At the start of the IFCA Slalom Foil World Championship in St. Peter-Ording as part of the California Windsurf Cup, two complete slalom series were held in solid south-westerly winds. Amado Vrieswijk leads the results list after the first day ahead of the reigning GWA champion Fabian Wolf and Michele Becker. In total, more than 40 starters from nine nations are taking part in SPO.
After registration and opening, the race got underway in force four winds, the course was laid out close to shore with a finish directly in front of the beach. Michele Becker got off to a perfect start. With a victory in the opening race, he also secured 500 euros in prize money for the "LVM Insurance Grand Prix", which is awarded at the first rounds of the Windsurf Cup.
Starting a regatta with a win is always good for the mindset" (Michele Becker)
"The first day was a very good start for me. We had perfect conditions for my setup. Starting a regatta with a win is always good for the mindset," commented Becker. Fabian Wolf, the current leader of the California Windsurf Cup foil rankings, followed in second place: "That was a solid start to the world championship. The conditions weren't easy for me with the current. I'm all the more pleased that I did so well in the fights with Amado Vrieswijk and Michele Becker." Frenchman Alexis Mathis finished third in the opening race, while World Cup pro and top favourite Amado Vrieswijk surprisingly just missed out on the podium. Danish youngster Noah Vinther completed the top five.
Vrieswijk wins the second race
Immediately afterwards, a second slalom elimination was held as the wind slowly died down. This time Amado Vrieswijk lived up to his role as favourite. With a victory in this race, he put himself right back in the title fight of the Windsurfing World Championships. Fabian Wolf showed a consistently strong performance. He consolidated his position at the top with another second place. Danni Jacobsen from Denmark took third place ahead of his compatriot Noah Vinther. Frenchman Alexis Mathis completed the top 5 in race two. After a crash at the penultimate buoy, Michele Becker, who had been in the lead until then, had to make do with eighth place.
As a result, the wind dropped further so that no more races were started. After two slalom eliminations, Amado Vrieswijk and Fabian Wolf are tied at the top of the rankings with 4.0 points, with the tiebreaker putting Vrieswijk in the lead. "The races today were a lot of fun, even though the conditions weren't easy with the current. I'm very happy with my performance. It was very close at times. It looks windy for the weekend. If the conditions get tougher, it could be a completely different story," says Amado Vrieswijk.
The races today were a lot of fun, even though the conditions with the current were not easy." (Amado Vrieswijk)
The California Windsurf Cup in St. Peter-Ording runs until Sunday, 14 July. The new IFCA Slalom Foil World Champion 2024 will then be crowned at the award ceremony at 17:00. It only looks like there will be a little wind towards the afternoon today, but the forecast for the weekend is very good. In addition to the races on the water, there will be numerous activities and exhibitors in the Event Village on Ordinger Strand.
