Rafferty Read clean sweeps the first UK wingfoiling competition of 2024
by Rafferty Read 14 Apr 2024 22:07 NZST
23-24 March 2024
2024 UK Wingfoil Tour © IWSA / Markus Schwendtner
The arrival of the 2024 UK Wingfoil Tour brought the biggest numbers to date within the national wing foil fleet, and with good wind all weekend at Portland Harbour, this first event kicked the season off with some spectacular wing foil course-racing.
Among the competitors, the young Oxford athlete Rafferty Read was hoping to put all his winter training to use and start his season off with a high. And so he did with style by winning all 11 races throughout the weekend making him the overall winner of the competition.
This makes him the likely favourite moving into this season after a very successful 2023 where he completed the year being crowned as overall UK Wingfoil Champion and 8th in the IWSA world rankings.
No doubt his pure love and dedication towards watersports has pushed him into this dominating position. He has also showed this passion outside wing foiling as he is the commentator and presenter for the IQfoil class which is the Olympic windsurfing discipline. He says, 'I am so grateful to be able to both compete and work in what I love while experiencing the best beach destinations across the globe.'
His sporting achievements led to Rafferty being shortlisted as 2023 UKWA UK watersports personality of the year. Combining his own sporting achievements with his role as IQFoil official commentator, Rafferty is excited about what the future has in store for him.
The next stop of the UKWA UK wing foiling tour is coming up soon and the pressure will ever increase to kick Rafferty off the top spot. You can see how he does and follow his journey here.
View full results here.