Wingfoil World Cup: Berzolla and Suardiaz win World Cup title in Ponta Preta

The GWA Wingfoil World Cup 2025 in Cabo Verde fully lived up to expectations. At the famous Ponta Preta Break, 27 men and eight women from 13 nations fought thrilling duels for the world title. After two days full of spectacular manoeuvres and intense heats, the new GWA Wingfoil Wave Champions were crowned: American Cash Berzolla came out on top in the men's category, while Spain's Nia Suardiaz triumphed in the women's category.

New evaluation criteria create excitement

The judges paid particular attention to commitment, power and manoeuvres in the critical sections of the wave. Difficulty, variety and wave selection also played an important role in the scoring. An innovation this year allowed riders to use the power of the wing in aerial manoeuvres for the first time. This rule change opened up new opportunities for the athletes to make their runs even more spectacular and created additional excitement in the competition.

Dramatic heats in the men's competition

Several athletes showed their potential in the first few laps. The Hawaiian newcomer Marley Franco, the local athlete Zany Guy and the young Frenchman Arthur Thebault made a strong impression. When the seeded athletes entered round 3, the standard rose sharply. Canadian Finn Spencer moved into round 5 with a solid score of 13.70 points, while last year's winner Malo Guenole also impressed.

The biggest surprise, however, came from the reigning world champion Cash Berzolla. With an outstanding score of 17.03 points, he made a clear statement on the very first day. In the following rounds, a thrilling duel developed between the top athletes. Malo Guenole and South African Nathan Van Vuuren delivered a dramatic heat in which both riders pushed themselves to the limit and landed on the rocks with destroyed wings.

Cash Berzolla crowned world champion

Cash Berzolla and Finn Spencer finally faced each other in the final. Berzolla, determined to put on a show for the spectators, set a fast pace right from the start. Spencer countered with an impressive surfing style and excellent wave selection. But Berzolla had already built up a lead and defended it to the end. With impressive control and commitment, he secured victory and was crowned GWA Wingfoil Wave World Champion 2025.

"It feels incredible to be world champion and to win here in Ponta Preta"said Cash Berzolla after his triumph. "I came second last year and was so close. I've always wanted to win this competition and today it finally happened."

Nia Suardiaz dominates the women's competition

There were some new faces in the women's field, including Hawaiian Annie Reickert and local hero Anita Amaro. Unfortunately, reigning world champion Elena Moreno was unable to arrive in Cabo Verde in time for the start of the competition. In exciting heats, Nia Suardiaz and Moona Whyte eventually made it through to the final.

In the decisive heat, Suardiaz put in a dominant performance right from the start. She secured the lead early on with an 8.07-point wave. Whyte had difficulties with wave selection and was unable to close the gap despite an improvement towards the end of the heat. Suardiaz skilfully exploited the new rule for aerial manoeuvres and finished the heat with an impressive total score of 17.04 points. This secured her the title of GWA Wingfoil Wave World Champion 2025.

"It's an incredible feeling to win the world title here in Ponta Preta," explained Nia Suardiaz. "I've been trying to win this event for the last three years. I'm so grateful for everyone's support and that I was able to compete here. The conditions were fantastic, we had great sets, it was just perfect."

Men's results:

1. Cash Berzolla (USA)
2. Finn Spencer (CAN)
3. Malo Guenole (FRA)
4. Liam Coralle (USA)

Women's results:

1. Nia Suardiaz (ESP)
2. Moona Whyte (USA)
3. Annie Reickert (USA)
4. Francesca Maini (GBR)