The fourth day of competition at the iQFOiL European Championship in Sferracavallo near Palermo presented the more than 140 participants with a variety of challenges. In cooler temperatures and initially light winds, only the women started first, while the men had to wait patiently for more stable wind conditions. This paid off, with five slalom races being completed in south-westerly winds of between 6 and 11 knots. Ahead of the final day of the Opening Series on Friday, Emma Wilson and Nicolas Goyard have taken the lead in the standings.
Emma Wilson in the flow
In the women's fleet, the big names dominated the action: Reigning world champion Emma Wilson, Daniela Peleg and Olympic champion Marta Maggetti each secured three victories in their fields and currently occupy the top three places in the overall standings. Wilson was satisfied with her performance after her successful day.
"I already had a really good day on Tuesday with five course races and started to get used to the place... it reminded me of home. I've been at home training since the World Championships as this year I've decided to stay at home more and train hard with the comforts of home," said Emma Wilson. "Today we did five slalom races and it was super tricky again, but I stuck to what I know: 'Try to get off the start line, use my speed' - and it worked well!"
Theresa Steinlein climbed back up to eleventh place in the overall standings after suffering a disqualification the day before yesterday. With places 3, 5 and 7, she finished in the top ten several times, with a 25th place being her second top ten finish. Currently only two points behind tenth place, she still has a good chance of making it into the Medal Races.
"It was tricky in the waves"
The men had to wait a little at first, as the wind was less co-operative early in the day. After the waiting time, however, the conditions stabilised so that three slalom races could be held in two heats. The first race took place in 7-8 knots, while in the second and third heats gusts of 13-14 knots with wind direction changes of up to 30 degrees made for typical Mediterranean changeability in the cold months.
Nico Goyard showed consistently strong performances and took the overall lead. Finn Hawkins moved up to second place after two race wins in the final heats, while Olympic champion Tom Reuveny is currently in third place. Hawkins was delighted with the challenging conditions. "The wind was changeable today and we skied downwind slalom in a decent wind at the end," explained the Briton. "It was tricky with the waves, everyone was racing down the wave crests, which was great fun! I managed to take two wins, so overall I'm delighted! It's a tricky spot, it changes all the time, but that's what makes it exciting."
Decisive final day is imminent - live streams on YouTube
Today, Friday, marks the last day of the Opening Series before the Medal Series on Saturday. Only the ten best athletes from each fleet will compete for the European title. The tension is mounting as the favourites get into position and the final qualification places will be fiercely contested.
Today's live broadcast can be viewed retrospectively on the class YouTube channel. There will also be live streams for the decisions on Friday and the Medal Series on Saturday, giving fans the opportunity to follow the decisive races in real time.
