"Unpacking The Boardbags": Blanca Alabau on her career and the emotional rollercoaster surrounding the World Championship title

Blanca Alabau writes the most successful chapter of her career in 2023. The Spaniard wins her first PWA slalom event in Gran Canaria and subsequently secures the world championship title. The sporting triumph follows a year full of emotional stress. Alabau loses her mother at the end of 2022. The athlete battled through the difficult phase and channelled her feelings into sport. The world championship title marks the culmination of a remarkable season in which she transforms her personal challenges into sporting energy. The third episode of "Unpacking The Boardbags" from the PWA highlights the Spaniard's journey from her first event win to the World Championship title and provides insights into the emotional rollercoaster ride of 2023.

Growing up in Seville and the influence of the sister

Blanca Alabau grew up in Seville, a city without direct access to the sea. The path to windsurfing leads through her older sister Marina. Marina Alabau has a decisive influence on her younger sister's career. Her older sister's Olympic success sets standards and opens doors. Blanca takes her cue from Marina's career and develops the ambition to compete at international level early on.

In an interview with Sarah Jackson, Blanca talks about her first steps in Tarifa, her training in Tenerife and her successes in slalom. She also announces that she wants to compete in waves in the future!

Blanca Alabau was preceded by interviews with Victor Fernandez and Marcilio Browne in the PWA series "Unpacking The Boardbags":

• A lifetime dedicated to windsurfing - Víctor Fernández on 25 years of the World Cup
• "Shaping the Champion" - Marcilio Browne on career and material development