iQFOiL U23 World Championship: "Some could foil, others couldn't" - light wind thriller off Portimao

The fourth day of the iQFOiL U23 World Championships in Portimão, Portugal, began with an unfamiliar challenge: waiting. After three days of reliable north-westerly winds, Thursday lacked the usual morning humidity that normally triggers the local thermal wind. Without the cool, moist air to help warm the land, the daily "engine" for the sea breeze did not start up as usual. When the wind finally arrived, it came later and weaker than on previous days.

The conditions did not allow the first races until late afternoon. At 17:10, Principal Race Officer Ewa Jodlowska sent the silver fleet out onto the water and opted for the slalom format to make the most of the 8 to 10 knots of wind. The first start finally took place at 18:00 with a downwind zigzag course characterised by gybes and close duels.

Technically demanding slalom races

At 18:34, the U23 men's gold fleet finally started their first race, followed shortly afterwards by the U23 women. Constantly changing wind conditions made every stage of the sprint slalom a technical challenge. The athletes had to react immediately to the changes in the wind at every gybe and when accelerating out afterwards.

The changing conditions led to an interesting phenomenon: while some participants were able to foil, others remained on the surface of the water. As Stanislaw Trepczynski commented: "We had two slalom races today, but the wind was a bit crazy... some people could foil, others didn't, but finally we made it and I moved up one position in the overall standings, so I'm happy that I'm getting closer and tomorrow is the last day, so we'll see how it goes."

Stability at the top, movement in midfield

After two intense slalom races in the evening, the U23 men's podium remained unchanged at the top: Grae Morris maintained first place, Leonardo Tomasini remained second and Duncan Monaghan held on to third. The biggest climber of the day was Côme Joly, who climbed from sixth to fourth, showing determination and adaptability in the difficult, shifting winds. Nacho Baltasar Summers completed the top five and maintained his position despite the challenging conditions. There were only minimal shifts among the German starters Max Körner (31st), Jakob Ditzen (41st), Lenny Friemel (50th) and Bastian Weber (94th).

Dramatic shifts in the women's fleet

In the U23 women's fleet, there were major shifts in the rankings due to the slalom races in the evening. Mina Mobekk fought her way back to the top, which she had relinquished on the second day, Aimee Bright climbed to second place and Maya Gysler took a well-deserved place on the podium. Yesterday's leader, Nela Sadílkova, slipped to fourth place, Sophia Meyer remains in a commanding sixth place and Emma Schleicher also defended her 35th place.

Mina Mobekk commented on the day's races: "Two slalom races today for the women and it was a bit tricky with the wind, the first race wasn't so good for me but I came second in the second one so I'm happy with that and it was really nice to ski in the sunset so yeah, it was a nice day."