The winter surf break is also over for the foil racers - the PWA Windsurf World Cup is starting the new season with a fresh spot. From 22 to 26 April 2025, a PWA Foil Slalom event will take place for the first time on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. The Riviera Guadeloupe PWA Windsurf World Cup promises spectacular races against a fantastic backdrop.
Guadeloupe, a French overseas department in the Caribbean, offers perfect conditions for the start of the season with its five islands. White sandy beaches and turquoise waters attract not only holidaymakers, but also windsurfers. The reliable trade winds with an average of 15-20 knots make the location an ideal spot for foil racing. But there are also waves on Guadeloupe. At the beginning of the year, the two-star King of Moule event took place there, which surf reader Christoph Burkhard attended: IWT/PWA event in Guadeloupe - As a windsurfing holidaymaker at the "King of Moule"
Justine Lemeteyer: Aiming for title defence
Reigning world champion Justine Lemeteyer is the top favourite in the women's event. The 22-year-old Frenchwoman dominated last season with two victories and a second place in three events. Lemeteyer switched to Patrik in the winter and wants to hit the ground running with the new equipment.
Her fiercest rival Marion Mortefon will be missing in Guadeloupe. The current runner-up is expecting a baby and is taking a break. This opens up opportunities for the 2023 world champion, Blanca Alabau from Spain. Slovenia's Lina Eržen, who won her debut event in Japan in 2023, is also one of the favourites. Other contenders for podium places in the field of just eight women are 15-year-old Bobbi-Lynn De Jong from the Netherlands, who finished fourth overall last season, and former Junior Vice World Champion Mae Davico from France. Femke van der Veen from the Netherlands and French young talent Tess Sermet also want to be among the front runners.
Pierre Mortefon at the head of a strong French field
In the men's competition, Pierre Mortefon is - once again - the top favourite. The reigning double world champion in Foil Slalom and Slalom X showed impressive consistency in 2024 with only first and second places. Mortefon wants to set an example for his title defence in Guadeloupe. However, Denmark's Johan Søe, who won both events he took part in in 2024, and world number three Enrico Marotti from Croatia are two strong contenders.
Nevertheless, the field remains high-calibre. The challengers include Italian runner-up Daniele Benedetti, who celebrated his first World Tour victory in 2024. Two-time world champion Matteo Iachino from Italy, 2023 runner-up Amado Vrieswijk and former world champion Maciek Rutkowski from Poland also have title ambitions.
With Guadeloupe as a French overseas department, the French line-up is particularly strong. The hosts make up almost half of the men's field. In addition to top favourite Mortefon, Alexis Mathis, Cedric Bordes, William Huppert and Alexandre Cousin will also be competing. Nico Prien and Lars Poggemann are registered from Germany for the World Cup in Guadeloupe. Michele Becker had to cancel at short notice due to back problems.
