The opening day of the Gloria Windsurf World Cup 2024 on Gran Canaria began relatively relaxed with the registration. After that, the riders had to be patient until the waves had improved with the rising tide at around 4 pm so that the juniors could be sent out onto the water.
Girls U21
Maria Morales got off to a flying start in the U21 girls' event. With a polished performance of front and back loops and stylish wave riding, she took the opening victory ahead of Alexia Kiefer Quintana and Lisa Wermeister.
Girls U18
Sol Degrieck proved to be unbeatable in the first U18 girls' final. The Belgian landed a multitude of forward loops and tabletops, as well as a solid wave score thanks to a good combination of manoeuvres. This tipped the scales against Annagiulia Piccaglia, who got the best jump score, Lizzlotte Schilling Andrew and Trine Gobisch.
Boys U18
Carlos Kiefer Quintana secured his place in the final after landing an almost perfect double forward in the semi-final, which was awarded a 10 and two 9.5s by the judges. Kiefer Quintana continued this form in the final and although he couldn't find a ramp for another double, he still managed to land a stylish pushloop and a textbook stalled forward to take a decisive victory ahead of Germany's Leon Maethner, Japan's Ryu Noguchi and Belgium's Arthur Van den Brande. Only half a point separated Maethner and Noguchi, but this time it went in Maethner's favour.
Here are the highlights of the first day as a video
Boys U15
In the opening boys U15 final, Ryoma Sugi came out on top against Bjørn Olesen and Yannik Kolb Gonzalez. Sugi was crowned U15 PWA Wave World Champion in 2023, so it's perhaps no surprise that he got off to a strong start here in Gran Canaria.
Boys U13
In the boys' U13 final, Elías Antolín and Dennis Kolb Gonzalez were separated by just 3 points at the end of the heat, with the better outcome in favour of Antolín. Gonzalez was within striking distance of Antolín, but had an unfortunate backloop on his scoresheet that made the difference.
The forecast for Sunday suggests that the famous strong winds in Pozo will continue. However, it remains to be seen whether the waves will also be there and the pros will be able to start the event. The skippers' meeting is scheduled for half past ten German time.
