... und wir von addicted-sports wünschen Euch allen ein frohes Weihnachtsfest und ein gesundes, glückliches neues Jahr mit viel Wind und Wellen. 2023 startet addicted-sports in die elfte Saison. Ein großes Dankeschön gilt unseren Besuchern, Freunden und Werbepartnern, ohne die der Erfolg und das Wachstum der Webseite nicht möglich wäre. Ein herzlicher Dank auch all denjenigen, die uns an ihren Surferlebnissen teilhaben ließen. Danke für die vielen tollen und interessanten Reports und viele schöne Bilder.

Am Ende eines turbulenten Jahres gibt es im www.starboard-proshop.eu  ein Winterspecial. Für alle Fans der Marke gibt’s es auch dieses Jahr erneut eine Kleinigkeit zurück - bis zum 24.12 auf fast alle Artikel 50% Rabatt!! Kein #BlackFriday oder #CyberMonday, einfach ein tolles Angebot für die Fans bis Weihnachten! Klickt gleich mal rein, vielleicht findet sich ja auch noch ein last minute Weihnachtsgeschenk! www.starboard-proshop.eu

Tag 26. der Lüderitz Speed Challenge 2022,  Freitag, 25. November 2022. Heidi Ulrich bricht den Windsurf-Speedrekord von Zara Davis mit 47,06 Knoten (vorbehaltlich der Ratifizierung durch das WSSRC). Heidi war um 11.13 Uhr als erste im Wasser, eindeutig auf einer Mission, sie steigerte sich schnell auf 41-42-43 Knoten in 10-15 minütigen Intervallen und profitierte dabei von dem leeren Kanal. Dann plötzlich BAM aus heiterem Himmel 46,87 kts. Neuer Weltrekord! Die Menge tobt. Wie es sich für einen Profi gehört, sprang sie sofort wieder in den Kanal, um ihn mit 47,16 Knoten im klassischen Doppelschlag zu verbessern. Herzlichen Glückwunsch Heidi, du hast den Rekord absolut verdient! Und auch der nationale deutsche Rekord wurde gebrochen! Am Tag 19 der Lüderitz Speed Challenge, dem 18. November griff Melek Toraman mit 42,87Kts den Deutschen Nationalen Rekord der Frauen an. Der bisherige Rekord von Anne Schindler 42,81 Kts quälend nah, aber vielleicht nicht genug, um vom WSSRC als neuer Rekord ratifiziert zu werden. Aber am nächsten Tag, am 19. November 2022 reichte es dann deutlich - Melek Toraman mit 44,18 Kts fuhr einen neuen deutschen Nationalen Rekord bei den Frauen. Und am allerletzten Tag, am 26. November. 2022 übertraf sie ihren eigenen Rekord! Neuer neuer deutscher Speedrekord bei den Frauen durch Melek Toraman mit 45,45kt über 500m (vorbehaltlich der Ratifizierung durch das WSSRC). Gratulation zu dieser großartigen Leistung! Wer mit Speedsurfen nicht so viel zu tun hat - zum Vergleich: Es gibt nur 3 Frauen weltweit im 46-Knoten-Club. *Bilder 2-5 vom Training in La Palme/Südfrankreich, Sommer 2022

Was ist neu? Das R&D Team um Saildesigner Ben Severne arbeitet seit Markengründung im Jahr 2003 jeden Tag aufs Neue an einer Verbesserung des Segelgefühls. Kein Detail ist dem Team in der Entwicklung wichtiger. Für 2023 hat sich hier - einmal mehr - einiges getan. GRADIENT PANEL TECHNOLOGY heißt das Zauberwort. Bei dieser Technologie überlappen die Panels an den Ecken und das Material erstreckt sich bis in das Segel hinein. Die Last verteilt sich dadurch besser und das Segel gewinnt in allen Ebenen an Performance. Auch die Erfahrungswerte aus HyperSpider und CarbonFusion Technologie, welche bisher nur den Pro Modellen vorbehalten war, findet sich nun in den Blades und S-1 Segeln. So konnten nicht nur die Segelgewichte (je nach Größe) um ca. 150g gesenkt werden, sondern auch die Pro-Schnitte 1:1 übernommen werden. Ein rießen Vorteil für das Fahrgefühl und Quiver eurer Kunden, da durch diese Synergien nun Blade Pro und S-1 Pro Segel auch allen "Standard Größen" verfügbar sind und somit garantiert für jede/n das passende Modell in der Range ist. Wer noch mehr über die SEVERNE Technologies erfahren möchte: Hier klicken Boards: PYRO und NANO 3 gehen unverändert in die neue Saison. „Speed rules“ beim PYRO, dem Signature Board von Philip Köster (Quad, Thruster oder Twin), "Quad only" beim NANO 3, wo Grip und enge Radien im Fokus stehen. "Full Power Freestyle" heißt es beim PSYCHO, der in komplett neuen Shapes in die SEVERNE Range kommt. Ultra-kompakte 207cm bzw. 209cm Länge zeigen bereits, wo die Reise hingeht und damit auch der Nachwuchs zuverlässig an neuen Moves arbeiten kann, gibt es 72l und 78l als "Semi-Custom" auf Vorbestellung. Auch bei den Waveboards gibt es ein neues Brett in der Range. Mit dem STONE wurde Jaegers Signature Wave Board Wirklichkeit. Ein asymmetrischer Shape mit "S-Tail" und zwei Versionen (left side, right side). Für West Oz sicher eine Macht - an Nord,- und Ostsee sowie an Euro Wavespots aber kaum einzusetzen. Weitere Infos: www.severnesails.de | www.severnewindsurfing.com

Die Dramatik, die sich am letzten Tag der 2022 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup entwickelte, als die Emotionen im Rennen um die Weltmeistertitel den Höhepunkt erreichten. Die Rennen selbst fanden bei 6-12 Knoten Wind statt, was bedeutete, dass Halsen wie aus dem Lehrbuch und perfekt getimte Starts das Gebot der Stunde waren, um erfolgreich zu sein, da ein Abfallen des Foils normalerweise zum Ausscheiden führen würde. Women’s For the first time this week Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone) missed out on a place in the Winners’ Final, which was somewhat of a shock given she had not finished outside the top 3 in the opening 4 eliminations. However, having built a solid 6.6 point lead there was little cause for worry and as soon as it was announced that the racing had officially been called off it was quickly apparent that she was deservedly the 2022 Women’s PWA Slalom World Champion. Mortefon has performed on a different level to everyone else this week and a second world title is her just reward. Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui / LOKEFOIL) made an extremely impressive debut on the full PWA World Tour, which saw her qualify for every Winners’ Final, whilst not finishing worse than fifth once. That level of consistency deservedly sees her crowned the vice-world champion and she is certainly one to watch closely in the coming seasons.  Delphine Cousin Questel (FMX Racing / S2Maui) claimed the closing bullet of the week, which proved to be crucial in deciding the final position on the prestigious overall podium. The 5-time world champion started the day in 6th place, but with that bullet she leapfrogs Ma Kwan Ching, Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne Sails) and Helle Oppedal (Starboard / Severne Sails) to complete an all French overall top 3, whilst Oppedal agonisingly misses out by just 0.6 of a point.  Men’s World Title The race for the Men’s World title took an unbelievable twist as Maciek Rutkowski (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails) was eliminated in the quarterfinals after hitting a plastic bag when prominently placed on the opening reach of Heat 9. Rutkowski was left understandably livid and heartbroken as it appeared that his world title aspirations were now in tatters, whilst it potentially opened up the draw for Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails), Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde) and Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails) depending on how results unfolded.  After a few quick calculations it soon became apparent that Rutkowski was still in with a great chance of becoming World Champion, the only difference now being that he would be totally powerless in having a say on the outcome, so he would have to agonisingly watch from the beach and pray that results fell in his favour. Rutkowski just missed out on the event title in Sylt after being pipped to the top spot on the podium by - Amado Vrieswijk - and it looked as though history may repeat itself in a horrible turn of events. With Rutkowski’s main rival for the title - Matteo Iachino - safely qualifying for the Winners’ Final the world title would all come down to that one heat, and with it now mathematically impossible for Iachino to finish worse than third it would be a straight fight between them. However, it would still be a tall order for Iachino to come out on top as the Italian either needed to beat Nicolas Goyard (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) by at least two places, so that he would move into second place and pip Rutkowski to the title. The only other hope for Iachino was for Johan Soe (FMX Racing / Point-7) to finish in the top 3, which would’ve seen the Dane leapfrog Rutkowski and deny him the title. Soe Near, Soe Far In the end, things didn’t quite go Iachino’s way in the final with the 2016 World Champion ‘only’ finishing 5th, but Rutkowski was still made to sweat it out as Johan Soe chased Mateus Isaac (Severne / Severne Sails) down the final straight hunting for the third place which would derail Rutkowski’s dream, whilst making Iachino’s. Isaac would hold on though and Rutkowski could finally breathe a huge sigh of relief after surviving an almost unbearable rollercoaster ride as he was officially crowned the 2022 Men’s PWA Slalom World Champion for the first time in his career! Ironically Isaac inadvertently denied his teammate the world title, whilst if the standings between Isaac and Soe were reversed, it would have Soe denying his teammate. The loss will obviously hurt Iachino, who also came agonisingly close to a second world crown in 2019, but you can expect to see him challenging for top honours again next season. Marotti Tastes Victory For The First Time Away from the world title race, there was a separate, equally exciting battle for the event title between Enrico Marotti and Nicolas Goyard. Before the final there was just 0.7 of a point between them, so it would be a straight fight between the two top ranked sailors and the final certainly didn’t disappoint as they went rail-to-rail in a classic race. Marotti did brilliantly to hold his nerve under intense pressure as the Croat signed off the event in style by claiming his second bullet of the week, but more importantly it secured him his maiden victory on the World Tour, which sees him ranked third in the overall rankings.  Goyard walks away from the event in second place, whilst Iachino completes the overall podium, Today also marks the end of a legendary career for the one and only Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde), who brings down the curtain on a career spanning 3 decades. Albeau goes down in history as one of the greatest windsurfers in history - having won 25 world titles across multiple disciplines, whilst he still remains the fastest windsurfer on the planet with his world record. From everyone at the PWA we would like to wish Antoine all the best for the future and congratulate him on an unbelievable career.  We’ll take a full look at the event rankings in the event summary in a couple of days time. For now we’d like to pass on a huge congratulations to the newly crowned world champions, whilst also paying a huge thanks to the event organisers and volunteers for making the event possible.  You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from Japan— including live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply by clicking HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the page. You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from Japan— including live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply by clicking HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the page. Previous Live Stream & Highlights You can find earlier live stream footage plus highlight videos via our YouTube channel HERE. Click 'Videos' for highlights and 'Live' for previous live stream footage. Result 2022 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup - Women’s Slalom 1st Marion Mortefon | FRA (Fanatic / Duotone)
2nd Justine Lemeteyer | FRA (FMX Racing / S2Maui / LOKEFOIL)
3rd Delphine Cousin Questel | FRA (FMX Racing / S2Maui)
4th Helle Oppedal | NOR (Starboard / Severne Sails)
5th Blanca Alabau | ESP (Starboard / Severne Sails)
6th Ma Kwan Ching | HK
7th Sarah-Quita Offringa | ARU (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
8th Jenna Gibson | GBR (Fanatic/ Duotone)
9th Rina Niijima | JPN
10th Veerle ten Have | NZL Overall Ranking 2022 PWA World Tour - Women’s Slalom 1st Marion Mortefon | FRA (Fanatic / Duotone)
2nd Justine Lemeteyer | FRA (FMX Racing / S2Maui / LOKEFOIL)
3rd Delphine Cousin Questel | FRA (FMX Racing / S2Maui)
4th Helle Oppedal | NOR (Starboard / Severne Sails)
5th Blanca Alabau | ESP (Starboard / Severne Sails)
6th Ma Kwan Ching | HK
7th Sarah-Quita Offringa | ARU (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
8th Jenna Gibson | GBR (Fanatic/ Duotone)
9th Rina Niijima | JPN
10th Veerle ten Have | NZL  Result 2022 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup - Men’s Slalom 1st Enrico Marotti | CRO (JP / NeilPryde)
2nd Nicolas Goyard | FRA (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
3rd Matteo Iachino | ITA (Starboard / Severne Sails)
4th Maciek Rutkowski | POL (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails)
5th Johan Soe | DEN (FMX Racing / Point-7)
6th Mateus Isaac | BRA (Severne / Severne Sails)
7th Amado Vrieswijk | NB (Future Fly / Severne Sails)
8th Pierre Mortefon | FRA (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / Phantom Foils)
9th Basile Jacquin | FRA (FMX Racing / Point-7)
10th Jordy Vonk | NED (Fanatic / Duotone) Overall Ranking 2022 PWA World Tour - Men’s Slalom 1st Maciek Rutkowski | POL (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails)
2nd Matteo Iachino | ITA (Starboard / Severne Sails)
3rd Enrico Marotti | CRO (JP / NeilPryde)
4th Amado Vrieswijk | NB (Future Fly / Severne Sails)
5th Nicolas Goyard | FRA (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
6th Mateus Isaac | BRA (Severne / Severne Sails)
7th Pierre Mortefon | FRA (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / Phantom Foils)
8th Johan Soe | DEN (FMX Racing / Point-7)
9th Jordy Vonk | NED (Fanatic / Duotone)
10th Sebastian Kördel | GER (Starboard / Severne Sails)

Der vorletzte Tag des 2022 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup war mit Abstand der windigste und kabbeligste Tag, den wir in Japan gesehen haben. Das sorgte für einen aufregenden Rennmorgen, an dem die weltbesten Windsurfer bei Windstärken zwischen 20 und 35 Knoten gegeneinander antraten. Neben einigen Weltklasseregatten gab es auch einige brutale Stürze, bei denen die Surfer bis an die Grenzen ihres Könnens getestet wurden, während es bei den extremen Wind- und Wasserbedingungen zu zahlreichen Finnen-gegen-Foil-Kämpfen kam. Slalom Women’s Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / LOKEFOIL) continued to lay down the gauntlet today as she looks to add a second world title to her name. The reigning Foil World Champion produced a phenomenal display today in the nuclear winds as she destroyed the rest of the fleet to claim an emphatic victory in Elimination 4, whilst also extending her lead to 6.6 points heading into the final day. The 30-year-old is yet to finish outside the top 3 in the opening 3 eliminations, so it would need a massive turn of events to deny her the event and world title, but she won’t be getting complacent. Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / Point-7 / LOKEFOIL) continues to sail incredibly consistently in a wide range of conditions and the newcomer took away third place in Elimination 4 to defend her second place in the event rankings. However, she now has Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne Sails) breathing down her neck. The 26-year-old may not have been able to take full advantage of her discard opportunity - finishing 8th in Elimination 4 - but that is still enough to see her gain three places from 6th to 3rd, whilst she now trails Lemeteyer by just 0.7 of a point with a day to go.  Elsewhere, Ma Kwan Ching and Helle Oppedal (Starboard / Severne Sails) remain in 4th and 5th place respectively, whilst Delphine Cousin Questel (FMX Racing / S2Maui), who started the day in third falls three places to 6th. The 5-time world champion wasn’t happy with not being given enough time to change to the equipment she wanted and eventually finished 9th.  With the strong winds on offer this morning, Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) recorded her best result of the event so far after doing brilliantly to fight back into second place despite dropping her opening gybe, which sees the Aruban move into 7th from 11th, whilst Sarah Jackson (Fanatic / Duotone) climbs into the top 10 - 9th - after finishing 6th despite sailing with a broken metatarsal.  Men’s World Title Race The Men’s world title race will go down to the wire after the title race took another dramatic twist today after Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails), who started the day leading the event and the world rankings, failed to qualify for the Winners’ Final for the first time this week, which swung the door open for Maciek Rutkowski (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails). The Pole would go on to secure 4th place in the final, which would actually see Rutkowski fall one place in the event rankings to 5th, but with Iachino only able to record a 9th, and other results not going his way, or in Rutkowski’s favour depending how you look at it, that would cause the Italian to drop from 1st to third, which hands the advantage to Rutkowski heading into the final day. However, there is no breathing room for either sailor because as things currently stand they would be tied on 20,200 points (Rutkowski would win on countback), so any changes in their event rankings tomorrow will have huge effects on the overall outcome. Whilst it still seems most likely that the title race will come down to a battle between Iachino and Rutkowski, there are still certain scenarios where both Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails) and Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde), who currently leads the event could still win the world title: If Iachino and Rutkowski were both to fall at least one place (to 4th and 5th respectively) and Vrieswijk was to finish 6th or better he could still win. If that were to happen and Marotti was to win the event all 4 sailors would finish tied on 20,100 points, so the title would then be decided on countback between Vrieswijk and Marotti.
If Iachino and Rutkowski were to fall at least one place and Marotti was to not win the event - a 6th place finish or better would be good enough for Vrieswijk to be world champion.
If Iachino and Rutkowski were both to fall at least one place and Vrieswijk finishes 7th or worse - then a victory for Marotti would guarantee him the world title. In terms of the race for the event title, things couldn’t be much closer with just 0.7 of a point separating Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde) and Nicolas Goyard (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils), whilst Matteo Iachino is still only 2 points off the top, so things could still go either way in the race for both the event and world titles, so tomorrow promises to be a tense and exhilarating day with plenty on the line.  Marotti currently leads the event with counting results of a first and two seconds - discarding a 5th - such has been his level at this event and he now has every chance of winning his first event and possibly a world title.  Nicolas Goyard’s second bullet of the week allowed the Frenchman to discard a 16th place from the second elimination, which saw the current Slalom World Champion climb from 7th to second and he now has every chance at the event title. Elsewhere, Johan Soe (FMX Racing / Point-7) remains in 5th place after another 5th place finish today, whilst Mateus Isaac (Severne / Severne Sails) breaks back into the overall top 10 - 6th - after being able to discard a quarterfinal exit from the second elimination with a 10th place finish today.  Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) looked as though he may be able to sign off his final event on the PWA in perfect fashion as he led the Winners’ Final of Elimination 4. The 25-time world champion produced a brilliant first couple of gybes to move to the front of the pack, but a brief touchdown at the third gave Goyard and Marotti all the opportunity they needed to deny Albeau. However, AA still recorded his best finish of the week - 3rd - which sees the Frenchman climb from 15th to 7th. The top 10 is currently completed by - Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails), Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / Phantom Foils) and Basile Jacquin (FMX Racing / Point-7). The forecast for tomorrow looks as though there should be enough wind for at least one more elimination with moderate to strong northerly winds currently predicted. With that in mind, the sailors will meet at 8am tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 8:30am (GMT+9) onwards. You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from Japan— including live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply by clicking HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the page. Previous Live Stream & Highlights You can find earlier live stream footage plus highlight videos via our YouTube channel HERE. Click 'Videos' for highlights and 'Live' for previous live stream footage. Current Ranking Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup - Women’s Slalom
*After 4 Eliminations 1st Marion Mortefon | FRA (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
2nd Justine Lemeteyer | FRA (FMX Racing / S2Maui / LOKEFOIL)
3rd Blanca Alabau | ESP (Starboard / Severne Sails)
4th Ma Kwan Ching | HK
5th Helle Oppedal | NOR (Starboard / Severne Sails)
6th Delphine Cousin Questel | FRA (FMX Racing / S2Maui)
7th Sarah-Quita Offringa | ARU (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
8th Veerle ten Have | NZL Current Ranking Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup - Men’s Slalom
*After 4 Eliminations 1st Enrico Marotti | CRO (JP / NeilPryde)
2nd Nicolas Goyard | FRA (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
3rd Matteo Iachino | ITA (Starboard / Severne Sails)
4th Maciek Rutkowski | POL (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails)
5th Johan Soe | DEN (FMX Racing / Point-7)
6th Mateus Isaac | BRA (Severne / Severne Sails)
7th Antoine Albeau | FRA (JP / NeilPryde)
8th Amado Vrieswijk | NB (Future Fly / Severne Sails)
9th Pierre Mortefon | FRA (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / Phantom Foils)
10th Basile Jacquin | NC (FMX Racing / Point-7 / Phantom Foils)

Tag 3 des 2022 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup brachte schließlich die meisten Rennen der bisherigen Veranstaltung, aber man musste etwas länger als erwartet warten, bis der Wind einsetzte, während die Rennbedingungen mit böigem Wind - zwischen 8 und 25 Knoten - durchgehend schwierig blieben, was die Materialwahl extrem erschwerte. Am Ende gab es viele spannende Rennen mit einigen heftigen Stürzen, so dass letztendlich 3 Eliminations bei den Männern und 2 Eliminations bei den Frauen ausgetragen werden konnten. Women’s Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) led the overnight rankings having won the opening elimination of the week yesterday, and the 30-year-old enjoyed another solid day of racing as she recorded a second and a third place to extend her lead to 5.3 points. Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui / LOKEFOIL), who is making her debut on the World Tour, enjoyed an excellent day with a 3rd and a 4th, which sees her currently occupy second place ahead of Delphine Cousin Questel (FMX Racing / S2Maui), who bounced back from an 8th in the opening elimination of the day, by signing off with her first bullet of the event. Ma Kwan Ching and Helle Oppedal (Starboard / Severne Sails) currently sit in 4th and 5th place, but that could all change once the discard comes into play after the completion of Elimination 4. Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne Sails), who claimed her maiden bullet on the World Tour after producing a brilliant last gybe to pip Mortefon to victory in Elimination 2, potentially stands to gain the most from the discard as it would give her the opportunity to discard a quarterfinal exit from the first elimination, which could see her fly up the rankings as she backed up her bullet with a solid second place. Alabau is currently 6th, but could quickly become Mortefon’s main threat.  Men’s Things remain incredibly tight at the top in the Men’s fleet after the opening 3 eliminations with just 1 point separating Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails), who leads the overnight rankings, and Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde) at the close of play.  Iachino scored his first bullet on the World Tour since November 2019 (*5-star event) in the second elimination, which he backed up with two, thirds to head up the rankings. The Italian has looked extremely quick and quietly confident in all 3 eliminations and he is currently in pole position for the world title as he looks to earn his second world crown. As things stand, Iachino holds a 100 point advantage over Maciek Rutkowski (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails) and 200 points over Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails), whilst in the event rankings he has more breathing room as Rutkowski currently trails Iachino by 7.3 points, whilst Vrieswijk finds himself even further back - 13.3 points. World title hopefuls - Vrieswijk & Rutkowski - both suffered some unlucky moments today, which could yet prove pivotal in deciding who ultimately wins the world title. After missing out on the opening Winners’ Final, Vrieswijk bounced back with an excellent third place to bring himself back into contention, but then suffered a broken boom in the Winners’ Final of Elimination 3 meaning the Bonairean had to settle for eighth place, which sees him currently ranked 5th. In the scenario that Iachino was to win the event and Vrieswijk could climb two places to third, the two sailors would then be tied, so the title would be decided on countback. Vrieswijk is currently 6 points behind 3rd place title rival Rutkowski.  Meanwhile, Rutkowski was left fuming after finishing 8th in the second elimination after getting a boom wrapped around his head. However, the Pole, who finished fourth in the first elimination, kept his title hopes alive after flying down the final reach to snatch second place in the last elimination of the day, which could yet prove to be a massive moment depending on how the rest of the event plays out. So for now it is advantage Iachino, but it is far from over with two days to go.  Enrico Marotti enjoyed a fine day as the Croat recorded a first, second and a fifth to put himself in serious contention for the event title, whilst Johan Soe (FMX Racing / Point-7) continues to sail superbly and the young Dane is currently ranked 4th after the opening 3 eliminations.  Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / Phantom Foils) finds himself in 6th place after a 5th and a 9th today. The Frenchman was involved in an accident on the start line in the Winners’ Final of Elimination 2 together with Mateus Isaac (Severne / Severne Sails) and Basile Jacquin (FMX Racing / Point-7), who was later disqualified from the final for dangerous sailing. Mortefon and Isaac both suffered damaged foils, whilst the Brazilian also sustained a cut to his upper leg. Nicolas Goyard (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) made the perfect start to the event as he reeled off a bullet in the opener, but then suffered a semifinal exit in Elimination 2. The 2021 world champion then bounced back with a 4th in the last race, so he is someone who stands to potentially gain a lot upon the completion of Elimination 4.  The top 10 is currently completed by the French trio - Basile Jacquin, William Huppert (Fanatic / Duotone / Phantom Foils) and Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Patrik Sails / Chopper Fins / Phantom Foils), who won the second elimination b-final.  Another notable performance today goes to 16-year-old Will McMillan (Starboard / Severne Sails), who qualified for the top 16 twice as he really took it to his peers - eventually recording outstanding 12th and a 14th places. Elsewhere, Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde), who announced he is retiring from competing on the PWA prior to the event, qualified for his opening Winners’ Final of the week - where he finished 6th, whilst Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / Duotone) also booked his place in a first Winners’ Final of the event.  The forecast for tomorrow looks as though there could be the potential for more racing, although the best chance will probably be in the morning as the wind is expected to drop throughout the day. The sailors will meet again at 8am tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 9am (GMT+9).  You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from Japan— including live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply by clicking HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the page. Current Ranking Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup - Women’s Slalom
*After 3 Eliminations 1st Marion Mortefon | FRA (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
2nd Justine Lemeteyer | FRA (FMX Racing / S2Maui / LOKEFOIL)
3rd Delphine Cousin Questel | FRA (FMX Racing / S2Maui)
4th Ma Kwan Shing | HK 
5th Helle Oppedal | NOR (Starboard / Severne Sails)
6th Blanca Alabau | ESP (Starboard / Severne Sails)
7th Veerle ten Have | NZL 
8th Shacar Tibi | ISR Current Ranking Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup - Men’s Slalom
*After 3 Eliminations 1st Matteo Iachino | ITA (Starboard / Severne Sails)
2nd Enrico Marotti | CRO (JP / NeilPryde)
3rd Maciek Rutkowski | POL (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails)
4th Johan Soe | DEN (FMX Racing / Point-7)
5th Amado Vrieswijk | NB (Future Fly / Severne Sails)
6th Pierre Mortefon | FRA (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / Phantom Foils)
7th Nicolas Goyard | FRA (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
8th Basile Jacquin | NC (FMX Racing / Point-7 / Phantom Foils)
9th William Huppert | FRA (Fanatic / Duotone / Phantom Foils)
10th Alexandre Cousin | FRA Patrik / Patrik Sails / Choppers Fins / Phantom Foils)

Das Foil hat seinen Wert am zweiten Tag des 2022 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup gezeigt, denn im Slalom der Damen wurde ein Ergebnis erzielt, während im Slalom der Herren nur noch das Winner- und das B-Finale gefahren werden müssen, um auch hier ein Ergebnis zu erzielen. In den Jahren vor der Einführung des Foilings wäre der heutige Tag im Grunde genommen ein Ruhetag gewesen, aber stattdessen konnten die weltbesten Teilnehmer einige unterhaltsame Rennen liefern, obwohl der heutige Tag selbst mit dem Aufkommen des Foilings genau an der Grenze lag, wenn es um konkurrenzfähige Winde ging (5-10 Knoten), was bedeutete, dass perfekte Halsen zwingend erforderlich waren, um erfolgreich zu sein, während die meisten Fehler hart bestraft wurden. Women’s Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) struck first blood in the opening elimination of the Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup as the reigning Foil World Champion produced a phenomenal first gybe to manoeuvre her way passed - Helle Oppedal (Starboard / Severne Sails) - who had led down the opening reach after making a brilliant start. Claiming the opening bullet of the week gives Mortefon a great platform on which to build as she looks to earn her second world title. Oppedal will be pleased with her solid start to the event and seemed excited about tomorrow’s expected strong winds, so she will likely be one to watch again. The top 3 was completed by Ma Kwan Ching, who showed excellent pace throughout in the light airs.  Delphine Cousin Questel (FMX Racing / S2Maui) had been prominently placed until the third buoy, but then dropped off the foil in the light airs, which allowed Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui / LOKEFOIL) and Rina Niijima (Starboard / Severne Sails) to overtake and claim 4th, 5th and 6th respectively.  Men’s One attempt was made to run the Men’s Winners’ Final, but with the wind dropping when Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails) was in the lead the heat was abandoned, and with the wind failing to return we will have to wait until tomorrow to see who claims the first bullet in the Men’s fleet. Out of the current top 10 only World Tour leader Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails), current No.8 Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / Severne Sails) and No.10 Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / Duotone) missed out on a place in the Winners’ Final as the majority of the top seeds made a strong start to proceedings. So, also joining Matteo Iachino in the final are; Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde), Johan Soe (FMX Racing / Point-7), Maciek Rutkowski (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails), Mateus Isaac (Severne / Severne Sails), Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / Phantom Foils), Nicolas Goyard (Phantom Boards / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) and Basile Jacquin (FMX Racing / Point-7 / Phantom Foils), who qualifies for his first Winners’ Final of the year. *5-star event. Tomorrow looks as though it could provide the best racing of the week with a solid forecast on paper, which should hopefully see an action-packed day. The wind is expected to increase from 15-19 knots in the morning to gusting to 30 knots from the south-southwest by the evening. You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from Japan— including live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply by clicking HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the page. Current Ranking Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup - Women’s Slalom
* After 1 Elimination 1st Marion Mortefon | FRA (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
2nd Helle Oppedal | NOR (Starboard / Severne Sails)
3rd Ma Kwan Shing | HK (Starboard / Severne Sails)
4th Justine Lemeteyer | FRA (FMX Racing / S2Maui / LOKEFOIL)
5th Rina Niijima | JPN (Starboard / Severne Sails)
6th Delphine Cousin Questel | FRA (FMX Racing / S2Maui)
7th Megumi Iseda | JPN (Starboard / Severne Sails)
8th Mae Davico | FRA (Loftsails)

Nachdem die Registrierung bis 11:30 Uhr abgeschlossen war, wurde der 2022 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup um 13 Uhr während der Eröffnungszeremonie offiziell für eröffnet erklärt. Im Laufe des Vormittags nutzten viele Teilnehmer die Gelegenheit, bei mäßigem Wind noch ein paar letzte Handgriffe zu erledigen, doch je näher die Startzeit rückte, desto mehr ließ der Wind nach, so dass die Wettfahrtleitung den Kurs weiter nach draußen verlegen musste, um einigermaßen konkurrenzfähigen Wind zu finden - etwa 6-10 Knoten. In the end, the racing turned out to be extremely stop-start with 4 general recalls in the opening 6 Men’s Heats, whilst one sailor was disqualified from the opening heat for crossing the line in the last minute, whilst not actually being involved in Heat 1 either. The only real upsets in the first 6 Men’s Heats were that Taty Frans (Future Fly / Point-7) and Arnon Dagan (Future Fly / NeilPryde) both failed to advance into the top 32, whilst the likes of Antoine Questel (FMX Racing / S2Maui), Bruno Martini (JP / NeilPryde) and Basile Jacquin (I-99 / Point-7) all cruised through their opening heats. Elsewhere, it was a largely successful day for the local Japanese sailors as 7 of them progressed into the top 32; Kouichiro Kaku (Starboard / Severne Sails), Shinya Kunieda (Patrik / Loftsails), Daisuke Ikoma (RRD / NeilPryde), Tomonori Anami (Starboard / Severne Sails), Sota Kanagami (Tabou / GA Sails), Anami Kenta and Norio Asano (Fanatic / S2Maui). Unfortunately, only one heat of the Women’s opening elimination was able to be completed before the wind became too light. 5-time world champion - Delphine Cousin Questel (FMX Racing / S2Maui) claimed a clear cut victory in the opening quarterfinal, whilst Yuki Sunaga (Loftsails), Miki Yamabe and Veerle ten Have (Starboard / Severne Sails) secured the remaining places in the top 4 to qualify for the opening semifinal.

In den letzten 10 Tagen hat Sylt eine enorme Vielfalt an Bedingungen hervorgebracht, von stürmischen, schweren Down-the-Line-Wellen bis hin zu Leichtwind-Foil-Rennen. Die Insel, die so reich an Windsurfgeschichte ist, hat beim Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt 2022 wieder einmal alles gegeben. Im Laufe der 10 Tage gab es einige herausragende Leistungen, während es großartig war, zu sehen, wie die Massen zum größten Windsurfing-Event der Welt zum ersten Mal seit 2019 zurückkehrten. Wave Women’s With the Moreno Twins absent for proceedings that opened the title race right up between reigning world champion - Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins), Justyna Sniady (North Windsurfing / Maui Ultra Fins) and Lina Erpenstein (Severne / Severne Sails) with all 3 women having a solid shot at the title. In the end though, Offringa would not let a golden opportunity to reach an incredible 20 world titles landmark slip her by as she successfully defeated Sniady in the Women’s Final to defend her wave world title. Sniady will still be delighted with the outcome of the week though as she walks away from 2022 as the vice-world champion - which is her best result to date - bettering her effort from 2019 when she finished 3rd overall. Lina Erpenstein (Severne / Severne Sails) pushed Offringa all the way in the semifinals, but couldn’t quite muster the wave score she needed to progress into the top two, however, the 25-year-old won’t be too disappointed as she signs off her season with a place on the event and overall podium. Elsewhere the youthful talents of -  Isabel Trivino Delgado | ESP (Severne / Severne Sails) and Maria Morales (Goya Windsurfing) - complete the overall top 5 in the world for 2022. Men’s Having come excruciatingly close to capturing a 3rd world title on several occasions, Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing) was finally able to make that goal a reality with another excellent performance at the 2022 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt. The Brazilian didn’t know it at the time, but a victory against good friend and rival - Ricardo Campello (Naish / Naish Sails) - in Heat 13a would be enough to guarantee him the title no matter what happened from there. Browne was understandably overcome with emotion upon hearing the news, but he can now revel adding to his sole wave world title from 2013. Browne has sailed exceptionally in Cabo Verde, Gran Canaria & Sylt to deservedly be crowned the 2022 Men’s PWA Wave World Champion. Philip Köster (Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins) came into the event in 5th place and knowing that he would need other results to go his way in order to win a 6th world title. The German did everything in his power to put himself in contention by claiming a superb victory in the Single Elimination, but was powerless once Browne booked his place in the top 4. Köster ends the season with two victories from 3 events and finishes as the vice-world champion for 2022. Victor Fernandez (Fanatic / Duotone / SWOX) completes the prestigious overall podium for 2022 after producing another solid display to edge out - Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails) - who finishes 4th ahead of Ricardo Campello. The top 10 is completed by Antoine Martin (Starboard / North Sails), Marc Paré (Fanatic / Duotone), who signs off the 2022 season in style after earning his first podium on the World Tour - second here - Marino Gil Goya Windsurfing), Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde / SWOX) and Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins).

Freestyle

Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) survived a final day fight back by Jacopo Testa (AV Boards / Point-7 / AL360) to finally get his hands on the Freestyle World title. The Frenchman has finished as the vice-world champion twice in his career - 2018 and ’21 - and was taken to a Super Final which went down to the wire with just 0.1 of a point between Bosson and Testa. On this occasion the pendulum swung in Bosson’s favour to finally get his hands on the sports top prize. Testa walks away from 2022 as the vice-world champion, which is his best result to date on the World Tour, and his result was made all the more remarkable due to the fact that the Italian was on crutches just a few weeks before Sylt, whilst a knee injury still hampered him. Testa posted the highest scoring heat of the Double Elimination - 124.1 points- in the Final against Bosson, but couldn’t quite replicate that level in the decider. Having sailed amazingly well, even when carrying an injury, you would think the 30-year-old will obtain the title at some stage. The Belgian trio of - Steven Van Broeckhoven (Starboard / GUNSAILS), Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) and Dieter Van der Eyken (Severne / Severne Sails) complete places 3 to 5 in the overall rankings with Van Broeckhoven securing the final place on the podium after taking down Caers in the battle for 3rd and 4th. Elsewhere, Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails) completed the comeback of the Double Elimination as the Frenchman won 4 consecutive heats to climb into 6th overall.  Slalom Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails) claimed a dramatic victory in the Men’s Slalom as the Bonairean pipped Maciek Rutkowski (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails) to the event title.  In total 10 eliminations were completed over the course of the last 10 days and it looked like Rutkowski was in control of the event heading into Elimination 10 as he extended his lead to 5 points. However, after failing to qualifying for the Winners’ Final, Vrieswijk was presented with the narrowest of opportunities to take the lead. The 26-year-old would require a top two finish to edge into pole position and that’s exactly what he managed to do - chasing Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde) home - to move into a 1 point lead. With no more racing being possible, Vrieswijk would soon have his hands on second racing victory on the World Tour - having also won a Foil event in Costa Brava in 2018. Vrieswijk will now head into Japan with the World Tour lead. This will be a bitter pill to swallow for Rutkowski, but there are plenty of positives to take into the title decider in Japan. The Pole won two out of the opening three races in Sylt, whilst he qualified for the top 8 in the opening 7 eliminations, before having a day to forget on Day 7. Rutkowski shows he possesses all the skills necessary to win the event and has a solid shot at the title in Japan.  Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails) completes the event podium after sailing extremely consistently throughout. The Italian qualified for 80% of the Winners’ Finals, whilst he never finished outside the top 11 to edge out Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Phantom Foils), who held a 4.3 point advantage over Iachino heading into the last race. However, like Rutkowski, Mortefon would suffer a semifinal exit in Elimination 10, and could only finish 4th in the b-final to miss out on the podium by just 1.7 points.  Mateus Isaac (Severne / Severne Sails) also sailed extremely consistently to secure 5th place in Sylt. The Brazilian never finished outside the top 11 in the 10 eliminations completed.  Enrico Marotti signed off the event in style as the Croat rattled off back-to-back bullets in Eliminations 9 and 10 to claim 6th place ahead of 18-year-old Johan Soe (FMX Racing / Point-7), who claimed his first bullet of the week in Elimination 5. The young Dane looks to be a phenomenal talent and should be challenging for the top 10 again in Japan. The top 10 is completed by Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / Severne Sails / Starboard Foil) - 8th - who also claimed his first bullet on the World Tour in Elimination 8, reigning world champion Nicolas Goyard (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils),  and Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / Duotone). The last 10 days in Sylt have produced a little bit of everything and it was great to see the massive crowds return to the biggest windsurfing event in the world. A massive thanks goes to organisers for making the event possible, whilst we once again extend our congratulations to our new world champion for 2022 - Sarah-Quita Offringa, Marcilio Browne and Adrien Bosson. Where's Next on the PWA World Tour? In just over a months time the elite of the racing world will head to Japan to decide the Men's and Women's World Champions in Slalom for the 2022 season as the Fly! ANA Windsurfing World Cup takes place between 11th-15th November.  Result 2022 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Wave  1st Sarah-Quita Offringa | ARU (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Justyna Sniady | POL (North Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Lina Erpenstein | GER (Severne / Severne Sails)
4th Steffi Wahl | GER (Windflüchter Surfboards / Sailloft Hamburg)
5th Maria Morales | ESP (Goya Windsurfing)
5th Maaike Huvermann | NED (Severne / Severne Sails)
5th Marine Hunter | FRA (KA Sail)
5th Isabel Trivino Delgado | ESP (Severne / Severne Sails) Result 2022 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Freestyle 

?1st Adrien Bosson | FRA (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Jacopo Testa | ITA (AV Boards / Point-7 / AL360) 
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven | BEL (Starboard / GUNSAILS)
4th Yentel Caers | BEL (JP / NeilPryde)
5th Dieter Van der Eyken | BEL (Severne / Severne Sails) 
6th Antony Ruenes | FRA (Tabou / GA Sails)
7th Sam Esteve | FRA (JP / NeilPryde)
7th Nicolas Akgazciyan | FRA (JP / NeilPryde)
9th Amado Vrieswijk | NB (Future Fly / Severne Sails)
9th Youp Schmit | NB (Tabou / GA Sails)
9th Takuma Sugi | (Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins)
9th Antoine Albert | NC (Goya Windsurfing) Result 2022 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Slalom
*After 10 Eliminations  1st Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly / Severne Sails)
2nd Maciek Rutkowski (POL | FMX Racing / Challenger Sails)
3rd Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne Sails)
4th Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / Phantom Foils)
5th Mateus Isaac (BRA | Severne / Severne Sails)
6th Johan Soe (DEN | FMX Racing / Point-7)
7th Enrico Marotti (CRO | JP / NeilPryde)
8th Sebastian Kördel (GER | Starboard / Severne Sails / Starboard Foil)
9th Nicolas Goyard | FRA (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
10th Jordy Vonk | NED (Fanatic / Duotone) Result 2022 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Wave  1st Philip Köster | GER (Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins)
2nd Marc Paré | ESP (Fanatic / Duotone)
3rd Marcilio Browne | BRA (Goya Windsurfing)
4th Victor Fernandez | ESP (Fanatic / Duotone / SWOX)
5th Ricardo Campello | VEN/BRA (Naish / Naish Sails)
5th Thomas Traversa | FRA (Tabou / GA Sails)
5th Antoine Martin | FRA (Starboard / North Sails)
5th Leon Jamaer | GER (Flikka / NeilPryde)  Result 2022 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Freestyle 
?1st Adrien Bosson | FRA (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Jacopo Testa | ITA (AV Boards / Point-7 / AL360) 
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven | BEL (Starboard / GUNSAILS)
4th Yentel Caers | BEL (JP / NeilPryde)
5th Dieter Van der Eyken | BEL (Severne / Severne Sails) 
6th Antony Ruenes | FRA (Tabou / GA Sails)
7th Sam Esteve | FRA (JP / NeilPryde)
7th Nicolas Akgazciyan | FRA (JP / NeilPryde)
9th Amado Vrieswijk | NB (Future Fly / Severne Sails)
9th Youp Schmit | NB (Tabou / GA Sails)
9th Takuma Sugi | (Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins)
9th Antoine Albert | NC (Goya Windsurfing) Overall Ranking 2022 PWA World Tour - Women’s Wave 1st Sarah-Quita Offringa | ARU (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Justyna Sniady | POL (North Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Lina Erpenstein | GER (Severne / Severne Sails)
4th Isabel Trivino Delgado | ESP (Severne / Severne Sails)
5th Maria Morales | ESP (Goya Windsurfing) Overall Ranking 2022 PWA World Tour - Men’s Wave 1st Marcilio Browne | BRA (Goya Windsurfing)
2nd Philip Köster | GER (Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins)
3rd Victor Fernandez | ESP (Fanatic / Duotone / SWOX)
4th Thomas Traversa | FRA (Tabou / GA Sails)
5th Ricardo Campello | VEN/BRA (Naish / Naish Sails)
6th Antoine Martin | FRA (Starboard / North Sails)
7th Marc Paré | ESP (Fanatic / Duotone)
8th Marino Gil | ESP (Goya Windsurfing)
9th Robby Swift | UK (JP / NeilPryde / SWOX)
10th Takuma Sugi | JPN (Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins) Overall Ranking 2022 PWA World Tour - Men’s Freestyle
 ?1st Adrien Bosson | FRA (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Jacopo Testa | ITA (AV Boards / Point-7 / AL360) 
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven | BEL (Starboard / GUNSAILS)
4th Yentel Caers | BEL (JP / NeilPryde)
5th Dieter Van der Eyken | BEL (Severne / Severne Sails) 
6th Antony Ruenes | FRA (Tabou / GA Sails)
7th Sam Esteve | FRA (JP / NeilPryde)
7th Nicolas Akgazciyan | FRA (JP / NeilPryde)
9th Amado Vrieswijk | NB (Future Fly / Severne Sails)
9th Youp Schmit | NB (Tabou / GA Sails)
9th Takuma Sugi | (Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins)
9th Antoine Albert | NC (Goya Windsurfing)

Der Foil-Slalom sorgte auch am siebten Tag des Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt für Unterhaltung. Bei Windstärken zwischen 10 und 20 Knoten griffen die Foiler erneut zu ihrem Medium-Material, während einige Windsurfer sich für die Finne entschieden - allen voran Ingmar Daldorf (Tabou / GA Sails), der das Finale der Elimination 10 gewann. Das Ende des Tages hätte nicht dramatischer sein können, da der letzte Lauf darüber entschied, wer in der Übernachtungsrangliste vor den letzten Tagen des Events an der Spitze stehen würde... Men’s  Slalom After the completion of Elimination 9, Maciek Rutkowski (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails) looked to be in a healthy position as he extended his overnight lead from 1.3 points to 5 points. However, Elimination 10 would take a dramatic turn as Rutkowski suffered a catapult on the second reach of the opening semifinal to be eliminated, which presented an opportunity for Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails) and Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / Phantom Sails) to potentially challenge for the event lead.  Vrieswijk would soon be the only man with that opportunity as Mortefon suffered the same fate as Rutkowski after finding himself on the wrong side of a photo finish with teammate - William Huppert (Fanatic / Duotone / Phantom Foils). As things stood, Vrieswijk would require a minimum of a top 2 finish to snatch the event lead and that’s exactly what the Bonairean would proceed to do. Vrieswijk chased - Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde) -  home in the final to move into a slender one-point lead over Rutkowski. There are still 3 days to go in the contest, so Vrieswijk will face a nervous wait, whilst Rutkowski will hope for an opportunity to race again.  Vrieswijk deservedly heads to the top of the rankings after producing his most consistent performance of the event with 2 second places and a third, whilst Rutkowski had a day to forget. At the start of the day the 30-year-old was the only sailor to boast a 100% qualifying record for the top 8 in every race, but today he crucially only qualified for one Winners’ Final. Elsewhere, Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails) jumps back into the top 3 at the expense of Pierre Mortefon, who slips from second to fourth. Neither sailor sailed badly today, with each of them qualifying for two out of three Winners’ Finals, but crucially the Italian was able to record a second and a third place compared to two 6 places for Mortefon. At the close of play just 1.7 points separate the two former world champions.  Mateus Isaac (Severne / Severne Sails) has been one of the most consistent sailors of the event thus far and he enjoyed another solid day with two 4th places and a 9th, which sees the Brazilian maintain 5th place in the rankings.  However, Isaac now has Enrico Marotti just 1.4 points behind him after the Croat produced the performance of the day, which saw the 31-year-old record back-to-back bullets in Eliminations 9 and 10 to climb two places into 6th, whilst also deservedly being awarded the Sailor of the Day award. Johan Soe (FMX Racing / Point-7) remains on course for an overall top 10 finish after another excellent day of racing, which saw the 18-year-old qualify for all 3 Winners’ Finals.  Meanwhile, Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / Severne Sails / Starboard Foil) will remember today for a while as the German finally notched his first bullet on the World Tour having come so close before on several occasions. Kördel actually slips one place to 8th, but will be delighted to have finally claimed that all important win.  Reigning World Champion - Nicolas Goyard (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) - finished 5th in the opener today, but then made a couple of small mistakes in the next two eliminations to miss out on the Winners’ Finals. The Frenchman remains in 9th, whilst Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / Duotone) continues to complete the top 10. For tomorrow there is a contrast between the Danish forecast and WindGuru, so we will have to wait and see what happens, but with the potential for strong winds, first thing in the morning the Wave & Freestyle fleets will meet bright and early at 7am with a first possible start at 7:15am (GMT+2). Meanwhile, the Slalom fleet will meet again at 10am with a first possible start at 11am. You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from Sylt— including elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply by clicking HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the page. Current Ranking 2022 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Slalom
*After 10 Eliminations  1st Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly / Severne Sails)
2nd Maciek Rutkowski (POL | FMX Racing / Challenger Sails)
3rd Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne Sails / Starboard Foil)
4th Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / Phantom Foils)
5th Mateus Isaac (BRA | Severne / Severne Sails)
6th Johan Soe (DEN | FMX Racing / Point-7)
7th Enrico Marotti (CRO | JP / NeilPryde)
8th Sebastian Kördel (GER | Starboard / Severne Sails / Starboard Foil)
9th Nicolas Goyard | FRA (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
10th Jordy Vonk | NED (Fanatic / Duotone)

Auch am Mittwoch war der Wind beim Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup zu schwach, um Wettkämpfe austragen zu können. Die Zuschauer erlebten bei freundlichem Herbstwetter einen entspannten Tag auf dem Eventgelände am Brandenburger Strand. Die 93 Teilnehmer des größten Windsurf-Events der Welt genossen nach den spektakulären Wettkämpfen am Wochenanfang eine wohlverdiente Pause. Am Donnerstag um 10 Uhr entscheidet die Wettkampfleitung beim Skippers-Meeting, welche Disziplin gestartet wird.