2025 iQFOiL World Championships in Aarhus - Day 1
by iQFOiL Communications 6 Jul 12:01 PDT
4-11 July 2025
The iQFOiL World Championship kicked off today in Aarhus with dynamic and demanding conditions that truly tested the world's top foiling windsurfers. The wind was anything but steady, shifting in both direction and intensity throughout the day.
With a westerly breeze ranging between 12 and 15 knots in Aarhus Bay, both the Men's and Women's fleets took to the water for a day of fast-paced, tactical action, before the wind slowly dropped.
In the Women's fleet, Italy's Olympic gold medalist from Paris 2024, Marta Maggetti (ITA 97), takes the early lead after Day 1 with two impressive race wins, a second place, and a discarded eighth. Just behind her and tied on points are two formidable Israeli athletes: reigning World Champion and Olympic silver medalist Sharon Kantor (ISR 390), and Tamar Steinberg (ISR 50), who has had a stellar season so far, winning both the iQFOiL International Games in Cádiz and the prestigious Semaine Olympique Française in Hyères.
"It went really well, even though I didn't expect it, because it was such a difficult day with gusty winds and pressure drops. It was challenging - you really had to keep your eyes wide open to catch everything. I'm especially happy about the last race I won, because I believed in something the others didn't see. I was practically alone on the left side of the first upwind, and I crossed ahead by quite a margin. Then the wind dropped a lot, and they started catching up - I couldn't wait for the race to be over! After this first day, I'm happy, and step by step, I'll try to keep going like this," commented Marta Maggetti.
The Men's fleet, split into two qualifying groups just like the Women, saw the Yellow group completing four races while the Blue group finished only three due abandoning so Race 3 which will be resailed as soon as conditions allow a Course Race. Leading the overall standings after the opening day is Luuc van Opzeeland (NED 55), delivering solid performances to secure the top spot. Right behind him sits fellow Dutchman and RS:X 2020 Olympic Champion Kiran Badloe (NED 9), while Frenchman Tom Arnoux (FRA 152) lies in third overall.
"We had a challenging set of conditions - it was tricky out there, with everything from wind shifts left to right, to pressure up and down. It was just a matter of staying consistent. Aarhus is a challenging venue; it's going to be a long week, but a good start is half the work. So I'm going to try to keep this going - and yes, I'm just having fun while I'm here. I took a bit of time off to figure out what I want in life, and this class is just beautiful. I'm enjoying it, and I couldn't step away just yet... so yeah, I'm here to stay for a little while," commented Kiran Badloe.
With Day One complete, lighter winds are forecast for tomorrow, which may lead to Slalom-format racing - another thrilling test of speed and precision. The iQFOiL World Championship is only just getting started, with plenty of drama and high-performance action still to come in Aarhus Bay.