WWT/PWA World Cup Tenerife: Paré and Offringa triumph in epic conditions

Tenerife delivered – and so did the pros out on the water! On the sixth day of the event, everything was set for the showdown, with the final rounds for both the men and women due to take place. Co-favourite Marcilio Browne got off to a shocking start: in the first heat of the day, he suffered an unexpectedly early exit in the quarter-finals against Josep Pons and Japan’s Takuma Sugi – a bitter blow to Browne’s title hopes. Things went better for another title favourite – Philip Köster. Although Köster took a few minutes to get into his stride in both the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, what followed was an absolute spectacle: Within three or four runs, Köster kept raising the bar with a stalled double forward, a pushloop-forward and radical rides – the judges even awarded his jumps the top mark of 10 on two occasions.

The surprise of the event, however, was freestyle world champion Lennart Neubauer, who made it through to a wave final for the first time. Double loops, push-loop forwards, wave 360s – Lennart has recently expanded his repertoire massively and this is unlikely to be the last final he’s competed in.

Marc Paré scores a dream result in the final

The men’s final saw world champion Marc Paré, Philip Köster, Marino Gil Gherardi and Lennart Neubauer go head-to-head. The competition had barely been underway for five minutes when Marc Paré had already broken the 30-point mark. Köster once again got off to a slow start. His score after five minutes: 1.5 points. Neubauer also struggled to find his rhythm, crashing frequently and failing to find suitable ramps. Marino Gil pulled off a spectacular stalled double, but was unable to land the jump cleanly. As in the previous rounds, Köster made a late charge, but the gap to Paré was simply too great. Paré received the maximum score of 10.0 for both jumps in the judging and didn’t put a foot wrong on his wave rides either. With his victory in Tenerife, he took an important step forward on the road to defending his title.

Erpenstein is impressive, Offringa even more so

The second semi-final set the highest standard of the entire women’s competition: Sarah-Quita Offringa was locked in a thrilling battle with Lina Erpenstein. The lead changed hands several times throughout the heat. Erpenstein’s powerful frontside wave riding repeatedly earned her excellent scores, as she attacked every section with total commitment. Offringa responded with the sort of all-round performance that has characterised her remarkable career. Every clean jump was complemented by another high-quality wave. Pauline Katz and Marine Hunter needed something special to break into the top two, but were unable to build up enough momentum.

Tough conditions in a thrilling women’s final

By the time the final began, conditions had become even more challenging. The rising tide made the ramps increasingly difficult to read, forcing the athletes to be patient. This led to a fascinating tactical battle, with the lead changing hands several times in the early stages. Alexia Kiefer, who was completely at home in these conditions, once again looked sensational on the wave and tackled critical sections with great confidence. Lina Erpenstein continued to build momentum as the heat progressed, combining powerful turns and an aerial with clean jumps to close the gap. Sniady refused to let the leading trio pull away and remained within striking distance throughout the final.

​As so often in her career, Offringa delivered when it mattered most. She never looked rushed and steadily built up her score before finding the decisive upgrade in the closing stages. A beautifully tweaked push loop, executed with her characteristic height and control, gave her exactly the score she needed to pull away from her rivals and secure her second consecutive event title in Tenerife. Erpenstein’s second place marked an impressive comeback following a difficult 2025 season marred by injury. A fourth-place finish at the Maui Pro and a second place in Tenerife confirmed that the German is once again capable of competing for victories. Kiefer’s third place continued her rapid rise and reinforced the feeling that a first World Cup victory is drawing ever closer. Sniady rounded off an outstanding week, perhaps feeling slightly disappointed at having narrowly missed out on the podium.

​Results of the WWT/PWA World Cup, Tenerife 2026:

Women:

• 1. Sarah-Quita Offringa
• 2. Lina Erpenstein
• 3. Alexia Kiefer
• 4. Justyna Sniady
• 5. ​Sol Degrieck
• 5. Pauline Katz
• 7. Maria Behrens
• 7. Marine Hunter
• 9. Maria Morales Navarro
• 9. Line Bang Wittrup

Men:

• 1. Marc Paré
• 2. Philip Köster
• 3. Marino Gil Gherardi
• 4. Lennart Neubauer
• 5. Takuma Sugi
• 5. Josep Pons
• 7. Arthur Arutkin
• 7. Jules Denel
• 9. Marcilio Browne
• 9. Antoine Martin
• 9. Julian Salmonn
• 9. Liam Dunkerbeck

All results at worldwindsurftour.com