It's not about who sets a single speed record, but who is the fastest overall during the entire event, on the open sea - classic, as it used to be.
Sixty speed freaks from fourteen different countries competed against each other on the south of France's most popular flat water piste. Among them were some renowned World Cup riders such as Matteo Iachino, Amado Vrieswijk and windsurfing legend Björn Dunkerbeck: "An unforgettable day in the history of speed windsurfing," proclaims organiser Principe Baldini, who has also been chairman of theInternational Speed Windsurfing Class is.
Five world championship titles were awarded
A total of four runs were made in each category, the best three of which count towards the ranking. The ranking is based on the average of the two best "runs" in each of the three heats.
The 50-year-old, now 26-time world champion Antoine Albeau has nothing left to prove, but was once again able to show what he can (still) do and confidently took the title in the Finn category, followed by Vincent Valkenaers in second place and Matteo Iachino in third.
Heidi Ulrich won the women's category ahead of Melek Toraman from Germany and the fastest woman in the world on the foil: Blanca Alabeau. The fastest man on the foil was the Frenchman William Huppert. Lucas Pierboni was also crowned Youth World Champion and Anna Biagiolini Youth World Champion.
Statements from world champions Albeau and Ulrich
Antoine Albeau
"25 becomes 26...Another world title!!! I'm working on the things I love to do...and I'm working FAST! It's always a great honour to compete against the best riders in the world."
Heidi Ulrich
"I'm honestly still looking for the right words to describe what happened here. What an emotional week....I missed the first race and then managed to win three races in a row on the last day."
Both would also like to thank the event and especially Principe Baldini for his commitment to speed windsurfing.
