GWA Wingfoil World Cup France 2022 Day 1 - Global appeal
by Holly Keenan 27 Apr 08:21 PDT
26 April - 1 May 2022
GWA Wingfoil World Cup France 2022 Day 1 © Samuel Cardenas / GWA
Day One (yesterday) at the GWA Wingfoil World Cup in Leucate may not have delivered suitable winds for the contest, but it gave us plenty of time to explore the reason some of the amassed 80 competitors decided to make this their first event and travel from so far away.
There's certainly a building anticipation for the rest of the week.
The sport of wingfoiling may be in its infancy, but as you'll hear in these interviews, the rapid evolution has left riders simply wanting to come and push the sport and improve together! These are the times that legends of the future will reminisce about...
Zane Schweitzer
Maui, Hawaii
Zane Schweitzer (28 years old) was born and raised on the island of Hawaii. He is renowned for his big wave surfing and SUPing but, has come to the GWA Wingfoil World Cup in France to progress his level in wingfoil freestyle and learn from the best in the world.
Zane Schweitzer, the Hawaiian legend and all-around watersport phenomenon, travelled halfway across the globe to compete in the GWA Wingfoil World Cup in Leucate. There is nothing this guy hasn't done when it comes to water sports. A two-time SUP world champion, Zane also won the IWT Windsurfing Big Wave Open Pro in 2021 with a monster wave at Jaws. From riding huge waves to throwing freestyle tricks on a wingfoil, Zane is a true master of the ocean.
"I might be considered a sound wave rider on Maui, but I am entirely humbled here, seeing the world level of freestyle wingfoiling. Now I get to embrace that humility and become a student again".
Timma Flanagan, Canada (Living in the USA)
Timma Flanagan, born in Canada but recently moved to Hood River, began her wingfoil journey in the snow. Flanagan ventured from Canada to Leucate with the aspiration of pushing her wingfoil level and sharing the stoke for the sport with many other female riders.
"I actually started wingfoiling for the first time in Canada in the middle of winter. The first wings were available then, so I went for it and learnt in the snow! I got my skis on and we built jumps and ramps to fly off with the wings. It was amazing, and I was completely hooked on this sport. It was quite different from sailing (I sailed 49ers) as winging is an individual sport, so I have more freedom to express myself."
Jeremiah McDonald, New Zealand
New Zealand newcomer, Jeremiah McDonald, has ventured far from his backyard to compete in the GWA Wingfoil World Cup in Leucate. This is the first event for Mcdonald so he is eager to see how his level compares to the best wingfoilers in the world.
"The Wingfoiling freestyle scene in New Zealand is very small. I am the only rider trying these new freestyle tricks in winging in New Zealand, So for me, when I came to Leucate, I wanted to see how my level compared to some of the best riders in the world."
See all interviews and video
This morning (Wednesday) was another bright and sunny day here in Leucate and riders are as eager as ever to get out on the water and throw down their new, improved manoeuvres. The wind is looking light for today but we may get lucky with thermal winds this afternoon. Regardless, the tow-foilng fun continues and we are confident the competition will commence soon!
Make sure to follow the liveticker on the event page.