Tenerife PWA World Cup

Event Preview: The world's most radical sailors head to El Médano for the second stop of the wave tour

After the opening wave event of the year in Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria, the elite of the wave sailing world now head to El Médano, Tenerife, for the second stop of the 2016 PWA Wave World Tour. Victor Fernandez (Fanatic / NorthSails / MFC / Shamal Sunglasses) and Daida Moreno (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) hold the early season advantage heading into the Tenerife PWA World Cup and both sailors will be looking to defend their event titles having won here last year.

El Médano is situated on the Southeast coast of Tenerife, just minutes away from the airport. Furthermore its beautiful golden sand beaches are blessed with glorious sunshine, regular trade winds and pumping waves year round, which make this amazing spot a windsurfers haven. The week ahead is guaranteed to be packed with unbelievable action, as the world’s most radical sailors prepare to take full advantage of the world class conditions to wow both the crowds and the judges with more gravity defying stunts and radical wave riding. 

Women’s

Tenerife is the second event on the women’s wave tour before events in Sylt, Germany, La Torche, France, and the grand finale in Maui, Hawaii. Daida Moreno (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) started the season in spectacular fashion as she claimed an emphatic victory in Pozo to take an early lead in this year’s title race as she looks to regain the world crown. Daida has won here for the last three years and will undoubtedly make a bold bid for a fourth successive event title.

Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) will come into Tenerife full of confidence after earning her best result yet in the waves — 2nd in Gran Canaria — while also capturing an incredible 9th freestyle world title in Fuerteventura. Offringa has steadily progressed since entering the waves in 2014 and now has pushloops and takas in her armoury and will be a threat again. 

Iballa Moreno (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins), who suffered a broken board in her semifinal in Pozo will no doubt be determined to make amends in El Medano after having to settle for the final place on the podium in the season opener. The current world champion won previously here in 2012 and placed second in 2013, 2014 and 2015.   

Also keep an eye out for Amanda Beenen (99NoveNove / Point-7), who finished on the podium for the first time in her career here last year. Beenen has also spent plenty of time in El Medano, so knows the break like the back of her hand.

Steffi Wahl (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg) consistently fights it out for the top 4 or 5 places and the week ahead will be no different with Wahl’s wave riding really catching the eye.

Elsewhere, Alice Arutkin (Fanatic / NorthSails), will be more of a threat in El Medano with less emphasis on jumping than in Pozo, while the likes of Justyna Sniady (Simmer / Simmer / Mystic), Lina Erpenstein (Patrik / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins), Caterina Stenta (RRD / RRD / Maui Ultra Fins) and Nicole Bandini (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) have the capabilities of causing some upsets. 

Men’s

Victor Fernandez (Fanatic / NorthSails / MFC / Shamal Sunglasses) will head to Tenerife brimming with confidence after taking down reigning world champion Philip Köster (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) on his home turf in Gran Canaria. The Spaniard was in scintillating form in Pozo clinically sailing his way to the final with an incredible display of monster jumps and dynamic wave riding. Köster will be fired up for revenge but with the level throughout the fleet at an all time high he will have pull out all the stops to take victory in Tenerife.  

Jaeger Stone (Starboard / Severne / SWOX / Shamal Sunglasses) has been one of the main threats in Tenerife over the past few years utilising his unique radical wave riding style to fight against the high flying double loops of Köster and Fernandez. Word has it that Stone has been working on his own doubles and if he can nail them during the heat of competition this could be an interesting year for the talented young Australian, who already claimed victory in the single elimination here in 2015.

Event organiser Dany Bruch (Starboard / Flight Sails / AL360 / Shamal Sunglasses) and local legend Alex Mussolini (RRD / RRD) are likely contenders at their home break, but will be fighting it out alongside the likes of Marcilio Browne (Goya windsurfing / MFC), Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde / Mystic / SWOX),  and Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails), who finished 2nd here in 2014 when he went on to win the world title.

Ricardo Campello (Patrik / Point-7 / MFC) missed the opening event of the year through injury, but he is back in action in time for Tenerife. Campello has been over to Pozo before the start of the event to tune up and will be aiming to make an explosive return. 

The thriving young talents of Alessio Stillrich (Fanatic / NorthSails) and Moritz Mauch (Severne / Severne / MFC) also stand an excellent chance. Stillrich boosted into some of the biggest jumps in Pozo and landed the first ever Klei in competition, while Mauch consistently racked up waves in the excellent range and if there is only wave riding or one jump to count he will be a serious threat. 

Elsewhere the likes of Adam Lewis (Fanatic / NorthSails / SWOX), who only narrowly lost out to Köster in the single elimination in Pozo, and teammates Leon Jamaer (JP / NeilPryde), Antoine Martin (JP / NeilPryde / MFC) and Jules Denel (JP / NeilPryde) will all be pushing for further top 10 finishes, while Klaas Voget (Fanatic / NorthSails / MFC) will be trying to force his way back into the top 10.

Youth’s

Pozo saw a record level of entries into the hotly contested youth fleet and no doubt Tenerife will see a similar turnout as the next generation of windsurfers continue to battle it out. At the moment Marino Gil (Goya Windsurfing) leads the 12-13 year olds fleet — Valentino Pasquale (Fanatic / NorthSails) the 14-15 year olds, while Noah Vocker (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) and Loick Lesauvage (Goya Windsurfing) are currently tied at the top in the 16-18 year old division after winning one elimination each during the Gran Canaria Wind & Waves Festival.

The forecast for the week ahead looks promising and there’s sure to be more spectacular action with the Tenerife PWA World Cup gaining a result every year since it began in 2011. Also on the final evening of the event — 7th August — The 2016 Dunkerbeck Eyewear Siam Park Challenge take place to decide the champion of the pool this year. Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to follow the racing live. 

To see all the latest from the event — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

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