Kieler Woche: Fabian Wolf on home regattas, DWC and iQFoil in comparison and the Kördel dominance
Tobias Frauen
· 20.06.2023
You often have to wait a long time for wind here at Kieler Woche, does that get on your nerves or are you still completely relaxed?
No, it doesn't get on my nerves. This competition is quite relaxed for us, it's not a groundbreaking event and there aren't many good riders here anyway. That's why it's more of a training event. Sure, the waiting is exhausting and annoying, you get very tired - but the tension is limited, so it's all easy!
A week and a half ago you came third at the IFCA European Championships on Borkum, now you're competing here in the iQFoil. Is that a big change?
Well, the changeover isn't that big, because we mostly raced on foil at the IFCA European Championships and are also racing on foil here. The iQ equipment is a bit outdated compared to modern foil slalom equipment. You go out on the water once and you're straight back into it because you've already spent so much time on it, so the feeling is there again straight away. If I want to be at the front in foil slalom, it takes me three or four sessions to get back into it, but the other way round works really well!
DWC and Olympic events are two different worlds!"
And what about the atmosphere, what is the difference between DWC regattas and the Olympic events?
Oh, it really is a clash of two worlds. There's a completely different atmosphere in the DWC or among the slalom people in general, they're all less tense, much cooler, much more chilled. And when you go over to the Olympics, everyone is under pressure, everyone has to perform, because it immediately affects the funding. The support is also based on how you raced beforehand. There's a completely different kind of pressure, a completely different kind of stress, and that's also the case with the other nations, and everyone is a bit tense. Not necessarily here at Kieler Woche, but at the big competitions like in Palma or in Greece or at the World Championships in August. That's a groundbreaking event for everyone, where you have to perform at your best. And in slalom, of course I have ambitions there too, but I don't put so much time into it at the moment, I go there because I want to and not because I have to. I do it for fun, so to speak. And you do iQ to get to the front and get the support.
What's your situation, which squad are you currently in?
I'm currently in the German Sailing Association's prospects squad, and then I'm also in the Bundeswehr's top sports promotion programme.
As already mentioned, you have the World Championships in The Hague and the test event in Marseille coming up. What is the sporting significance of Kiel Week?
When we go out on the water here, it's good training. A title or even a second or third place is nice, but nothing more. There are hardly any international riders here. Many are now training in Marseille, because that's where the test event is next month. A few others are training in Belgium and Holland and are preparing for the World Championships. Kiel doesn't have any conditions that are relevant for these areas, so that's rather secondary. Sure, a national German title will be awarded, but it's nothing special in the iQFoil.
What is it like for you personally, as a home game on your doorstep?
I moved from Hamburg to Kiel to study and have spent most of my time on the water off Kiel in recent years. Of course it's my home spot and I live close by, but I actually find it more exciting to sail a regatta abroad. You quickly get into your usual routine here and it's more stressful than abroad. You can fully focus on the competition, there are a lot of distractions here. If it was really important, it would be more stressful here, but this way it's a nice regatta for me (laughs).
It's difficult to beat Kördel, he's in the form of his life."
What are your goals for Kiel Week?
The goal is definitely the podium! It's difficult to beat Kördel, he's in the form of his life at the moment. But if I can get everything together, then a second or third place should be possible.
How is it with you drivers, do you have a lot of dialogue or does everyone do their own thing?
We all have the same coach and also train together, there is also an individual exchange about settings, but I rarely get the really secret tips.
Almost exactly two years ago, you said in a surf interview that you wanted to make it into the top five in the DWC and scratch the podium. That's where you are now, third twice on Borkum and on Sylt - what's next, do you want to go even higher?
I'm also thinking about that at the moment. I won the last DWC last year and came third at the German Championships, just behind Nico (Prien) and Vincent (Langer). I was still fully focussed on iQFoil then, also because of the support. But I also know that if I invested as much effort in the slalom as I've put into iQFoil in recent years, I could beat the others. That's why I'm currently thinking about it. The prospects for 2024 are shrinking day by day because Kördel is extremely strong. The motivation is definitely there, so I'll probably go all out in the slalom next year if Basti continues to be so strong. I want to see what I can do and then go for the Olympics again in 2028!
If I invested as much effort in the slalom as I've put into the iQFoil in recent years, then I could beat the others too."
Then also in the World Cup or initially only at national level?
If I say I'm a slalom racer, then I would also race internationally!
Do you also feel comfortable on the fin or is your focus on the foil?
I can count on one hand how many times I've been out on the water with a fin this year (laughs). You're much more competitive with the foil because you also have to have good fins at the top level. There were also people like Vincent or Gunnar, who have a lot of experience, and it was difficult to get hold of them. That's why I've focussed entirely on foil in recent years, and it's paid off. I still have a lot of training to do in the Finn, which also depends a bit on how the World Championships go in the iQFoil, but I'll definitely be going for it!
