American Christopher MacDonald and Austrian Viola Lippitsch achieve the highest scores in the early heats of the Surf-Freestyle World Cup at El Burrero Beach in Ingenio.
El Burrero Beach in Ingenio hosted the kick-off of the Gran Canaria GWA Wingfoil World Cup 2026 on Thursday. American Christopher MacDonald and Austrian Viola Lippitsch were the standout performers in the early heats, achieving the highest scores of the day.
MacDonald, a three-time world champion, delivered an outstanding performance with 17.83 points, the best score in the men's category. The reigning world champion, Danish Benjamin Castenskiold, responded with 17.16 points, confirming his good form after winning the previous circuit stop in Tarifa.
The young German-born Franz Schlittenbauer also started strong, reaching 15.50 points, followed by Frenchman Axel Gerard with 14.60. Bastien Escofet, recent runner-up in FreeFly-Slalom in Gran Canaria, scored 14.13; British Charlie Loch achieved 13.93 and Austrian Tomas Acherer, winner of the season's first event in Leucate, began his participation with 13.36.
The minimal differences among the favourites suggest very open eliminations. MacDonald and Castenskiold have sent the first warning, but riders like Acherer, Gerard, Escofet, Loch, and Italian Rocco Makana still have their chances intact to advance to the decisive rounds.
In the women's category, Viola Lippitsch achieved the highest score with 14.90 points, placing ahead of Nía Suardíaz, who started strong with 13.04. Suardíaz faces Surf-Freestyle just a day after winning the FreeFly-Slalom World Cup at El Burrero, maintaining the momentum from a week in which she also triumphed in the Canary Islands Open Wingfoil Slalom Cup.
The Tarifa native arrives in Gran Canaria as one of the main contenders after winning the season's first event in Leucate and finishing second in Tarifa. Also notable is Sofía Ginzinger, third in Leucate and second in the overall ranking, who opened her participation with 9.50 points.
The results correspond to the first rounds of a competition that will extend until this Saturday. Although the rankings are provisional, Suardíaz could be crowned world champion in El Burrero if she finishes first and her main rivals do not achieve good scores.
The Surf-Freestyle World Cup brings together over fifty international specialists until Saturday. The wind conditions, with gusts exceeding 40 knots at El Burrero, force riders to combine power, precision, and control in their landings. Judges assess technical difficulty, height, execution, and the variety of rotations and aerial maneuvers.
The competition will continue this Friday and Saturday with the next rounds, semifinals, and finals, always dependent on the evolution of the wind and sea conditions. The public can follow the action from El Burrero Beach.
The Gran Canaria GWA Wingfoil World Cup gathers over 120 athletes from 13 countries throughout the week, solidifying Gran Canaria as one of the major international venues for wind sports. The programme is complemented by environmental activities, training actions, and water safety talks open to the public.
The event is organised by the Canakite Experiences Sports Club, El Burrero Nautical Club, and the Ingenio Town Hall, with the collaboration of the Royal Canary Islands Sailing Federation and Spar, and the support of the Tourism and Sports departments of the Gran Canaria Cabildo, Promotur Islas Canarias, and the Canary Islands Government's Sports Department.
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