1+1+(23)+2+3+1+7+7+1+(DNF)=32 puntos
3. Emma Wilson, 1+3+(BFD)+1+1+7+(9)+3+2+(5)+2+2+5+5+3+(DNF)=35 puntos
… 72 entries
Provisional podium. iQFOiL Men. Day 3.
1. Luuc Van Opzeeland, 1+5+1+2+4+1+(17)+3+1+1+(9)+6+1+1+(DNC)+2=29 puntos
2. Nicolas Goyard, 1+3+(BFD)+7+6+9+21+(9)+4+8+1+5+2+2+6+(17)=75 puntos
3. Nicolo Renna, 3+1+(28)+1+1+23+1+1+8+2+13+1+(16)+16+14+(32)=42 puntos
… 88 entries
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Full results HERE
