PWA Japan: Everything open in the title race, impressive debut of Lina Eržen in the Slalom World Cup
SURF Redaktion
· 11.11.2023
The wind forecast for the second day of the 2023 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup did not disappoint, as both the men's and women's events saw four eliminations each. Today proved to be a real test with treacherously choppy water and initially very strong winds, which slowly decreased to between seven and fifteen knots as the day progressed. However, the drama continued and towards the end of the day there were some significant twists and turns that could prove decisive in the races for the respective world titles.
Denmark's Johan Søe leads the men's race
At the end of the day, Johan Søe leads both the event standings and the battle for the world title, but that doesn't tell the whole story. The 20-year-old made a spectacular start to the event, taking an excellent second place in the opening race before taking complete control of the event with two more wins. At this stage he seemed to be in total control and almost unstoppable.
But then things took a potentially decisive turn when Søe crashed after the first jibe in the last quarter-final of the fourth elimination - quarter-final exit for the young Dane. This is not a problem in itself, as Søe can simply cancel out this result at the end and is currently top of the leaderboard with 3.4 points, a healthy 5.6 points ahead of the rest. However, this severely limits his margin for error in the following days, as another poor result could see him drop down the rankings and the race for the world title quickly recede into the distance.
Currently tied with Matteo Iachino in the world rankings
The man who has the most to gain at the moment is Matteo Iachino. The Italian is currently level with Søe in the world rankings on 40,500 points, so any change in the event rankings will have a big impact. The 2016 World Champion was the only rider to qualify for every final today - with a second, a third and a fourth place - while he scratched a seventh place, which puts him in a pretty strong position as he may try to risk more in the next race. Even if he 'only' qualifies for one more final, Iachino would have some breathing space compared to Søe - at least until the seventh elimination is completed, because that's when the second stringer comes into play.
As it currently stands, Amado Vrieswijk would move up to 3rd in the world rankings. The Bonairean started the event with a clear statement when he won the first elimination, but then had a couple of racing incidents when he was well placed in eliminations 2 and 4, which potentially cost him dearly. Vrieswijk did well to limit the damage after missing out on the final of the last elimination, but must be disappointed that he was unable to capitalise on Søe's unexpected early exit.
Amado Vrieswijk and Maciek Rutkowski in third and fourth place
As things currently stand, Amado Vrieswijk would move up to third place in the world rankings. The man from Bonaire started the event with a clear statement when he won the first elimination. However, he then had a few incidents. Vrieswijk was able to limit the damage in the end, but must be disappointed that he was unable to capitalise on Søe's unexpected early exit in the fourth elimination.
Maciek Rutkowski, another candidate for the world title, experienced a day he would probably rather forget: The defending champion slipped from first to fourth place in the overall standings today. After missing the final of the first round, the Pole fought back brilliantly with a second place, but then had the misfortune of crashing into submerged objects in the semi-final of the following elimination, which not only caused him to miss the start of the heat, but also damaged his foil and injured his arm. Rutkowski finished the day in sixth place in the event rankings, dropping him to fourth place in the world rankings for the time being. A number of results beyond his control would now have to go in his favour for him to fight his way back into the race for the world title. Stranger things have happened, so never say never.
Bruno Martini starts in the wrong heat
Bruno Martini ends the day in fourth place in the event rankings, but will probably be frustrated because he accidentally started in the wrong quarter-final. What's even more annoying for him is that he actually won this, but was later disqualified. Meanwhile, his compatriot Daniele Benedetti had probably his best day on the World Tour so far - he is currently in fifth place after qualifying for three out of four finals today.
Will McMillan back on tour
Will McMillan made his first appearance since winning the opening event of the year on Lake Garda and the 17-year-old had a turbulent day. McMillan missed the first race after having problems with the mounting of his foil, and in the second elimination he crashed before the first gybe.
However, in the final elimination of the day, the young Thai was soon able to show the form he had shown on Lake Garda and came out on top of the field in both the semi-final and final to take a decisive victory.
From a German perspective
The two German starters Nico Prien and Michele Becker are currently in tenth and twelfth place in Japan. Prien caught food poisoning at the start of the event and has only just recovered. Given the circumstances, he put in a solid performance today. Nevertheless, he will be hoping to be able to move up even further in the next few days. His compatriot Becker, who made a particularly strong start to the season and is currently in a respectable seventh place in the annual rankings, will also be doing everything he can to improve his ranking. He even won an elimination at the World Cup Sylt recently. Will he be able to build on this in the coming days in Japan?
Blanca Alabau always leads the women's title race
But with Justine Lemeteyer leading the event rankings ahead of Blanca Alabau at the end of the first day of racing, the race for the world title is still very even. At the moment, Alabau leads the title race with 30,700 points, while Lemeteyer is within 100 points of Alabau today with a win, two second places and a sixth place - which she can cross off. Alabau had an extremely solid day - she didn't finish outside the top three once - with a win, two second places and a third place. She thus maintains the lead, at least for the time being.
Impressive debut for Lina Eržen in the Slalom World Cup
Lina Eržen, who is perhaps better known from the freestyle world or iQFoil, made her debut on the PWA Slalom World Tour today and made a strong impression straight away, taking two wins in eliminations three and four. As a result, she could play an important role in deciding the world title in the coming days: After all, the young Slovenian is only 1.7 points off the event lead. If she were to push Alabau into second place, Lemeteyer would take the lead in the world championship race - assuming Lemeteyer continues to lead the race. However, should Eržen jump to the top of the world rankings, this would turn the race back in Alabau's favour. The next few days will therefore remain extremely exciting.
Eržen, meanwhile, raced extremely impressively and things could have gone even better for her if she hadn't crashed on the final jibe in the second elimination. If she maintains the form she showed today, she could not only play an important role in deciding the world title, but could also mount a serious challenge for the event title.
Passable wind forecast for tomorrow
As last year, the best wind in Yokosuka seems to blow more often in the morning, and the forecast for Sunday looks like this again: moderate north-easterly winds are predicted until around 1 pm local time. With this in mind, the participants will meet again tomorrow at 8am for the skippers meeting and start the action at 8.30am. That's midnight in Germany. For those who like to stay up late: HERE go to the live stream.
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