MORE PODIUMS FOR TEAM SEVERNE
The PWA Fuerteventura Slalom event delivered a spectacular five-days of racing, where both Slalom X and Foil Slalom categories proved to be intense to say the least.
The event brought the spectators and riders alike a mixture of lighter wind foiling action, as well as top-class, super strong wind Slalom X carnage.
Slalom X
The 2023 Slalom World Champion Matteo Iachino spearheaded the Severne campaign, taking the victory of the Slalom X discipline in Fuerteventura. Matteo took the event win pulling a miracle move, overtaking Jordy Vonk at the last gybe mark during the final heat of the event. This would give Matteo the edge ahead of Pierre Mortefon, leading the event by a difference of 0.7 point.
Iachino’s success extended beyond this single event. Matteo’s solid second place finish in Pozo Izquierdo, and win in Fuerteventura crown him as Slalom X vice World champion.
After being hit hard by Covid in Pozo, Amado Vrieswijk was on a mission to gain some places in the rankings. Being very consistent in the first rounds of each elimination, Amado struggled to make it to the winners finals, nevertheless, he out-sailed every opponent he faced in the losers finals. With a bullet on hand and a few top 10 finishes, Amado ends the PWA Fuerteventura Slalom X in eight place, and 6th in the overalls.
Cedric Bordes has made two things very clear, one: he’s fast, and two: he never gives up, ever. The frenchman had two very big crashes during foil racing on day one, resulting in a broken rib and a few bruises, however, Cedric put down the hammer on the fin and won the first elimination of the men’s Slalom X event. At the end of the event, Cedric ended on 13th place, 16th in the overalls.
FOIL SLALOM
In the Foil Slalom competition, it was again Blanca Alabau who managed to race herslef to the podium, ending in third place after multple tight battles with Justine Lemeteyer and Marion Mortefon.
Matteo Iachino had a week of ups and downs to say the least, whereas he won the Slalom X discipline, the Italian just missed the Foil podium by as little as 2 points.
Upcoming stars
This year Fuerteventura seemed like the ideal venue for the future of racers, being the stage where two experienced Severne national Slalom sailors signed up, and five made their debut.
Femke van der Veen and Benoit Merceur are not totally new to windsurf competition, and they are quickly making a good name for themselves.
Femke showed great speed on the fin, leading one of the eliminations until the “sausage” obstacle joined the course. Femke’s end results in Fuerteventura are a 5th place in Slalom X, and 9th in Slalom Foil.
After putting on a hell of a performance in Pozo, french national Benoit Merceur was aiming to keep himself inside the Slalom X top 15 overalls, and so he did. Benoit ends the 2024 Slalom X tour on a very solid 11th place. On the Foil, Benoit isn’t slow either, the young frenchman managed to score a 13th place here in Fuerteventura, with more to come for the 2024 Foil Slalom tour.
Making their first appearance were Jelle van der Veen, Eliot Joly, Fabian Wolf, Maxi Raeuchle, and Henry Bloothworth, who all showed great potential to be the next generation of competitive windsurfers. Specially German national Fabian Wolf, being super close to a top 10 finish in the Foiling discipline in his first ever event, the German ended in 12th position.
Result 2024 Fuerteventura PWA World Cup – Men’s Slalom X
1st Matteo Iachino
2nd Pierre Mortefon
3rd Taty Frans
4th Jordy Vonk
5th Maciek Rutkowski
6th Ingmar Daldorf
7th Bruno Martini
8th Amado Vrieswijk
9th Lohan Jules
10th Nico Prien
Result 2024 Fuerteventura PWA World Cup – Women’s Slalom X
1st Sarah-Quita Offringa
2nd Justine Lemeteyer
3rd Marion Mortefon
4th Jenna Gibson
5th Femke van der Veen
Result 2024 Fuerteventura PWA World Cup – Men’s Foil Slalom
1st Daniele Benedetti
2nd Pierre Mortefon
3rd Enrico Marotti
4th Matteo Iachino
5th Alexis Mathis
6th Amado Vrieswijk
7th Michele Becker
8th Maciek Rutkowski
9th Jordy Vonk
10th Thomas Goyard
Result 2024 Fuerteventura PWA World Cup – Women’s Foil Slalom
1st Justine Lemeteyer
2nd Marion Mortefon
3rd Blanca Alabau
4th Alisa Engelmann
5th Maya Morris
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