Wingfoil World Cup: Maddalena Spanu and newcomer Sean Herbert dominate the opening round in Silvaplana

The Wingfoil World Cup opened in picturesque Silvaplana under a bright blue Alpine sky and with a constantly freshening wind. The mountain lake at an altitude of 1,800 metres provided a spectacular backdrop for the 54 participants from 13 countries and 4 continents. While there was a warm atmosphere on land, the conditions on the water presented the athletes with special challenges: Wind shadows from snow-covered peaks and changing breezes on the 12°C cold water demanded everything from the wingfoilers.

The first day of competition comprised four long-distance races over 6.5 miles each - including rabbit starts behind a speedboat. The focus was on the previous leader in the rankings, 18-year-old Italian Maddalena Spanu. However, after weeks of preparation, she started the competition with difficulties. A hand injury and a fourth place in the first race briefly threw her off her stride. However, the language student proved her mental strength and fought her way to the front of the women's field by the end of the day.

Newcomer Sean Herbert shakes up the field of favourites

A debutant caused a furore in the men's event. New Zealander Sean Herbert, who was taking part in a World Cup for the first time, shocked the established competition with an impressive performance. Fresh from a training camp in the USA, he dominated the first two races. In the opening race he distanced himself from the favourite Frenchman Mathis Ghio by 46 seconds, in the second race he came out on top in a photo finish. With his precise style on a Chubanga foil, Herbert took the lead in the men's overall standings.

The versatility of the field of participants was evident in the other races. Italian Alessandro Tomasi secured victory in the third race, while Pole Kamil Manowiecki won the final race of the day. Kristyna Chalupnikova from the Czech Republic put in a strong performance in the women's race. With one victory and three second places, she underlined her ambitions for a podium finish. The weather forecast promises increasingly extreme conditions for the coming days. This raises hopes for more spectacular races before the Medal Series is on the programme on Saturday.