VICTORY
The 2025 PWA World Tour has exploded into action and team SEVERNE sure have made their mark at the season opener in Guadeloupe. Matteo Iachino delivered a perfect masterclass in the men’s division, claiming victory in EVERY SINGLE heat, while Blanca Alabau locked in a solid third place in the women’s field.
Photos by John Carter / PWA
Matteo delivers perfect storm
In a display of serious dominance, Matteo stormed to victory in the opening event of the 2025 season. The Italian powerhouse claimed a hat-trick of bullets across varying conditions, showcasing amazing versatility as wind strengths fluctuated between 7-20 knots throughout the contest.
“I think I’ve never won every heat I’ve sailed,” Matteo admitted after his flawless performance. “The closest I got was winning an event in Sylt before the last elimination was sailed. But it feels amazing to win every heat.“
Perhaps most impressive was Matteo’s ability to adapt and excel across three different sail sizes as conditions shifted dramatically. Most impressive was his tactical brilliance in Elimination 3, powering out of the first gybe to overtake the fleet, never looking back.
About his gear choice, Matteo said: “I used my Hyper 8: 7.0, 8.0, and 9.0 all in the same day, and they all delivered the performance I have gotten used to over the last months. There has been a solid improvement in range , top speed and weight on the board from all of them. I raced the first final on the 8.0 (my favourite size), then the second final on the 7.0 and in the light winds of the last final, I was on my 9.0“.
Matteo credits this early success to a refined approach: “I’ve adopted a different strategy on the racecourse because I was sailing a bit fin-oriented and now I have adapted. It’s worked out, so I’m happy. It’s the little things that make a big difference.“
Alabau secures third spot
SEVERNE’s women’s crew showed impressive strength with Blanca Alabau locking in third place after six eliminations. Blanca maintained her position despite tight competition, sitting just one point ahead of fellow SEVERNE rider Femke van der Veen in fourth.
Blanca overcame pre-event challenges after losing her foil during practice, which initially knocked her confidence. “I was feeling confident, but then this knocked my confidence a bit, which meant I didn’t feel too confident yesterday, but in the afternoon I sailed better, so my confidence is coming back,” Blanca revealed between eliminations.
Her ambitions are clear: “My goal as every year is winning the title. This winter it was completely different, I was super motivated training in the water every day, at the gym, and I recovered from my injuries, so finally I feel ready to give my all this year.“
STRONG TEAM PERFORMANCE
SEVERNE’s strength in depth was evident throughout the fleet with Femke van der Veen finishing the day strongly with an excellent second place in the final women’s elimination to secure fourth overall.
In the men’s division, Benoit Merceur added another top-10 result for SEVERNE, finishing ninth, while Cedric Bordes holds 14th position and will be looking to climb the rankings when racing resumes.
Next up
Next up for team SEVERNE is the Prince Of Speed (speed world championships) running from April 27th to May 6th followed by Defi Wind from May 28 to June 1st.
Results
Women’s Foil Slalom – After 6 Eliminations (1 Discard)
- Justine Lemeteyer (FRA | PATRIK)
- Lina Eržen (SLO | Starboard)
- Blanca Alabau (ESP | SEVERNE)
- Femke van der Veen (NED | SEVERNE)
- Bobbi-Lynn De Jong (NB | Starboard)
Men’s Foil Slalom – After 3 Eliminations
- Matteo Iachino (ITA | SEVERNE)
- Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Phantom)
- Alexandre Cousin (FRA | PATRIK)
- Jordy Vonk (NED | Duotone)
- Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly)
- Maciek Rutkowski (POL | JP)
- Alexis Mathis (FRA | Tabou)
- William Huppert (FRA | PATRIK)
- Benoit Merceur (FRA | SEVERNE)
- Sem Stroosma (NED | Tabou)
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