GWA Wingfoil World Cup Tarifa 2022

[Toby]

GWA Wingfoil World Cup Tarifa 2022

Day One Highlights


The GWA Wingfoil World Tour crew are delighted to be back in Tarifa for the penultimate event of the 2022 season, where 48 men and 15 women have registered to participate in this pure Surf-Freestyle event. Read on for the report and video from the first day of action yesterday:

WOMEN'S ELIMINATIONS

Women’s Rounds 1 to 3 were first in sequence, where the wind was blowing around 15 to 18 knots. The women performed consistently well throughout each round, with all of the top seeds surviving unscathed and advancing to the quarter finals. They performed a solid variety of tricks including front and backside 3’s, raleys, toe-side frontside 3’s and air gybes. Tomorrow we will continue with the quarter finals, and the close run for the 2022 World Title between Paula Novotna and Nia Suardiez could possibly come to an end, if Paula Novotna were to win here in Tarifa. This would automatically make her our 2022 World Champion, but if Nia Suardiez were to win here, then it would all come down to the final event of the year in Brazil next month.

The most impressive female performance of the day was from our current leader, Paula Novotna, who has been training in Tarifa for several weeks already, and her hard work seems to have paid off. She achieved an overall heat score of 27.23 points which was substantially higher than the rest of the female fleet today.

WOMEN'S QUARTER FINAL LINE-UP:

Christina Koenig vs Flora Artzner
Isabel Triviño vs Nia Suardiaz
Manuela Jungo vs Bowien van der Linden
Maria Barro vs Paula Novotna

MEN'S ELMINATIONS

One big contender missing from this event is Balz Muller, who is unfortunately not here due to a recent injury he sustained. This opens the door to other athletes to advance further up the ladder and grab his current 2nd position in the general rankings.

The new generation of wingfoilers were hitting hard today, racking up some impressive scores to get the competition started. Malo Guenole was definitely in fine form, and his frontflip scored him 8.40 points. Another young gun, Chris Mac Donald was unstoppable during his heat, with his frontside 7 scoring an impressive 9 points, the highest score of the day.

The winners of each heat advanced directly to Round 3, and the other two competitors will receive a second chance in Round 2.

The wind dropped at 6pm, making heat 8 the final one of the day. The action will continue on Thursday!

We still have three more days of action ahead of us and hoping for a really big day today (Thursday) with the potential climax to the women's competition, and possibly a world championship won...

[Toby]

Day Two Highlights

Strong levante wind conditions allowed us to complete rounds 1 and most of 2 for the men, alongside the women’s quarter finals on Thursday. The strong wind combined with the top athletes created a brilliant display of freestyle wingfoiling throughout the day. We witnessed a true battle of the generations, as the more experienced wingfoilers did their best to stand their ground as a whole new fleet of young riders came in to give them a run for their money.

On Friday morning, we may find our first world champion of the season! Follow the live page via the button at the end of this email.

Read on for the report and video from the second day of action yesterday:

WOMEN'S ELIMINATIONS

The strong levante started to kick in at the start of the women’s quarter finals, reaching up to 25 knots. Experience in these tough Tarifa conditions, together with consistency proved to be key elements to advancing through this round. There were no surprises as all of our top seeded riders advanced through this round to the semi-finals. Nia Suardiaz, Paula Novotna, Flora Artzner and Bowien van der Linden all remained in the competition for an opportunity to take the win at this event. Bowien put on the best female performance of the day, with her toeside frontside 3 scoring her 5.30 points.

MEN'S ELMINATIONS

There were some stand-out performances for round 2, particularly from the younger riders who showed amazing determination and capability in the strong, difficult conditions. Axel Gerard rode a great heat, landing a 6.30 point front flip that allowed him to advance to Round 3. River Moore, 14 year old local rider, lost a very close heat with Xavi Corr in Round 1, so for Round 2 he showed even more determination, closing his heat with an impressive backflip scoring 7 points and giving him the opportunity to remain in the competition for Round 3. The highest scoring heat of Round 2 went to Frenchman Bastien Escofet, who achieved an overall score of 8.30 for his spectacular front flip. Round 2 finished with an outstanding performance from one of the youngest local riders, Nathan Berger, who defeated Riccardo Zorzi with an unstoppable display of riding which included a massive frontside 7 scoring him 8.4 points and allowing him a well-deserved spot in Round 3.

The wind unfortunately dropped during the final heat of round 2, which will be continued tomorrow, as the levante wind is once again in the forecast for the coming days.

River Moore is a local 14 year old competitor who is competing at a World Cup event for the first time here at his home spot. “To compete here at my home spot is just incredible”, said River. “The wind today has been tricky, and it definitely picked up throughout the day. I just missed out on my first heat, but in my second heat I was fully powered on my 3 meter wing, and managed to land my tricks. The thing with wingfoiling is that we have race and freestyle, and it’s always fast no matter what. You can go high, the landings are awesome, and it’s just a great sport. It’s bringing a community together, joining people from kitesurfing and windsurfing together.”

We still have two more days of action ahead of us, and today is looking to be a crucial moment in the competition, particularly for the women as we could potentially be crowning a new World Champion.

[Toby]

Paula Novotna GWA Wingfoil Surf-Freestyle World Champion 2022

After over 15 years as a professional kiteboarding and now wingfoiling athlete, Czech Paula Novotna claimed her first world title at the GWA Wingfoil World Cup Tarifa on Friday morning in a final against season-long rival, Nia Suardiaz!

The competition re-started on Friday morning at the semi-final stage.

At the start of day three of competition, the 15 female competitors had already been reduced down to the four remaining semi-finalists…

The first heat saw Paula Novotna defeat our 2021 World Champion, Bowien van der Linden, in the first semi-final of the day, throwing out a clean array of tricks including an impressive frontside 3. Bowien is a top athlete, but Paula just had more consistency in landing her tricks in the difficult, choppy conditions that the athletes had to manage.

It was already amazing to see such a change in Paula’s performance today, compared to her heat yesterday where her nerves clearly got the better of her – everyone knew the pressure on her shoulders at the chance of taking her first world championship at the penultimate event of the season, and to avoid a nail-biting final showdown in Brazil.

Flora Artzner has been a consistent Surf-Freestyle podium finisher in this her first full season and has led the Surf-Slalom rankings all season. However, coming up against Nia Suardiaz in the semi-finals was certainly a challenge for her. Nia, fresh from claiming the GWA Youth World Championships in France in early October, is a Tarifa local, and incredibly comfortable in these typically strong conditions.

The wind was gusting up to 30 knots on occasion, and it was crucial to choose the trick moments wisely. Flora landed three solid trick attempts, but it was not enough to defeat Nia, who advanced through to face Paula in the final.

WOMEN’S SURF-FREESTYLE FINAL

PAULA NOVOTNA (CZE) V NIA SUARDIAZ (ESP)

So here we have it, the top two all season fighting it out once more, but with far more immediately on the line. Could Nia win and push the title decider to the final event in Brazil in November?

The final was an outstanding demonstration of riding from both Nia and Paula, showing just how much this sport has progressed in such a short time. Paula has been competing in kiteboarding for over 15 years, having achieved top podium positions for many years. All of her experience really showed through today. She was fully focused, and put on one of the strongest performances we have seen from her.

The Czech rider pulled out a toeside frontside 3 and a frontside 3, gaining solid scores. Solid and safe, but not unbeatable.

Nia followed through with the same tricks, but fell slightly short, unable to replicate Paula’s consistency, which was key. The buzzer went off toclose the heat, and Paula Novotna officially became our 2022 GWA Wingfoil Surf-Freestyle World Champion!

After so many years being on the edge of achieving a World Champion title in kiteboarding, today’s win was a reward for all of the hard work and effort that she has put into this sport. She has proven herself as a pioneer for women in wingfoiling, and we are excited to see the direction that our athletes are pushing it in.

“It was a really hard battle with Nia,” said Paula. “She is riding very well, and the level is increasing so much. At every event we have more women entering, it’s fantastic. I’m so stoked to get the World Title this year!”

[Toby]

[Toby]

After over 10 years as a professional kiteboarder and now wingfoiling athlete, Czech Paula Novotna claimed her first world title at the GWA Wingfoil World Cup Tarifa on Friday morning in a final against season-long rival, Nia Suardiaz!

On the men's side, 15 year old Xavi Corr gained his first ever event win in a spectacular final against Malo Guenole.

Read the full report and watch all of the highlights below:

WOMEN'S ELIMINATIONS

The final was an outstanding demonstration of riding from both Nia Suardiaz and Paula Notovotna, showing just how much this sport has progressed in such a short time. Paula has been competing in kiteboarding for over 10 years, having achieved top podium positions for many years. All of her experience really showed through yesterday. She was fully focused, and put on one of the strongest performances we have seen from her.

The Czech rider pulled out a toeside frontside 3 and a frontside 3, gaining solid scores. Solid and safe, but not unbeatable.

Nia followed through with the same tricks, but fell slightly short, unable to replicate Paula’s consistency, which was key. The buzzer went off to close the heat, and Paula Novotna officially became our 2022 GWA Wingfoil Surf-Freestyle World Champion!

Brand new champion - Paula's win!

MEN'S ELMINATIONS

The younger generation have absolutely dominated this event from the start, and our two finalists, Xavi Corr aged 15, and Malo Guenole aged 17, are the perfect example of the new fleet of athletes who are blowing away the competition. Both riders were clearly hungry for the win here in Tarifa. Malo opened with his classic massive backflip scoring 7.2 points. Xavi responded with a backflip of his own, scoring very slightly lower. They continued pushing trick for trick, each one alternatively taking the lead. As it came down to the final moments, Xavi took a slight lead, whilst Malo crashed three valuable trick attempts. He went for a frontside 3 to secure 5.23 points, but it just was not enough as Xavi went all in with a massive frontside 7 to seal the deal scoring 8.37 points and making him the official winner for the GWA Wingfoil World Cup Tarifa Surf-Freestyle discipline at just 15 years of age.

[Toby]

Final Results and Summary

WOMEN'S ELIMINATIONS

We have seen phenomenal evolution in women’s wingfoiling this season, and this event was no exception. After her win in Tarifa, Paula Novotna already has such a lead that she is confirmed now as our 2022 GWA Wingfoil Surf-Freestyle World Champion.

There is still one final event of the season to run in Brazil next month, so the remainder of the women will be working for an opportunity to advance up the ladder in our season finale.

TARIFA PODIUM FINISHERS:

3rd Place Women: Bowien van der Linden (NED)

The 2021 Surf-Freestyle World Champion took a break from competition for most of this year, but made an impressive comeback in Tarifa to claim a podium position. Such is the short life of the sport, Bowien only entered her first wingfoil competitions for fun last year, and found herself as World Champion at the end of the year in 2021.

2nd Place Women: Nia Suardiaz (ESP)

Still just 15 years-of-age, Nia Suardiaz exploded onto the wingfoil scene this year, winning her first event in Leucate, France at the start of the GWA Wingfoil World Tour season. In early October she also became the GWA U19 Youth Wingfoil World Champion in both the Surf-Freestyle and Surf-Slalom disciplines. Suardiaz is disappointed not to have been able to force a showdown for the World Tour title with Paula Novotna at the final round in Brazil, but she is still lying in second position in the Surf-Slalom slalom discipline, so still has a world title chance when both disciplines will run at the final event in Brazil.

Winner Women: PAULA NOVOTNA (CZE)

After over 15 years as a professional kiteboarder and now wingfoiling athlete, Czech Paula Novotna claimed her first world title at the GWA Wingfoil World Cup Tarifa on Friday morning in a final against season-long rival, 15 year-old Spandiard, Nia Suardiaz. Having shown some nerves in the quarter finals on day two, Novotna straightened her head overnight and approached the semi-final and final with incredible consistency. Nothing too extreme, but focused on safety and pressurising her opponent into mistakes.

WOMEN’S FINAL RESULTS:

1 Paula Novotna (CZE)
2 Nia Suardiaz (ESP)
3 Bowien van der Linden (NED)


MEN'S ELMINATIONS

On the men’s side so many young riders are now constantly pushing so hard, achieving incredible results alongside the more experienced competitors. One thing is very clear, the sport is evolving at an incredibly fast pace.

TARIFA PODIUM FINISHERS:

3rd Place Men: Camille Bouyer (FRA)

A rising all-round watersports star in France alongside his twin brother, Julien, Camille Bouyer has been one of the most consistent performers on tour this year. While also currently lying in third overall in the Surf-Slalom discipline, the French rider remains in contention for a final podium place at the end of the Surf-Freestyle season, too.

2nd Place Men: Malo Guenole (FRA)
The French 17-year-old took his first event win in round three in Lanzarote in this his rookie year on tour. Athletic and with incredible vision for progressing new manoeuvres, Guenole was already an Instagram sensation before stepping foot on tour. He’s certainly proved his freeride credentials stand up to competition and is now within a chance of claiming the Men’s Surf-Freestyle world title in Brazil – though he would need to win that event and for current tour leader, Gollito Estredo, to finish fourth.

1st Place Men: XAVI CORR (ESP)
Boosted by the support of his hometown, 15 year-old Spaniard Xavi Corr has completed an incredible month. Earlier in October he was crowned GWA U16 Wingfoil Youth World Champion in both the Surf-Freestyle and Surf-Slalom disciplines, but this first full world tour event win is surely the sweetest for him. Although early season results on tour didn’t go his way, and he’s not in contention to claim the World Title at the end of the season, any event win in Tarifa, the windsports capital of Europe, is already a career highlight.

MEN’S RESULTS:

1 Xavi Corr (ESP)
2 Malo Guenole (FRA)
3 Camille Bouyer (FRA)