At last, more wind at the Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup in Pozo! After half a week of rather moderate conditions, it was finally the professionals’ turn yesterday, and the boys’ U21 competition was also concluded. Although the conditions remained borderline, they produced several surprises. At the end of the day, two familiar names – Philip Köster and Daida Moreno – stood on the podium, repeating their successes from last year. Köster clinched the final by a margin of just 0.61 points, whilst Moreno won every single heat on her way to the title.
Moreno celebrates his 23rd home win
Daida Moreno wrote another chapter in her remarkable story in Pozo. The Gran Canaria icon, who is no longer officially on the tour, initially had to battle her way through the Challenger round just to make it into the main field. From there, she put in a flawless performance, winning every heat on her way to the title. Towards the end of the final, she attempted a double forward despite the less-than-perfect conditions. After her victory, Moreno was visibly moved: “This is my 23rd win here in Pozo Izquierdo. I’ve trained incredibly hard to be able to compete at this level again. I’d like to thank my coaches, my family, my friends and the organisers for all their support. I’ve often thought this would be the last time … but I always come back.”
“I’ve often thought that would be the last time … but I always come back.” (Daida Moreno)
Sarah-Quita Offringa secured second place, though she did not seem entirely in her element in the challenging conditions of the week. The 28-time world champion only just qualified for the final and was unable to match Moreno’s consistency there. “I was already happy just to be in the final,” said Sarah-Quita. “I had a bigger sail and a bit more power in the final; second place is like the icing on the cake!” Nevertheless, the windsurfing queen has started the season with a solid second place. Alexia Kiefer Quintana completed the podium in third place. “It was very tricky because there were almost no waves,” she said after the final. Her knowledge of the spot ultimately gave her the edge over Sol Degrieck in fourth place. Degrieck, who is just 16 years old, still has the chance to compete for the women’s U21 title on Friday.
Lina Erpenstein narrowly missed out on a place in the final, scoring just 0.69 points fewer than Sarah-Quita Offringa in the semi-final. Maria Behrens also reached the semi-finals, where she was pipped to the post by Sol Degrieck and Alexia Kiefer. Sybille Bode, Milanka Linde and Helena Derya Lale were all knocked out in the quarter-finals.
Köster secures a last-second victory
The men’s final turned into a thrilling head-to-head battle. Köster initially took the lead with a perfectly executed double forward. Marc Paré, however, fought his way to the top and looked set to claim his first victory in Gran Canaria. In the final seconds, Köster landed a backloop that gave him the decisive edge. Just 0.61 points separated the two in the end. Köster thus successfully defended his Pozo title whilst also bolstering his ambitions for the world title. “I feel good and am naturally delighted to have won here!” said the five-time world champion. “Of course, I would have liked to have shown more push forwards or even attempted a triple, but we just have to take the conditions as they are.”
“Of course, I would have liked to have shown more push forwards or even attempted a triple, but we just have to accept the conditions as they are.” (Philip Köster)
The quarter-finals already featured some top-class clashes. Liam Dunkerbeck, Marino Gil, Philip Köster and Lennart Neubauer faced off in the first heat. Gil, who had won at Pozo in 2024 and was considered one of the favourites, missed out on a place in the semi-finals by just 1.14 points. “That’s part of the game; at least a few friends made it through to the final,” he said later. His good friend Dunkerbeck clinched the decisive score in the closing moments. In the semi-finals, Marcilio Browne suffered a surprise defeat, whilst Paré and Miguel Chapuis qualified for the final alongside Dunkerbeck and Köster. Alessio Stillrich and Victor Fernandez were also knocked out in the semi-finals, whilst Anton Richter made it through to the quarter-finals.
Miguel Chapuis reached his first final in Gran Canaria, securing his best result at this spot. The Spaniard put in strong performances throughout the competition and claimed his second World Tour podium finish after Sylt 2025. “Third place in Pozo – it’s like a dream, and now it’s come true,” said Miguel afterwards, clearly overwhelmed. He explained that, following an operation in the winter, he hadn’t even known whether he’d be able to compete in Pozo. Liam Dunkerbeck narrowly missed out on the podium, finishing fourth.
Stathopoulos dominates the U21 final
In the boys’ U21 final, Gregory Stathopoulos came out on top against local competitor Carlos Kiefer Quintana. Whilst Kiefer Quintana impressed in the waves, Stathopoulos dominated in the air. He landed a perfectly executed double forward and a one-footed backloop, which earned him the highest scores of the heat. During the prize-giving ceremony, event organiser Björn Dunkerbeck praised the standard of the competition. He emphasised that true professionals perform not only in Pozo’s famously extreme wind conditions, but also in borderline conditions, when every point is even harder to earn.
- All heats and results can be found at worldwindsurftour.com
