PWA World Cup: World Cup decisions, suspensions and favourites - what you need to know ahead of the Fuerte World Cup

After the World Cup in Gran Canaria, the PWA entourage moves to the neighbouring island. The next classic event will take place on Fuerteventura from 18 to 27 July! The racers will start on the beach of Sotavento with the Slalom-X, followed by freestyle from 23 July. We give you an overview of everything you need to know in advance!

Slalom X: World Championship decision and "phantom" pain

There will be a world champion on Fuerteventura - this is the only Slalom X event of the year for the women. At the following World Cup in Tenerife, only the men will be competing in the Slalom X due to a lack of money and will have two opportunities to heat the buoys. The 2024 world champion Sarah-Quita Offringa is of course also the top favourite on Fuerte and is likely to be the one to beat - however, she has ten days of Pozo in her bones, while her competitors are coming to Fuerte fresh.

Justine Lemeteyer and Jenna Gibson, who finished on the podium last year, are likely to be the toughest opponents. Lemeteyer has recently been focussing on foiling and also wants to go full throttle in the iQFOiL, but was struggling with exhaustion at the World Championships in Aarhus. Slalom X is not very relaxing, but perhaps offers a welcome change from the tactical races in the Olympic class. Jenna Gibson, on the other hand, is a proven fin specialist and set a new world speed record at the end of 2024. She has also been spotted training with the legendary "sausage". Marion Mortefon, on the other hand, is on maternity leave and will not be able to defend her fourth place - perhaps the chance for offspring such as Bobbi-Lynn de Jong, Mae Davico or Femke van der Veen? Blanca Alabau is also always good for a top position.

The field is hot for fin racing

In the men's event, Pierre Mortefon is the main focus before the start of the World Cup. The defending champion was struggling with a muscle injury in his leg after the defi, but shortly before the start on Fuerte, he had other worries: His sponsor Phantom has been suspended by the PWA because the membership fee has not been paid. Mortefon can continue to use his equipment for the time being, but it will be interesting to see whether he can put the issue behind him - and whether he is really fit again. A chance for Matteo Iachino? In 2024, the Italian was level on points with Mortefon and took victory on Fuerte. And after his foil victory in Guadeloupe, he has been busy training for Slalom X:

"I'm happy where I am now and I'm definitely looking forward to competing here in a few days," Iachino told the PWA. "As for confidence, that's something I personally build up during the event and not before, because everything is different when you actually cross the start line!"

But with Maciek Rutkowski, Jordy Vonk, Taty Frans, Bruno Martini, Amado Vrieswijk and Nico Prien, there are plenty of very fast riders hungry for victory lurking behind the front runners. They are all keen for Slalom X! A surprise winner is also always possible, the favourites can stumble at the obstacles and jibes at any time! Nico Prien shows how he prepares for the World Cup in his latest video:

Freestyle: Who can beat Lennart Neubauer?

With only two freestyle events per season for the men (Fuerteventura and Sylt) and one event for the women (Fuerteventura), the pressure is particularly high. Anyone who messes up in Sotavento is out of the race. For the title contenders, it's all or nothing every July. The World Cup on Fuerteventura is correspondingly exciting for freestyle fans. With strong winds and challenging, undulating freestyle conditions, it's basically all about the title.
Who has been training hard this winter? And are there any new moves?

On the men's side, it has already become clear at this year's Freestyle Pro Tour events that Lennart Neubauer is still the man to beat. Fresh from a strong wind training session in Pozo, the 21-year-old has both eyes on another freestyle title. But if you look at the list of starters, there are a few names of former world champions who will not make his path easy: Yentel Caers, Adrien Bossen, Steven van Broeckhoven and even 9-time freestyle world champion Gollito Estredo are waiting in the wings. Gollito's comeback will be particularly exciting, as he has kept a relatively low profile and nobody knows whether he will be able to return to his old, unbeatable form with a little training. We'll see next week. In the past, Gollito has always kept a low profile with new moves until the decisive moment. Another candidate who often has a surprise up his sleeve is Balz Müller, who finished fourth last year. We can certainly look forward to crazy combinations like Cheeseroll into Flaka ("Cheebonka") from him again.

In demand: fast switching between disciplines

Sarah-Quita has been unbeaten in the women's event on Fuerteventura for many years. But even she is still in the regeneration after the Pozo event. "For me, the Canary Islands have always been a marathon! Now that the slalom events have been added, even more so," she says, describing the challenges. "This year the events are very close together, whereas in other years there was a bit more time in between, but I just have to take it as it comes! I've been coming to Fuerte since 2006 and it's a special place for me. I know I'll give it my all when the competition comes round." After waveriding, SQ now has to switch to slalom and then freestyle: "It's hard to switch between disciplines. Especially from slalom to freestyle. I find it hard to sail in a straight line after having so much grip with my slalom and wave equipment!"

But year after year, riders like Maaike Huvermann and Oda Johanne are getting closer. Maaike from the Netherlands in particular seems to be in top form this year. The 27-year-old multiple world championship runner-up is not giving up on her dream of winning the title. After her victory at the Freestyle Pro Tour in Sardinia and a windy month on the North Sea coast at home, she will be competing in Fuerte with plenty of confidence. And it should also be exciting from a German perspective, as Lisa Kloster came close to making it onto the podium last year. The German has already been on the Canary Islands for a few weeks and is training well.

The freestyle action starts in Sotavento on 23 July. PWA presenter Ben Proffitt is currently recovering from ten days of non-stop sound at the Pozo World Cup. His voice should have recovered in time for Fuerteventura - so don't forget to switch on the livestream.