After two days of waiting, the Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup 2025 finally started with the first races on the third day. Conditions proved challenging with winds between 6 and 15 knots, with most heats taking place in marginal, shifty conditions. World Tour leaders Justine Lemeteyer and Matteo Iachino were unfazed and got off to a strong start. While Lemeteyer took a convincing victory in the women's event, Iachino finished second in the men's event behind Johan Søe. Both World Championship favourites are therefore on course for the title for the time being.
Justine Lemeteyer deliberate and dominant
Justine Lemeteyer didn't get off to the best start in the first Winners' Final of the week, but that didn't matter to the reigning world champion. The 23-year-old Frenchwoman took the lead as early as the second buoy and then left nothing to chance. With an impressive lead, she distanced the rest of the field and sent a clear signal to her rivals that she would be hard to beat in Japan.
As in Guadeloupe, Lina Eržen proved to be Lemeteyer's strongest challenger. The Slovenian remains within striking distance of her French rival in the battle for the world title. With a difference of just 100 points ahead of the event and currently 1.3 points apart in the event rankings, both athletes will need to remain highly focussed, as any mistake could be decisive.
Exciting duels in the women's midfield
Behind the two frontrunners, Blanca Alabau and debutant Maya Gysler fought a thrilling duel. The Norwegian initially led on the first shot, but ultimately had to settle for fourth place, while Alabau pumped herself up into third place with a solid performance. This result gives the Spaniard a good starting position in the battle for third place overall, as her main rival Femke van der Veen was unable to finish higher than seventh.
Marion Mortefon made her first appearance back after her maternity leave with a solid fifth place. The experienced Frenchwoman showed that she is always a force to be reckoned with. Mio Anayama, who made her debut in the PWA back in 2011, currently leads the Japanese women's field in eighth place and represents the host nation in the top ten.
Johan Søe continues winning streak
In the men's event, Danish defending champion Johan Søe seamlessly built on his successes from previous events. The Dane, who is hoping for his fourth win in a row, led the Winners' Final from start to finish and confidently secured his first win of the week. With this performance, "The Beast" cemented his role as the absolute favourite when he competes.
Matteo Iachino followed closely behind Søe and would probably have acted more aggressively under different circumstances. But with the world title on the line and his main rival Pierre Mortefon breathing down his neck, there was no need for the Italian to take any unnecessary risks. Second place signalled an excellent start for the two-time world champion, who made a confident impression throughout the race.
Tactical manoeuvres in the title fight
With a brilliant performance, Pierre Mortefon managed to overtake Maciek Rutkowski on the last shot and secure third place. This position could still be decisive in the battle for the world title. Although Rutkowski must have been disappointed to have lost another place on the home straight, the Pole remains in an excellent position in the battle for the top three in the overall standings. His main rival Amado Vrieswijk missed out on the first Winners' Final and only finished in tenth place, giving Rutkowski a considerable lead.
Fabian Wolf and Greece's John Soukos, who both achieved their first top ten results in Sylt last month, also got off to a promising start in Japan. Wolf secured fifth place and Soukos sixth in the first race. The top ten was completed by the Frenchmen William Huppert in seventh place and Alexis Mathis in eighth place as well as the Swiss Elia Colombo in ninth place, who brilliantly kept Amado Vrieswijk at bay in the B final. Nico Prien is currently in 15th place, but he was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the second elimination.
Local hopes and outlook
The Japanese local heroes Tomonori Anami and Makoto Tomizawa share 17th place after the first race and thus lead the domestic field of participants. They will try to work their way up the field in the coming days and shine in front of their home crowd.
The second elimination was started and the first six heats could still be completed, but then the wind dropped as predicted so that no more races were possible. All the favourites are still in the race. According to the forecast, slightly weaker wind conditions are expected for Sunday with 10-14 knots in the morning, which should decrease further as the day progresses. The good news is that the last day of competition on Monday promises much better conditions with a forecast of 14-20 knots.
Interim status PWA Japan 2025
Ladies
- Justine Lemeteyer
- Lina Eržen
- Blanca Alabau
- Maya Gysler
- Marion Mortefon
Gents
- Johan Søe
- Matteo Iachino
- Pierre Mortefon
- Maciek Rutkowski
- Fabian Wolf
- John Soukos
- William Huppert
- Alexis Mathis
- Elia Colombo
- Amado Vrieswijk
