Olympic goal: "I know I can beat anyone!" - Interview with iQFoil world champion Sebastian Kördel
Andreas Erbe
· 08.01.2023
Dominance had a name at the iQFoil World Championships in Brest, France, in October: Sebastian Kördel! The man from Constance won nine of the 14 races before the all-important medal race. He could even afford to abandon the last two races and use them as scratch results - and yet he was so far ahead of the runner-up that the world championship title would have been his for the taking in any other regatta class.
Not so in the Olympic event! In the finals, the tenth-placed athlete from the 14 heats still has the chance to become world champion. And the leader, regardless of the lead he has going into the race for the medals, can still drop back to third or fourth place. Exciting for the spectators, merciless for the athletes. But Sebastian Kördel withstood the immense pressure and became the first surfer to win a World Championship title for Germany in the Olympic class.
And it is currently booming. Since the world federation's decision to use modern foil material, the Olympics and the class have become attractive for many regatta racers. This is because, unlike its predecessor the RS:X, it can now be raced on multiple tracks: Olympic windsurfing and national racing series, PWA World Cup or IFCA championships are no longer mutually exclusive. Not even for Sebastian Kördel, who competed in the PWA World Cup on Sylt shortly before the World Championships in Brest.
If I remember correctly, you won a PWA elimination for the first time at the World Cup on Sylt. Did that change anything in you? Did it make you more confident?
Sebastian Kördel: Yes, it was a great experience to win this race on Sylt. I had never managed to do that in slalom before, it was something very special for me. I still remember my first victories in the various racing series at world-class level - in Formula Windsurfing, in the PWA course races and of course in the iQFOiL. At that moment, you are the fastest in the world, and that feels incredible!
Winning the elimination on Sylt certainly gave me a boost for the IQ World Championships in Brest. I'm not sure if it changed anything in me, but the momentum was definitely on my side when it came to the slalom races in Brest. In slalom, the PWA is unrivalled and by far the fastest and best fleet in the world. Knowing that I can hold my own against this competition and win races naturally boosts my self-confidence for future races - regardless of the class.
In slalom, the PWA is the undisputed fastest fleet in the world. To prevail there boosts self-confidence.
At the last major iQFOiL championships - with the exception of this year's Euro - you were almost always very consistently at the front, but it was never enough to win. What was different this time? What was decisive for you to win the highlight of the season?
This year's European Championships went down the drain with a 20th place, it was the last big meeting before the World Championships. I sank my race foil in Lake Garda on the first day due to a faulty screw and then just couldn't find my rhythm all week. I won several races, but the consistency just wasn't there. I think it was a combination of several factors that made it possible for me to deliver my best performance in Brest. Together with my coach Dom Tidey, we managed to steadily build up the performance after the European Championships and got faster from week to week. We also focussed less on material tests and simply worked more on our sailing skills.
If you spend hours trying to find the best mast for the sail, you will gain ten metres in the race. A good, tactical decision in the course race gains you 20 places. In the end, IQ is a one-size-fits-all class and the advantages are largely achieved through sporting ability. It helped me a lot to forget about the equipment and just concentrate on my race. What's more, I coped much better with the incredible tension of the final day than last year. My coach always tells me to trust the process - I think he's right. If you really give it your all, Sebastian Kördel about prioritising getting better in preparation, then you will - and with that comes a certain aplomb that helps you cope with the incredible pressure.
The perfectly chosen mast gets you ten metres, the perfect tactics in the course race 20 places.
Things didn't go perfectly at the last PWA event in Japan, but you are still in the top 10 in the annual standings. Are you happy with that and do you want to continue to ride on two tracks in the future?
My foil broke in the surf on Sylt. Unfortunately, logistical bottlenecks prevented me from getting a new fuselage until Japan. I had to use a slightly different fuselage, which simply didn't perform as well as I was used to. In addition, after winning the World Championship in Brest, the air was just a bit out. There was quite a lot going on straight after Brest, I didn't really get any rest until Japan. I really noticed that on the race track. Of course, it didn't help that I got a bad result in the first elimination due to a crash and also lost my 9.0.
I just didn't have enough fire left in me to push through despite the material disadvantage. But top 10 is really okay for me this year. I was in IQ training a lot and only had a little time for the open class. That won't necessarily be any better in 2023. The first half of the year in particular is so packed with IQ that I'll unfortunately miss one or two World Cups. But it's still important to me to at least take part in the races that I have time for. That means Sylt, Japan and maybe even New Caledonia are firmly planned. I definitely want to stay on the ball! I've learnt so much from the Olympic campaign and I'm sure I can really shake up the PWA if I can concentrate on it again.
The IFCA has already done it, and the DWC is probably about to do it - a separation of foil and fin. The PWA is probably also discussing a separation again. What do you think?
I don't think much of separating such a small sport and thus driving it even further into a niche. As I understand it, everything will remain the same at the DWC for the time being. The management wanted to organise it in a similar way to the IFCA, but the drivers clearly opposed this at the AGM. This means that a slalom course will be laid out - and fins and foils can race together. This will also be the case in the World Cup, but we are considering whether the material on the foil side should be cut back so that, for example, two fin boards have to be registered.
I find that very problematic here too. We have seen in recent years how the field of participants at the World Cup has become smaller and smaller. We absolutely need new blood - and in my opinion, the easiest way to get it is from the IQ. Here we have almost 500 participants at major events, if you count the youth. That's an incredible talent pool and there have already been a few IQ riders competing in Japan. Only 25 riders will be allowed to go to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. That means there are potentially hundreds of young windsurfers out there who love to race and absolutely have the skills to compete on the foil at the World Cup. But if you now try to force the fin back into the World Cup, you are excluding this large number of potential new participants and missing the biggest opportunity in decades to really breathe new life into the World Cup.
After your World Championship title, your club, the NRV (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein), gave you a bonus that Worldcuppers can only dream of - 50,000 euros! How did it feel to be honoured in this way, including financially?
That feels great! Knowing that the club is so behind you and appreciates what you do fills me with pride and gratitude. But I also value the collaboration with my coach Dom; we agreed last winter that we would share the bonus if it came to that. And what can I say? Dom is currently looking for a nice new car. But basically the NRV just gets it. The club wants world champions and Olympic champions - and it's clear that you simply have to increase the incentives. One week after my title, Luise Wanser and Phillip Autenrieth won the World Championship title in the 470. So, two big titles for the NRV in one year. It really seems to be working.
How did you celebrate the title?
The first thing I did was call my parents and I have to admit that I couldn't really talk to them because I was so emotional. But that wasn't so important at that moment, we understood each other without many words. After a few more phone calls with sponsors and supporters, there was a celebratory dinner with my girlfriend, training partners and coach. Afterwards, we went to a bar in Brest with all the riders - and then onwards. It escalated quite a bit, it was light when I got back home. But I think that's okay after such a success. Definitely nice memories! As my family was in Tarifa at the time, there was a big reunion in Spain a few days later and the celebrations continued.
Do you have the feeling that your success has also changed something at the DSV in terms of the status of windsurfing? In the RS:X era, windsurfing was rather neglected.
So far in my co-operation with the DSV, I have never really had the feeling that the IQ foils were somehow neglected. They always tried to help me in the best possible way and all doors were open to me. The association also provided me with a really good coach and I'm grateful for that.
What happens now? Of course, a success like this immediately raises expectations in Germany of a gold medal in Marseille, where the sailing competitions will take place at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. How do you deal with that?
It's business as usual, I trust the process. It led me to the World Championship title, I trust that it will also take me to Marseille and I will work hard for it. The first training camp took place in Tarifa in December and I will continue in Lanzarote in January/February. Fortunately, I was also able to take a deep breath with my family between the years. I really needed that after this season.
What are the goals for 2023?
Get better - and don't lose the fun of it all! As always. A title defence is coming up in the IQ and I also want to win races in the World Cup again. I'm already looking forward to it!
Do you think you've already raced against the 2024 Olympic champion? Or will there be competitors in the next two years that you haven't even considered yet?
I don't think a brand new athlete can make up for the training advantage we boys have now. However, this is also my first Olympic campaign and I have no experience. I just know that I can beat anyone, no matter how overpowering they seem - and my coach has experience of the Olympics, he's already been to four games.
