VICTORY!
The final day in Yokosuka delivered drama. Matteo Iachino secured his third PWA world title while Blanca Alabau won the event and claimed vice world champion after the most intense racing of the season.
Photos by PWA / John Carter.
MATTEO IACHINO: 2025 PWA FOIL SLALOM WORLD CHAMPION
The Italian came to Yokosuka knowing a top-five finish would seal the championship. Racing delivered something entirely different.
“I thought it would have been easier but it was hardcore and pretty stressful even with this advantage,” says Matteo. “We raced in really marginal conditions at the beginning of the event; every little mistake can take you out. It was not an easy week but it is never easy and that’s why we love it.”
This marks Matteo’s fourth world title; 2016 and 2023 slalom championships, the 2024 ISWC Speed Windfoil World Championship, and now the 2025 foil slalom crown. Behind each title sits an enormous amount of work that’s difficult to comprehend from the outside.
CONTROLLED EXECUTION
The PWA described Matteo’s performance as “cool, calm and collected.” His approach was methodical; treat each elimination as a fresh start, control risk in the finals, trust the preparation.
“Out of the water I was stressed at moments; sometimes quite a lot,” Matteo admits. “But once on the starting line everything was falling into place and I felt calmer and confident. The whole range of gear was working great this year and I was prepared from pumping 9.0 conditions to howling winds like yesterday in the last elimination.”
Conditions swung violently. Day one required 9.0 sails in marginal winds; day five brought gusts over 30 knots. Matteo’s SEVERNE Hyper 8 were up for the task.
“I don’t have a preference in sail this year. The whole range was working good and I tuned every size to feel good. I think the 8.0 has a huge range but actually I used a lot the 9.0 and the 6.0 here in Japan. Being able to feel comfortable with all the sizes is amazing for racing; you are never afraid having to use a certain size you might not like.”
Matteo finished second in Yokosuka behind Johan Søe, who has been his biggest rival winning in Japan and the previous World Cup in Sylt. Matteo’s controlled approach secured the championship while Søe claimed the event.
FOIL VS. FIN
Matteo considers himself more of a fin sailor at heart; he grew up pushing on the fin and everything comes more naturally with contact through water. But this foil slalom title required different work.
“Foiling is a really peculiar discipline; every detail matters,” he explains. “I tried to work on every little aspect and trim of all my range of gear. Fin is harder on the body but for sure there is less trim and test behind the scenes. I love them both and I am really happy to be the first rider achieving one title on fin in 2016, one combined in 2023 and now one on pure foiling.”
Matteo raced the Mach 8 and Hyper 8 throughout his championship campaign.
BLANCA ALABAU: EVENT WINNER & VICE WORLD CHAMPION
Blanca Alabau won the event with speed, tactical awareness, and complete commitment in survival conditions. She also finished level on points with Justine Lemeteyer for the world championship; losing only on countback.
THE FINAL RACE
Over 30 knots. Big chop. Nuclear conditions that separated the committed from the cautious. Blanca went rail-to-rail with Lina Eržen in the Winners’ Final of Elimination 5; both pushing at 120%.
“I knew I had to beat Lina to stay ahead of her at the event, and that the title was on the line; it still felt possible,” Blanca says. “I tried not to overthink the points while I was in the water. I was aware of the countback rule; especially since Matteo has lost titles that way. But in that race my only focus was to win. For me, those kinds of conditions are what real racing is all about.”
The two leaders almost collided multiple times. Blanca had a poor first gybe but felt she had more control than Lina. On the way out to the third mark, she pushed Lina slightly downwind to set up an inside gybe, staying close enough to maintain control.
“She tried to go upwind to create space for the gybe, but a big chop hit her and she lost control. We were both giving 120%. When you risk that much, you either crash… or you win.”
Blanca was close to crashing herself on multiple occasions but managed to hold on. Lina exploded. Blanca flew through to claim the bullet, the event victory, and second place in the world championship.
HEAVY AIR SPECIALIST
Blanca’s last event win came in Gran Canaria 2023; another heavy air showdown. She lives and trains in the Canaries where conditions like Yokosuka’s final day are standard fare.
“I think it’s more of a mindset than pure technique,” she explains. “Of course, living in the Canaries helps; I’ve probably spent more hours on the water in these conditions than the rest of the fleet. But above all, I genuinely enjoy it. When I see heavy wind, something switches inside me. It reminds me why I compete on the PWA tour; we’re the only ones doing slalom courses in this kind of extreme environment.”
“The last race was the most fun of the whole year; it was reeeally windy! Over 30 knots with big chops, but still quite stable. I actually had more control than in the previous elimination because I trimmed my gear better.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP
Finishing level on points with Lemeteyer but losing on countback is difficult to process. Blanca handles it with perspective.
“Everything was really close from the start. In the end, the title is just a number. I’m really happy with how much I’ve improved my speed and with the way I raced this week. I’m proud of the way I train and the work I’ve put in. I gave it everything, so there’s nothing for me to regret. I’m satisfied. Justine deserves it. The countback rule isn’t the most exciting for the media, but it is the fairest for the riders, because she had the stronger overall year.”
EQUIPMENT FOR EXTREMES
Blanca’s SEVERNE arsenal covered the full Hyper 8 range throughout 2025. The Hyper 8 7.0 became her weapon of choice.
“At this event, even in the super-light elimination, I was still on the 7.0! It has a huge wind range, and that’s really important in racing because conditions can change right before your heat and you need to be ready. I was feeling quite fast! Especially when I was powered up.”
In Yokosuka’s nuclear final elimination, she reached for the Hyper 4.0.
“Having the 4.0 was a great, safe option; it’s the perfect sail for control in survival conditions. The sail is stable and fast (I made the speed record again on this sail), so it gave me the chance to race properly and control the other girls.”
Her favourite from the season? The Hyper 8 6.0.
“It has a really big range; I could use it from about 15 to 25 knots. It’s fast, glidy, and very stable; you hardly feel the gusts or the lulls. And it’s so light in the hands that you can nail the perfect gybe in any situation.”
TEAM SEVERNE DELIVERS
Fabian Wolf delivered team SEVERNE’s best result of the event with fifth place; his strongest finish on the PWA World Tour. The German qualified for all four Winners’ Finals and continues building momentum after his first top ten result in Sylt last month.
Femke van der Veen finished fourth in Yokosuka with consistent racing throughout the week. Femke raced SEVERNE sails throughout the season.
Final event results
Men’s Foil Slalom
- Johan Søe (DEN | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)
- Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne Sails)
- Pierre Mortefon (FRA | FMX Racing / NeilPryde)
- Maciek Rutkowski (POL | JP / NeilPryde)
- Fabian Wolf (GER | Starboard / Severne Sails)
- Alexis Mathis (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails)
- Scotty Stallman (GBR | Tabou / GA Sails)
- Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly / Point-7 / Z Foils)
- William Huppert (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)
- Elia Colombo (SUI | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)
Women’s Foil Slalom
- Blanca Alabau (ESP | WeOne / Severne Sails)
- Lina Eržen (SLO | Starboard / S2Maui / Starboard Foil)
- Justine Lemeteyer (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)
- Marion Mortefon (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)
- Femke van der Veen (NED | Starboard / Severne Sails)
2025 PWA FOIL SLALOM WORLD TOUR – OVERALL RANKINGS
Men’s Foil Slalom
- Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne Sails) – WORLD CHAMPION
- Pierre Mortefon (FRA | FMX Racing / NeilPryde) – Vice World Champion
- Maciek Rutkowski (POL | JP / NeilPryde)
- Johan Søe (DEN | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)
- Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly / Point-7 / Z Foils)
- Jordy Vonk (NED | Duotone
- Fabian Wolf (GER | Starboard / Severne Sails)
- Alexis Mathis (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails)
- William Huppert (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)
- Cedric Bordes (FRA | Tabou / Severne Sails)
Women’s Foil Slalom
- Justine Lemeteyer (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) – WORLD CHAMPION
- Blanca Alabau (ESP | WeOne / Severne Sails) – Vice World Champion
- Lina Eržen (SLO | Starboard / S2Maui / Starboard Foil)
- Marion Mortefon (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)
- Femke van der Veen (NED | Starboard / Severne Sails)
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