World Cup Hvide Sande: Suardiaz wins World Cup title, Guénolé wins the men's event

Spanish teenager Nia Suardiaz secured her first world surf freestyle crown by winning the GWA Wingfoil World Cup Denmark. The 16-year-old wingfoil prodigy has cleaned up everything this year and won the title despite still having two surf freestyle stops left on the GWA Wingfoil World Tour.

"It feels incredible to become world champion in surf freestyle here," said Suardiaz. "That's been my goal since last year. I didn't make it last year, I was second. I trained a lot, I was a bit nervous before the final because I knew that if I won I would be world champion."

The French reigning surf freestyle world champion Malo Guénolé (18) at least kept his title chances alive with his victory in Hvide Sande. It was his first victory in surf freestyle since winning the World Championship crown in Brazil in 2022. "I'm pretty excited because it's my first surf freestyle win since Taiba (Brazil, the ed.)was when I won the final last year," said Guénolé. "It worked in my favour today that it was more surfing than freestyle conditions. I've been surfing since I was a kid. That helped me to recognise where the waves were best."

Start at dawn at the World Cup Hvide Sande

The teenage duo took their chance on the first day of the event in Hvide Sande, which started shortly after sunrise, as it was feared that the lack of wind on the following days would make it impossible to start in the surf freestyle competition. The ten ladies were first on the water. After a short break when the wind dropped, the race director decided to change the format. From now on, one wave ride and one trick counted - a decision that completely changed the game.

But the usual suspects were able to adapt their game to the new conditions. In the first semi-final, former world champion Bowien van der Linden (NED) secured a place in the final. The Dutchwoman prevailed against her old rival Orane Ceris (FRA), who lives in New Caledonia.

In the second semi-final, France's Kylie Belloeuvre gave Suardiaz a little scare - in the end, the young Spaniard won by less than a point. A toeside frontside 540 ultimately gave her a narrow victory. The first attempt to ride the final between Suardiaz and van der Linden failed when some riders invaded the competition zone and it had to be restarted. Suardiaz's wave score gave her the victory over van der Linden in the end.

Joys and sorrows for the men

The difficult conditions with light winds caused a few surprises in the men's event, including the unexpected elimination of French finalist Axel Gerard (15) and Swiss legend Balz Müller in the quarter-finals. The German hope in the field, Benjamin May, also struggled with the light wind: in the heat against Balz Müller in round 3 it was still enough for a backflip, after which May literally took a bath: "The wind was so light that after a passable start I just swam around for the rest of the heat, despite a 5.5 wing. Why the heat wasn't cancelled is a mystery to me," he said afterwards, disappointed.

The semi-finals were fiercely contested. The French duel between Alan Fedit and Bastien Escofet was close. Fedit opened with 7.67 points for his signature move, the Corkscrew Frontside 7, which put his rival under pressure. But Escofet's 8.20 points for a wave at the end earned him the win and a place in the final. The second semi-final was another clash between close friends Guénolé and Chris MacDonald (USA). Guénolé's high wave score of 8.57 was the deciding factor in the end, cancelling out several recent final defeats to the 17-year-old American.

MacDonald has to wait

MacDonald's outstanding form this year had put him on course for the world title in surf freestyle - had he won in Hvide Sande. But his surfing proved to be a visible weakness. He was also beaten by Alan Fedit in the play-off for third place on the podium.

"I'm happy because I've been training in the Canary Islands for the last three months in strong winds," said Fedit. "Now I've been riding a big 5sqm wing, but I've managed to get on the podium."

The decisive duel between Guénolé, who was in top form, and Escofet, who reached his first World Cup final, was a blast. Escofet's one-handed back flip (6.87 points) and his strong wave score ensured that it remained close for a long time. But it was once again Guénolé's wave choice that made the difference. A remarkable frontside 7 (8.33 points) at the end of the heat decided the day in Guénolé's favour.

Whether there will also be action in the coming days is questionable in view of the wind forecast. However, a breeze is often enough for the FreeFly slalom discipline - so it will be interesting to see.

GWA Wingfoil World Cup Hvide Sande 2023 - the results

Surf Freestyle Men

1. Malo Guénolé (FRA)
2. Bastien Escofet (FRA)
3. Alan Fedit (FRA)
4. Chris MacDonald (USA)

Surf Freestyle Women

1. Nia Suardiaz (ESP)
2. Bowien van der Linden (NED)
3. Orane Ceris (FRA)
4. Kylie Belloeurvre (FRA)