The local Maloja thermal wind blew up the valley on time on the third day of the Wingfoil Racing World Cup on Lake Silvaplana, creating ideal conditions on the ice-cold Alpine lake with an average of 14 knots and gusts of up to 20 knots, resulting in spectacular crashes. Eight races were held in each of three fleets - one women's and two men's fleets.
Italian Francesco Cappuzzo put in the best performance, finishing in the top 5 throughout. His victory in the first race of the day underlined his strong form. "I just kept pushing today and the results show that," explained Cappuzzo after the races. Looking ahead to the upcoming division into gold and silver fleets (similar to the iQFOiL), he added confidently: "As you know, I like the gold fleet!"
Surprise from Freddie Strawson
The biggest surprise of the day was provided by Brit Freddie Strawson. The 28-year-old from Lincolnshire achieved the best result of his career and finished in the top 10 of a World Cup for the first time. He underlined his improving form with two second places. "I now have more confidence to use my biggest wing. And it's also a mental thing," Strawson explained. "I'm starting to believe that there's no reason why I can't ride at the front."
In the women's classification, Italy's Marta Monge put in a strong performance. Five second places catapulted her into second place overall behind her compatriot Maddalena Spanu. Czech Kristyna Chalupnikova, on the other hand, was unable to build on her previous performances. With just two podium places, she dropped from second to fourth place overall.
Now it's time for the decisive phase: in the men's gold fleet, 20 athletes are fighting for a place in the medal race - only the best nine will qualify for the medal decision on Saturday. There are six more races on the women's programme before the medal ranks are decided.
