The second day of Wingfoil at the 38th Windsurfing & Wingfoil Championship in Fuerteventura sees Spaniards Nia Suardiaz and Sofía Ginzinger in the women's final. The finals will take place this Wednesday at Sotavento Beach.
Sotavento Beach in Fuerteventura will be the venue for the women's final of the 38th Windsurfing & Wingfoil Championship this Wednesday, featuring a double Spanish presence. Nia Suardiaz and Sofía Ginzinger qualified on Tuesday after winning their respective semifinals, in a day marked by inconsistent winds that forced the organisers to postpone the finals until tomorrow.
Suardiaz, who had already secured the world title in surf-freestyle before arriving in Fuerteventura, demonstrated her consistency throughout the day. In round 3, she won her heat with 18.57 points, ahead of Ginzinger, who scored 13.70. In the second semifinal, the Spanish competitor achieved 19.83 points thanks to a front flip of 7.30, a backflip of 7.00, and a third manoeuvre of 5.53. She was only surpassed by American Zoe Trudeau, who received a perfect score of 10.00 for an innovative manoeuvre and finished the heat with 24.57 points.
Ginzinger, for her part, secured her qualification in the first women's semifinal. The young Spanish competitor finished second with 15.37 points, primarily built on a PFS3 of 7.53, a manoeuvre of 4.37, and another of 3.47. She finished behind Austrian Viola Lippitsch, the Gran Canaria winner, who again showcased her strength with 22.03 points and a manoeuvre of 9.23. Ginzinger clearly outperformed French competitor Enoha Laurent (third with 12.30) and Italian Allegra Caffi (fourth with 11.56).
The simultaneous presence of Suardiaz and Ginzinger ensures that Spain will have two of the four participants competing for victory in Fuerteventura. The organisation decided to postpone the finals after the wind became more irregular and gusty in the afternoon. The aim is to complete the battle for victory under better conditions before moving on, presumably, to the first heats of the freefly-slalom category (men's and women's).
In the men's bracket, Spanish competitor Nathan Berger was the standout. The Tarifa native began the day by completing heat 3 of round 4, which had been pending since Monday. He won that heat with 21.57 points, ahead of Franz Schlittenbauer, Lukas Lam, and Duccio Carlo Senio Dini. His journey ended in round 5, the last elimination round before the semifinals. Berger delivered another solid performance, scoring 21.40 points with three manoeuvres rated at 7.40, 7.03, and 6.97. He finished third, just two points behind Luca Vuillermet, who was second with 23.40. Benjamin Castenskiold won that heat with 25.83 points, while Clemens Siraki finished fourth.
Berger thus concludes his participation after reaching the last round before the semifinals and competing directly with some of the main contenders for the world title. He had been eliminated in round 4, while Sandro Ginzinger and Nöe Mercier ended their participation in the earlier rounds.
The men's final will feature Castenskiold, Gerard, Vuillermet, and Makana. The first semifinal had a close finish: Benjamin Castenskiold won with 25.70 points, accompanied to the final by Axel Gerard, second with 24.93. In the second semifinal, Luca Vuillermet triumphed with 23.63 points, boosted by an FS14 of 9.03. Rocco Makana took the second spot with 23.30 and secured the other ticket to the final. Tomas Acherer, the ranking leader before the event, was eliminated.
The championship, held at Sotavento Beach, brings together the world's best windsurfing and wingfoil specialists. The event is one of the most important on the international circuit and attracts numerous fans to the Majorcan coast. The finals are scheduled for this Wednesday, at a time yet to be confirmed depending on weather conditions.
You may also like
