SeaSailSurf®Wingfoil
GWA World Cup France : Nia Suardia, Balz Muller, Flora Artzner and Titouan Galea winners
Monday 2 May 2022 –
After an epic barrage of action, in the end 129 surf Surf #Surf -freestyle and surf Surf #Surf -slalom heats were crammed into three action packed days and winners of both disciplines were crowned on Sunday in Leucate.
The 25th Mondial du Vent will go down as a huge success for the sport of wingfoiling and this first round gets the GWA Wingfoil Wingfoil World Tour 2022 season off to an amazing start.
MEN’S SURF Surf #Surf -FREESTYLE
BALZ MULLER (CHE) V ‘GOLLITO’ ESTREDO (VEN)
Sunday’s grand finale of the GWA Wingfoil Wingfoil World Cup France saw two rivals from the world of professional freestyle windsurfing battle it out for the top spot on the podium.
WOMEN’S SURF Surf #Surf FREESTYLE:
In just her second GWA Wingfoil Wingfoil World Tour competition, 15 year old Spaniard, Nia Suardiaz, took her first event win with impressive composure against a fleet of female Surf-Freestyle riders that had grown to ten at this event.
SUNDAY’S SURF-SLALOM FINALE:
After a full-on Friday stacked with non-stop Surf-Slalom eliminations, the drama resumed on Sunday afternoon in the remaining event hours once Balz had climbed off the Surf-Freestyle beach podium.
Both the men’s and women’s Surf-Slalom competitions were delicately poised with ties for the lead, broken only by the slenderest of discards.
In the women’s, Nía Suardiaz clearly had a spring in her step after her maiden win in Saturday’s Surf-Freestyle. She won elimination round 8 and 9 which skipped her up the rankings, but not to the top.
Flora Artzner, a marine Marine Marine nationale biologist who has decided to put her career on hold, inspired by her wingfoil experiences, was determined to hold on to the slight lead she had over American Fiona Wylde from Friday. In the end she proudly prevailed on home soil for her first event win.
In the men’s Camille Bouyer and Titouan Galea were similarly broken apart only by a small discard on Friday. Sadly, their ultimate showdown final battle for the win was stolen from us when Bouyer was adjudged to have crossed the startline early and was disqualified.
In the end that left reigning World Champion Galea to light the thrusters without care. Flying round the marks, his ever increasing lead only diminished once he let the gas off towards the end.
FINAL RESULTS:
Women’s surf-slalom
- 1 Nia Suardiaz (ESP)
- 2 Paula Novotna (CZE)
- 3 Flora Artzner (FRA)
MEN’S SURF-FREESTYLE:
- 1 Balz Muller
- 2 Gollito Estredo
- 3 Camille Bouyer
Women’s Surf-Slalom
- 1 Flora Artzner (FRA)
- 2 Fiona Wylde (USA)
- 3 Nia Suardiaz (ESP)
Men’s Surf-Freestyle
- 1 Titouan Galea (FRA)
- 2 Camille Bouyer (FRA)
- 3 Francesco Cappuzzo (ITA)
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Stand Up World Tour : Connor Baxter & Annabel Anderson secure victory at the AC Open in San Francisco
Stand Up World Tour : Leco Salazar wins the Location X Finals & 2012 World Title
