The Austrian twins Tomas and Aleksander Acherer secured a remarkable double victory in the surf freestyle discipline on the dramatic final day of the season finale at the GWA Wingfoil World Cup in Jericoacoara. The 17-year-old Tomas Acherer not only defeated world champion Chris MacDonald during the course of the event, but also took the high score in the form of a perfect 10.0 on the judges' scoresheets with a double backflip in the semi-final: "It was my first win, so I'm over the moon that I managed it after all the hard work"said Acherer. "It's even better that my brother is standing right next to me on the podium. It's already crazy. We have proven that we can do it and I hope that we will continue to win."
Spain's Nia Suardiaz won the women's surf freestyle competition as expected, but was pushed hard by her compatriot Mar de Arce. The victory gave the 17-year-old Suardiaz a flawless season record - she won all four freestyle events this year and confidently claimed the world title. "It was a really exciting competition"said Suardiaz. "Mar (de Arce, the ed.) had shown a perfect front flip beforehand. She didn't manage it in the final, but I was nervous. We had four stops this year and I won all four. That's incredible. I will definitely train hard for next year. I can feel that the girls will keep pushing me."
In general, it became clear during the course of the event that the level is also rising steeply among the women. Backflip variations and front flips are now standard for riders such as Orane Ceris, Bowien Van der Linden and Mar de Arce - and for Suardiaz anyway.
You can watch all the highlights from the different disciplines again in this video.
GWA Wingfoil World Cup Brazil Surf Freestyle - Results Men
- Tomas Acherer (AUT)
- Aleksander Acherer (AUT)
- Axel Gerard (FRA)
- Clément Hamon (FRA)
GWA Wingfoil World Cup Brazil Surf Freestyle - Results Women
- Nia Suardiaz (ESP)
- Mar de Arce (ESP)
- Bowien van der Linden (NED)
- Viola Lippitsch (AUT)
