GWA Youth Wingfoil World World Championship Costa Brava - Overall
by Ian MacKinnon 7 Jul 19:24 NZST
30 June - 6 July 2025
2025 GWA Youth Wingfoil World World Championship © Antonio Herrera Trujillo
The Surf-Freestyle and FreeFly-Slalom action at the the GWA 2025 Youth Worlds wrapped up after a week of intense action at San Pere Pescador, Spain, with the teenage champions chosen in the U14, U16 and U19 age groups.
The GWA Youth Wingfoil World World Championships were making their debut at Club de Vela La Ballena Alegre on the historic Costa Brava coastline, where the breezes have been slightly fickle.
The GWA, in partnership with Club de Vela La Ballena Alegre and Sailors for the Seas Powered by Oceana (SfS), took the opportunity to stage seminars and beach cleans to highlight the need for sustainability and promote climate action among the 76 boys and 17 girls from 13 nations who are competing.
The U19 Female Surf-Freestyle crown was lifted by Germany's Marie Schlittenbauer when she got the better of France's Eulalie Thébault in the final. Schlittenbauer, 15, debuted at the the GWA Tarifa Wing-Pro recently and took a remarkable third place there.
Finely poised
France's Manon Dupé took the third podium step in the U19 category at San Pere Pescador, overhauling the experienced Austrian, Viola Lippitsch, in the "mini-final" run-off.
The Male U19 Surf-Freestyle competition was concluded on the penultimate day after a delay waiting for the wind to fill in, with Aleks Acherer getting the win over France's Axel Gerard, who had been the holder of the title.
Acherer has been on a charge this year after playing second fiddle to his twin brother, Tomas, last year. Tomas lost out in the "mini-final" to Spain's Nathan Berger, who took third place overall in San Pere Pescador.
But in earlier days France's Ezio Bastianelli had secured the U16 Surf-Freestyle title when he beat Germany's Hubert Christahl in the final, with the Netherland's Kalle Dinant winning out in the "mini-final" to take third place. The biggest upset was the exit of Tarifa World Cup winner, the Dane Benji Castenskiold, 13, in Round 4, when he struggled with the light breezes.
Biggest upset
In the U14 Male division, Spain's Sam Rossmeier triumphed in the opening action, when he won out over Frances's Balthazar Caputo. Sandro Ginzinger, of Germany, took third place.
Germany's Sofia Ginzinger took the U14 Female title with a win in the final against Vitoria Antolín, of Spain, with Austria's Lisa Zechner taking third after coming out on top in the "mini-final".
With the Surf-Freestyle completed, the FreeFly-Slalom contests got on the water. In the U14 category France's Ana Helies took the title in the female division winning three elimination rounds from four. Carl Gillet, from France, won the male division.
In the U16 female FreeFly-Salalom France's Enoha Laurent won the crown, while Britain's Leon Schiel landed the crown in the male category. Viola Lippitsch, from Austria, won out in the U19 female class, while Italy's Sebastiano Zorzi got the U19 male title.
2025 GWA Youth Wingfoil World Championships Surf-Freestyle results
U14 Male Surf-Freestyle
1 Sam Rossmeier (ESP)
2 Balthazar Caputo (FRA)
3 Sandro Ginzinger (GER)
U14 Female Surf-Freestyle
1 Sofia Ginzinger (GER)
2 Vitoria Antolín (ESP)
3 Lisa Zechner (AUT)
U16 Male Surf-Freestyle
1 Ezio Bastianelli (FRA)
2 Hubert Christahl (GER)
3 Kalle Dinant (NED)
U19 Female Surf-Freestyle
1 Marie Schlittenbauer (GER)
2 Eulalie Thébault (FRA)
3 Manon Dupé (FRA)
U19 Male Surf-Freestyle
1 Aleks Acherer (AUT)
2 Axel Gerard (FRA)
3 Nathan Berger (ESP)
2025 GWA Youth Wingfoil World Championships FreeFly-Slalom results
U14 Female FreeFly-Slalom
1 Ana Helies (FRA)
2 Sofia Ginzinger (GER)
3 Lise Debans Gascon (FRA)
U14 Male FreeFly-Slalom
1 Carl Gillet (FRA)
2 Benito Gorea (BRA)
3 Malick Pagnotti (BRA)
U16 Female FreeFly-Slalom
1 Enoha Laurent (FRA)
2 Eulalie Thébault (FRA)
3 Olivia Sanchez (ESP)
U16 Male FreeFly-Slalom
1 Leon Schiel (GBR)
2 Sacha Pallier (FRA)
3 Benjamin Castenskiold (DEN)
U19 Female FreeFly-Slalom
1 Vioila Lippitsch (AUT)
2 Enoha Laurent (FRA)
3 Helene Simonnet (FRA)
U19 Male FreeFly-Slalom
1 Sebastiano Zorzi (ITA)
2 Arthur Thébault (FRA)
3 Hugo Babilon (FRA)