Gran Canaria Windsurfing World Championship 2022 - Day 2
by Tamara Ventura 14 Jul 2022 00:03 AEST
The Moreno Twins compete for the Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup © Gran Canaria Windsurfing World Cup
The Moreno Twins fought for the final of the Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup, a spectacle in which Iballa Ruano managed to defeat her sister, Daida, the queen of Pozo, for the second time at home, after giving an amazing performance both in the semifinals against the first of the world, the Aruban Sarah-Quita Offringa, and the third of the general ranking, the Polish Justyna Sniady.
The Moreno Twins have once again demonstrated that they are the queens of windsurfing, although this time it was Iballa who was crowned at home, provisionally snatching the title of Queen of Pozo from her sister, Daida.
Both Iballa and Daida won the semifinals, demonstrating a mastery of the beach that surprised the judges, who kept commenting that the sisters "were landing with amazing movements even on the rocks", although it was two very high and well scored forwards (5.62 and 5.50 respectively) that gave Iballa the lead over her sister, also showing off by catching well rated waves. Even so, it is a single elimination, so things could still change, but for Iballa they already have "good results", above all she feels "happy to be in the final with her sister after so many years without competing". For the ten-time world champion, beating her sister in Pozo has been "a dream come true", as it has only happened twice, so far.
During the final between sisters, none of them hesitated to go to the limit in their manoeuvres, so we have seen them landing forward loops on the shore and, most importantly, even if the conditions are not ideal, the Moreno Twins always fly. The sailing sensations for Daida have been "very good" and she is also "very happy" to fight the final against her sister, who "has proved to be much better than me in these conditions".
However, Daida hopes to challenge that first place if the double elimination takes place. Likewise, the eighteen-time world champion thanked the windsurfing legend Björn Dunkerbeck for the organisation, highlighting that "it is well worked out", so she has been able to focus on her son, her work and training, so "she feels much more liberated to be able to enjoy the event".
The sisters also put on a great show in the semi-finals, in which Iballa dominated Poland's Justyna Sniady (third in the world), with little difference in points at the start, although she then began to score points non-stop with spectacular jumps such as a beautiful back loop she performed in front of the judges' tower.
Daida also impressed during the semi-final against current world leader Sarah-Quita Offringa from Aruba, even landing a forward loop almost on the rocks that went up to four metres and forty centimetres high despite the low waves, according to Red Bull's The Surfers app. This jump was the highest of the day, making Daida the highest-flying rider, leading the Red Bull Rockets, a competition running simultaneously with the circuit that will award a cash prize to the highest jumping windsurfer in both the men's and women's categories.
The men's qualifiers were also held on Tuesday, with Canarian riders such as Liam Dunkerbeck and Omar Sánchez still in the lead. According to the judges, "the Canary Islanders know their place and it shows when we see them surfing in Pozo Izquierdo", said Willy Rocha, the competition's wave judge. Among the local windsurfers, Omar Sanchez is making home advantage count, beating the Englishman, Lucas Meldrum. Meanwhile, the son of Björn Dunkerbeck is winning the qualifiers over Frenchman Julien Flechet, with both promising plenty of action this week.