The first day of competition in the Slalom X at the 2026 Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam turned out to be a real test of endurance. Strong winds and a challenging combination of swell and short choppy waves created chaotic conditions on the course. The two outer mark buoys in particular claimed numerous victims and pushed even the best riders to their limits. Anyone hoping for a gentle start to the event in Sotavento was disappointed – Fuerteventura provided a baptism of fire. At times, it was simply a matter of survival, whilst courage was rewarded in the rare moments when a slightly calmer patch of water presented itself. At the end of the first day, Jenna Gibson and Matteo Iachino top the rankings. Both can look back on flawless records after four and two eliminations respectively.
Gibson dominates, Lemeteyer stages a comeback
Jenna Gibson got off to an impressive start in the competition. The British rider, who narrowly missed out on the podium last year, quickly racked up a clean hat-trick and took control of the event. Gibson, the world speed record holder She also raced tactically astutely. She remained relaxed at the starts, knowing full well that she had enough pace and power to work her way to the front of the field. During the gybes, she eased off the pace before pulling away again. The 28-year-old seemed well on her way to dominating the field when she took the lead in elimination four as well. However, she capsized at the second mark and finished the race in sixth place – the first minor blemish on her scorecard. With 2.1 points, Gibson nevertheless leads the overall standings comfortably thanks to a discard.
Justine Lemeteyer is currently Gibson’s closest challenger, but is already 6.7 points behind. The reigning foil slalom world champion had an extremely up-and-down day. As the top seed, she didn’t seem to be at her best at the start, finishing third, fifth and seventh. In the final heat of the day, however, she fought her way back to claim her first win of the event. She will now be looking to build on this success to gain momentum. Femke van der Veen and Mae Davico are currently tied for third place with nine points each – just 0.3 points behind Lemeteyer. Van der Veen performed consistently throughout the challenging first day, securing a second, a third and two fourth-place finishes. Davico got off to a perfect start in every race and also recorded a second, a third and a fourth-place finish before slipping back to twelfth place in the fourth elimination.
Bobbi-Lynn De Jong is just one point further back. She ended the day with her best result to date in a Slalom X elimination, finishing an excellent second in elimination four. Marion Mortefon is currently in sixth place with twelve points. With a second-place finish in Elimination Two, she showed that she will be a major threat once everything clicks into place.
Iachino in commanding form, Mortefon and Frans lying in wait
Matteo Iachino has sent a menacing warning to his rivals. The Italian has secured two consecutive wins on the Finn class for the first time since New Caledonia in 2019 – when he completed a hat-trick. Iachino has been exceptionally fast since changing his sail sponsor. As one of the most consistent riders on the World Tour, he will be extremely hard to beat over the next four days as he aims for his fourth world title. In the first elimination race, Iachino showed patience. At first, it looked as though Nico Prien would claim the first win of the week. But the treacherous final buoy and the fact that Nico was slightly off form opened the door. Iachino didn’t need a second invitation and snatched the win. In the second heat, the 36-year-old put his foot down, overtook Cedric Bordes and pulled away. With a perfect score of 1.4 points after the first two races, he tops the standings.
The reigning world champion Pierre Mortefon He should be satisfied with his performance today. In the second elimination race, he executed an outstanding final gybe and jumped from fourth to second place – a result that could yet prove decisive by the end of the week. The Frenchman would, of course, have preferred to be in contention for victory in both races, but two second-place finishes give him a solid foundation. He is currently just 2.6 points behind Iachino. After the first two heats, Taty Frans completes the current podium with a third and a fourth place. Prien and Jordy Vonk follow a few points behind.
French challengers and Italian consistency
The French duo of Benoit Merceur and Cedric Bordes finished in sixth and seventh place. Merceur qualified for both Winners’ Finals, but was disqualified from the first final due to a false start. In the semi-final of Elimination Two, he executed an outstanding final gybe and qualified once again for the top eight. Bordes missed out on the first Winners’ Final, briefly leading Elimination Two and showing impressive top speed before dropping back to fourth place. Bruno Martini rounds off the top ten in eighth place. The Italian finished both eliminations in eighth place. Ingmar Daldorf follows in ninth place, whilst Amado Vrieswijk takes tenth place.
Maciek Rutkowski’s aim ahead of the event was to at least be in contention for a podium place. But now the Pole faces a difficult battle to make up ground. In the first semi-final, Rutkowski was involved in a crash with Vrieswijk at the second mark – both were in qualifying positions at the time – and missed out on the first Winners’ Final. However, he won the B Final to limit the damage. In the second semi-final, he appeared to be on course to qualify for the Winners’ Final, but was overtaken at the final mark. In the B Final, things went from bad to worse: under heavy pressure from Vrieswijk and a combination of extreme choppy waves, the 34-year-old plummeted from first to last place on the final gybe.
Young talents show their potential
The young talents Brendan Lorho and Sacha Fortune have both made promising starts. Lorho, aged 21, and Fortune, aged 20, are currently in eleventh and thirteenth place respectively. Rounding off the top sixteen are Tristan Algret in fourteenth place, Alexis Mathis in fifteenth, and Pierre Macquaert and Titouan Gernolle, who are tied for sixteenth. Lorho was seen several times in the thick of the leading group and proved that he can keep up with the established professionals. Mario Boekstegers, the only other German rider apart from Prien, is in 33rd place.
All heats and results can be found at pwaworldtour.com