The season opener of the PWA Foil Slalom World Tour 2025 in Guadeloupe delivered spectacular action despite challenging conditions. On just one of five competition days, the athletes were able to demonstrate their skills in optimal wind conditions. Nevertheless, this one day was enough to carry out three complete eliminations and determine the favourites. In the end, reigning world champion Justine Lemeteyer and former two-time world champion Matteo Iachino came out on top.
Lemeteyer launches title defence mission
Justine Lemeteyer (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) continued where she left off last season. The 22-year-old Frenchwoman dominated the women's field and secured four victories in six eliminations. She finished second in each of the other two races. Lemeteyer was delighted after her triumph: "It's absolutely incredible to start the season like this. I am over the moon! It was indeed a new pressure to start the season as the reigning world champion. But the hard work with my mental coach has really paid off this week." The Frenchwoman particularly emphasised the importance of a strong start to the season: "I knew that winning the first event was also important for my head. That way, I can look back on this event during the season and gain the confidence that I can win races." Lemeteyer also emphasised the added motivation of winning in the French Caribbean.
Lina Erzen with podium guarantee
Lemeteyer's main rival here was Lina Eržen, who showed that she was more than willing to make it as difficult as possible for the reigning world champion. The Slovenian was briefly in the lead after winning the second elimination and managed to secure another victory in elimination 5 before losing a little momentum in elimination 6, which turned out to be the last elimination of the competition, after crossing the start line too early. Eržen now has a 100% podium record from her first three PWA events, having won on her debut in Japan 2023 and finishing second there last year.
Blanca Alabau recovered from a somewhat slow start to the event to secure the final spot on the podium. The 2023 World Champion admitted she had lost some confidence after losing her foil during training in Guadeloupe in the lead-up to the event, but she managed to secure three top-three finishes in the final four eliminations to climb to third place. Alabau is just one point ahead of Femke van der Veen. The 24-year-old finished second in Elimination 6 and fourth place is a good start to the season.
Matteo Iachino with a perfect performance
Matteo Iachino delivered a flawless performance in the men's field. The Italian not only won all three finals, but also won every single heat of the event. This dominance across various wind conditions should give his competitors food for thought. With 2.1 points, Iachino achieved the best possible result and set a clear signal for the rest of the season. Reigning world champion Pierre Mortefon also put in a strong and consistent performance. He took second place in all three eliminations, but was unable to seriously jeopardise Iachino.
Former Foil Vice World Champion, Alexandre Cousin achieved his first top 10 result since May 2023 with third place, a great start to the season. The 36-year-old made several miraculous comebacks to avoid elimination in the quarter-finals and then went one better by deservedly completing the podium with two third places and a sixth.
Jordy Vonk narrowly misses out on the podium at the first event of the season, but fourth place is still a big step forward as it is the Dutchman's best result in a foiling event, which should give him confidence for the rest of the year. Amado Vrieswijk and Maciek Rutkowski have made a solid, albeit unspectacular start to the season, finishing fifth and sixth respectively. Both are potential contenders for the world title, but after qualifying for all three Winners' Finals, neither of them managed to achieve a top result - Vrieswijk's best finish was a fifth, Rutkowski's a sixth.
Poggemann gets going, disappointment for Prien
Last year's runner-up Daniele Benedetti made a solid start to the event with a good seventh place in the first race, but then things went downhill: the Italian was eliminated twice in the quarter-finals and ultimately finished in a weak 22nd place.
The best German at the PWA World Cup in Guadeloupe was Lars Poggemann in 13th place - just half a point behind the British rider Scotty Stallman in front of him. Poggemann was knocked out twice in the quarter-finals, but was able to reach the grand final in the last elimination. There, the man from Kiel achieved his best result on the tour to date with sixth place. Nico Prien finished the season opener in 18th place. The man from Schönberg was unlucky to be eliminated several times; his best result was 14th place in the second elimination.
Surprises and newcomers
In addition to the established stars, some younger athletes also made a name for themselves in Guadeloupe. In the women's event, 15-year-old Bobbi-Lynn De Jong (Starboard / NeilPryde) secured an impressive fifth place. In the men's field, 21-year-old Sem Stroosma (Tabou / GA Sails) surprised everyone with his first top 10 result and qualification for his first Winners' Final.
Results PWA Foil Slalom Guadeloupe 2025
Ladies
- Justine Lemeteyer
- Lina Erzen
- Blanca Alabau
- Femke van der Veen
- Bobbi-Lynn de Jong
- Mae Davico
- Tess Sermet
- Julie Payen
Gents
- Matteo Iachino
- Pierre Mortefon
- Alexandre Cousin
- Jordy Vonk
- Amado Vrieswijk
- Maciek Rutkowski
- Alexis Mathis
- William Huppert
- Benoit Merceur
- Sem Stroosma
