Please select your home edition
Edition
Zhik 2024 December

Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup 2024 in Pozo Izquierdo - Day 6

by Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup 4 Jul 2024 14:30 PDT
Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup 2024 in Pozo Izquierdo - Day 6 © Delfour Photographer

The windsurfers from France and Aruba are the top riders dominating the new windsurfing discipline in Pozo Izquierdo.

The sixth day of competition at the Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup 2024 thrilled spectators once again with the trendy discipline of Slalom X. It was an intense day with three rounds completed in both the men's and women's categories, marked by the absence of a clear leader, with six different winners in both categories. "To add excitement, we've introduced a new Slalom X format, extending the course with new buoys and obstacles, and shortening the rounds from eight heats to four in each elimination round," explained Luis Escribano, the head judge of the competition.

Although the second day gave other riders the chance to steal some heats from Sarah-Quita Offringa, the Aruban still remains the top windsurfer mastering the newly introduced Slalom X discipline. After Thursday's three elimination rounds and the application of two discards, Offringa maintains the class leadership. "Today was even a bit more challenging than yesterday, with more different obstacles and less wind, but it was just as fun. I'm happy to have won the last heat," said the Aruban rider.

This second day of Slalom X allowed other female competitors to get used to the new high-speed zigzag racing format with obstacles, highlighting the Dutch Femke van der Veen with her first World Tour victory and the French Justine Lemeteyer, who won the penultimate heat of the day. Despite their strong performances, British rider Jenna Gibson and French Marion Mortefon continue to closely follow Offringa in the overall discipline standings with a chance at the podium.

Representing Spain, Andalusian Blanca Alabau improved her performance in the new discipline compared to the previous day. The increased difficulty, especially with more obstacles, entertained spectators with the action in the water. "Today we had jumps, surf-slalom against the waves, and chicanes, which basically means gybing (maneuvering to change the mainsail from one side to the other), making everything more extreme and fun," highlighted the Spanish rider.

In the men's class, the lack of a clear leader in the new discipline was even more noticeable. Among the potential contenders for the first Slalom X crown, one standout was the 2023 Slalom World Champion, according to the PWA overall ranking, Italian Matteo Iachino, who won the first heat of the day. "Yesterday I started very badly, and today with a first place, but overall I've already had three false starts, which has never happened to me before. I checked and found out I had a problem with my watch. I hope to advance in the next heats," explained the Italian windsurfer.

Despite Iachino's strong performance, the men's category saw several winners on Thursday, including French Pierre Mortefon and Polish Maciek Rutkowski, who each secured a victory. Nevertheless, Mortefon still leads the rankings after a discard, followed by Rutkowski and Dutch Ingmar Daldorf. "Slalom X is great, I love it because the race never ends and you always feel the adrenaline. The important thing is to stay calm and take advantage of the speed," commented Rutkowski.

Activities in the Tent

This Thursday, attendees at the event tent enjoyed the documentary Born to Windsurf, which narrates the life and sporting career of event organizer and 42-time windsurfing world champion Björn Dunkerbeck. The documentary focuses on the Dane's challenge to break the windsurfing speed record, a feat he achieved in 2022 at the Lüderitz Canal in Namibia, reaching 103.68 kilometers per hour. The presentation was attended by the councilors for Sports and Social and Community Services of the Santa Lucía de Tirajana City Council, Julio Ojeda and Saúl Goyes.

Additionally, a guided tour of the Salinas de Tenefé was held, an initiative promoted by the southern municipality's city council, which has become a classic during the championship. From 7:00 PM, all spectators had the opportunity to meet and get autographs signed by Björn and Liam Dunkerbeck.

Friday's schedule includes a guided tour of the Canary Islands Institute of Technology at 5:00 PM, along with an autograph signing session by the competitors of the Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup 2024, accompanied by a resident DJ.

The Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup 2024, endorsed by the Canarian and Spanish Sailing Federations, is sponsored by the Cabildo of Gran Canaria through the Departments of Sports and Tourism, the Government of the Canary Islands through Promotur, the Santa Lucía de Tirajana City Council, and companies such as Gloria Palace Hotels, which also lends its name to the championship; Seven Island Film; Neilpryde; Red Bull; Volkswagen Canarias; Water Speed APP; and Seven Island Film. Collaborations include the Canary Islands Institute of Technology; Canary Blue; Helados Peña La Vieja; Poema del Mar; Ejove; Bazar Ani; Bahía Grill; Semilleros Sardina; Jaklar, WS, As Acción; Surf, Wind; Windsurf TV, and Daily Dose.

Related Articles

Freestyle Pro Tour Paros overall
The Meltemi winds once again set the stage for the final day As the riders gathered at the event site of the 2025 FPT Paros for one last time and the Meltemi winds once again began blowing strong, the stage for the final day of the event was set. Posted on 2 Jul
Freestyle Pro Tour Paros day 3
The return of Super X Day 3 at the FPT Paros 2025 was a slower one - with a lay day with no wind anticipated and a late skippers meeting at 13:00 to assess the conditions, there wasn't much initially filling up the schedule. Posted on 1 Jul
Freestyle Pro Tour Paros day 2
The strong Meltemi blowing all throughout the night, greeted the riders in the morning Day 2 at the Freestyle Pro Tour Paros once again delivered, with the strong Meltemi blowing all throughout the night, greeting the riders at around 30 knots in the morning. Posted on 30 Jun
Freestyle Pro Tour Paros day 1
Kicking off with a nuclear single elim The opening day of the Freestyle Pro Tour (FPT) Paros kicked off exactly as forecasted - nuclear winds from morning till late afternoon, accompanied by nonstop freestyle action. Posted on 30 Jun
Freestyle Pro Tour Sardinia day 4
Caers, Huvermann and Pezetti win in full-power freestyle conditons Day 4 at FPT Sardinia delivered a full dose of high-wind freestyle, with Juniors, Women, and Men's fleets all completing full eliminations under the blasting winds. Posted on 9 Jun
Freestyle Pro Tour Sardinia day 3
Tow-in time in Porto Pollo Day 3 marked the start of the tow-in action at the 2025 Freestyle Pro Tour stop in Porto Pollo, with two qualification rounds splitting the 12 riders into two groups of six, each providing the top 3 riders with a ticket to the finals at sundown. Posted on 7 Jun
Freestyle Pro Tour Sardinia day 1 and 2
Foilstyle, flowstye and tow-in at Porto Pollo Day 1 at the Freestyle Pro Tour (FPT) in Porto Pollo started slow, with the forecast showing light winds - riders completed registration and attended the initial skipper's meeting in the morning. Posted on 7 Jun
RYA Scotland Impact Award for Feri Szincsak
Dedicated Clyde Windsurfing Club volunteer celebrated Feri Szincsak, a dedicated volunteer at Clyde Windsurfing and SUP Club, has been recognised with an RYA Scotland Impact Award, celebrating his exceptional commitment and contribution to the Scottish windsurfing community. Posted on 13 May
PWA Windsurf Youth World Cup registration open
Join the future of windsurfing in Bonaire It's official: registration for the PWA Windsurf Youth World Cup Bonaire 2025 is now open! Posted on 4 May
MFC Maui Pro Am delivers
Heroes rise in stacked finals day at Ho'okipa The first springtime World Cup at Ho'okipa in over 20 years exploded back to life today as the 2025 MFC Maui Pro Am crowned two incredible champions in Marcilio Browne (BRA) and Marine Hunter (FRA). Posted on 15 Apr
V-DRY-XSea Sure 2025Cyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTER