iQFOiL Games Lanzarote: Pilloni takes the lead, Emma Wilson extends her dominance

The second day of the iQFOiL Games in Lanzarote brought significant changes to the standings. After a intensive preludewhich had already laid the foundations for a high-calibre week of competition, the participants experienced changed conditions and tactical challenges on the following day. Particularly noteworthy: Italian Federico Pilloni took the lead in the men's field, while Britain's Emma Wilson extended her dominance in the women's race. The races were moved closer to the lighthouse, where the athletes faced slightly bigger swells than the day before. The wind direction remained in the north/north-west quadrant, but was weaker than expected in the early hours.

Upwind sprint races characterise the day

The race organisers reacted to the conditions and opened the day with a single sprint slalom race for the men. As the wind picked up, the programme switched to upwind sprint races - three for the men and four for the women. These short, fast races with a split field in different heats and an upwind start presented an additional challenge. They demanded absolute precision from the athletes and clean execution right from the start line. The format proved to be selective and led to significant shifts in the rankings, especially in the men's field, where the Italian Federico Pilloni had an outstanding day and temporarily took the overall lead.

Pilloni takes the lead

In the men's field, there was a significant rearrangement of the top positions. Italian U23 athlete Federico Pilloni put in an impressive performance on the water to take the overall lead, edging out previous leader Finn Hawkins of Great Britain. Frenchman Yun Pouliquen maintains third place overall, while another U23 rider, Spaniard Nacho Baltasar, follows in fourth place and thus also remains in contention. The density of performance in the front field emphasises the quality of the field of participants and promises exciting competitions for the coming days. Particularly noteworthy is the strong presence of young athletes from the U23 category in the top positions.

Wilson continues to dominate the women's field

In the women's race, last year's winner Emma Wilson from Great Britain further extended her lead. With three race wins and a third place on the second day of competition, she significantly increased her lead at the top of the overall standings. Israel's Sharon Kantor also had an excellent day on the water and improved to second place overall, relegating her compatriot Tamar Steinberg to third place. The reigning Olympic champion Marta Maggetti from Italy holds fourth place, although the gap to the podium still appears to be bridgeable. Wilson thus continues her impressive form and establishes herself as the clear favourite for overall victory.

Demanding conditions challenge the athletes

The changeable and challenging conditions on the second day of the competition emphasised that consistency, adaptability and precise starts will be decisive factors for success on Lanzarote. With the relocation of the race course closer to the lighthouse, the competitors had to adjust to a larger swell, which posed an additional challenge, especially for the upwind starts. The wind conditions in the north/north-west quadrant remained stable, but fluctuated in strength. This variability required a high degree of tactical understanding and technical adaptability.

Outlook for the rest of the competition

With the significant shifts in the rankings after the second day of competition, the competition promises to be exciting. Especially in the men's field, the situation at the top remains open, while Emma Wilson has proven her dominance in the women's field. The coming days will show whether Pilloni can defend her new-found lead and whether Wilson's pursuers can find a strategy to catch up with the Briton. With half of the competition still to go, all participants still have the chance to improve. The decisive factor will be who can cope best with the changing conditions and consistently deliver top performances.

The iQFOiL Games on Lanzarote are still running until Wednesday, all results can be found at 2026iqgameslanzarote.sailti.com