Light winds characterised the first few days in Alaçati, forcing the athletes to wait on the shore. When the wind finally picked up, the final day of competition saw four elimination rounds on the foil. The riders had to prove themselves across a wide range of wind conditions – from pumping to stay on the foil to high-pressure racing in stronger winds. In all divisions, consistency was the deciding factor between victory and defeat. The points margins on the podiums were minimal in several classes. It was particularly close in the U17 and U15 Boys’ categories, where different winners in each race kept things exciting.
Emser with a perfect record in the U21 Boys’ competition
Benedikt Emser was in outstanding form in Alaçati. The German won all four races in the U21 category and gave his rivals no chance. Regardless of the conditions, his speed was in a league of its own. Tycho Smits from Bonaire had to settle for second place, despite some close battles and leading in individual races. However, the Dutchman heads to the season finale in Miami as the leader in the overall standings. Diederik Leemans completed the podium ahead of his JP/NeilPryde team-mate Mario Boeksteggers. Gustav Permin finished in fifth place.
Foufas wins the first event of his career
Vassilis Foufas from Greece not only competed in his first event on the tour in Alaçati, but also in his very first competition. The Greek immediately demonstrated his skill and made the most of the days with little wind to practise in light-wind conditions. His consistency proved decisive – Foufas finished every race in the U17 category within the top three. After finishing level on points with Max-Emil Schmidt, the tiebreaker went in favour of the Greek rider. For Schmidt, a DNF in the opening race cost him the event title. Mika Henning won two of the four races, but an over-early in elimination three and a fifth place in elimination two saw him drop back to third place. Just 0.7 points separated the three podium places.
Turkish dominance in the U15 and U13 boys’ competitions
The U15 Boys produced the closest races, with four different winners across four heats. Cagan Gucuk from Turkey secured the title with one win and two second-place finishes, one point ahead of Demirhan Turcan. Atlas Acar followed in third place, two points behind. Imre Horvath from Hungary narrowly missed out on the podium, finishing fourth. In the U13 Boys’ category, Alp Ege Erden continued his winning streak. The young Turkish rider won the U13 division in Alaçati for the third time in a row – this time on the foil. Erden dominated with four wins from four races. Yahya Can Halac and Oguz Kagan Ertugrul both finished second in two races. Halac’s third place in elimination four gave him a one-point lead over his compatriot. Ertugrul was the youngest male competitor to finish a race this week.
Kurtdemir and Metin win the girls’ event
Damla Kurtdemir from Turkey clinched the title in the U21 Girls’ category with three race wins. The U21 and U17 girls shared the same race course, leading to constant changes in the lead between Kurtdemir, Zeynep Hacudi and the U17 rider Irem Metin. Hacudi had won the U21 division the previous year and fought for the title right until the end, but had to settle for second place. Ela Ozcan completed the podium in third place. Irem Metin also dominated the U17 girls’ race with three victories, relegating Azra Gul to second place. In her first year in the U17 category, Metin regularly challenged the older U21 riders at the front of the combined field.
Thrilling finishes in the youngest age groups
In the U15 Girls’ category, Beren Ulkumen and Jessica Roman were locked in a neck-and-neck battle. After two races, the scores were tied. Idil Kumral won elimination three, meaning the outcome would be decided in the final. Whoever won there would take the event title. Local hero Beren Ulkumen came out on top and secured victory. Jessica Roman finished second in the race and second in the event, whilst Selin Dilber held on to third place. Jessica’s younger sister, Vanessa Roman from Hungary, was a force to be reckoned with in the U15 Girls’ category, even though she is only U13. She had already competed against older girls and boys at other events this season. In her own age group, the Hungarian rider demonstrated her talent with three wins. She was disqualified for a false start but went on to win the event title by a clear margin. Mihrimay Baysın capitalised on Roman’s false start in elimination three to secure victory and second place. Selin Diaz and Nehir Yaşar swapped positions throughout the races. After applying all the tie-break rules, the head-to-head result in the final race went in favour of Diaz, who secured a podium finish at her home venue.
Following the event in Alaçati, the only event remaining is the season finale in Miami from 21 to 25 October, where the overall world champions will be crowned.
All heats and results can be found at pwaworldtour.com