World Cup Leucate: Wingfoil pros in the starting blocks - storm from Tuesday

Leucate once again hosts the first GWA event for the Surf Freestyle and FreeFly Slalom disciplines. Yesterday was the first day of competition at the GWA Wingfoil World Cup Leucate, heralding the riders' debut on the big stage to show off their latest manoeuvres and skills honed during the off-season. With 41 men and 17 women taking part in the Mondial Du Vent competitors have gathered from all over the world. The riders have a busy schedule this year with eight GWA Wingfoil events. The GWA Wingfoil World Cup Leucate is the first event for the Surf Freestyle and FreeFly Slalom disciplines in 2024.

New slalom format at the Wingfoil World Cup Leucate

This year, the GWA discipline FreeFly Slalom has undergone some format adjustments. Until 2023, up to 15 eliminations were held per event, the results of which were added together - at the end, the winner was "calculated". This is now a thing of the past, as in future there will be elimination rounds at the end of which the 13 best men and the six best women will qualify for a final round. The top four will then go through to a super final - whoever wins this will win the event. This change should promise more excitement for spectators and also make the results more transparent for spectators.

The current World Champion in FreeFly Slalom, Francesco Cappuzzo (ITA), shares his thoughts on this new format: "I'm really excited to see how this new final format will develop. There's certainly more excitement because it's something new. But, as always, I will stay focussed and try to win as many races as possible."

Cappuzzo's biggest rival in the FreeFly Slalom discipline, Titouan Galea (FRA), is also feeling the pressure of the new format: "This new format will be much more exciting for the public. In the old FreeFly slalom format, there were a lot of crashes and a lot of races, so the positions didn't change that much. But now the format is much riskier; we have to be careful in these last runs. You can't afford to lose a race if you want to win the event."

Freestyle at 40 knots?

The forecast promises optimal conditions for the surf freestyle discipline, as strong Tramontana winds of up to 40 knots are expected to blow from Tuesday. With 28 men and 17 women, the Wingfoil World Cup Leucate is also very well-staffed in this discipline. In the men's freestyle discipline, there is a colourful mix of participants who are likely to fight for victory. Last year's surf freestyle winner Malo Guénolé (FRA) looks wilder than ever and has been practising lots of new tricks over the winter. US prodigy Chris MacDonald (US) will also be one to keep an eye on, as he was recently the first to land the double backflip combo.

The German-Spanish world champion Nia Suardiaz (ESP) is once again likely to be the measure of all things in the women's event - she seemed almost unbeatable in 2023. Orane Ceris (FRA) came a close second in the freefly slalom last year, but after tearing her cruciate ligament, she was unable to show her best performance at the last surf freestyle event of 2023 in Brazil. Nevertheless, Ceris is here to compete in the freefly slalom discipline: "I feel super good. I'm not putting too much pressure on myself for this competition and I won't be competing in freestyle either, as it's still too early for that, so I'll only be competing in the FreeFly slalom. I want to enjoy this event as much as possible and gain some confidence a few months after my injury."

Tuesday will show who can be the benchmark after the winter break - all reports, videos and results will be available here on the website! Further information is also available HERE on the GWA website.