Gran Canaria Wind & Waves Festival
Classic Pozo conditions greeted competitors at the start of the fifth day of the 2019 Gran Canaria Wind & Waves Festival as Pozo went into nuclear mode with winds well over 40 knots providing the perfect platform for the world’s most radical sailors to do what they do best… launch into gravity-defying stunts and radical wave manoeuvres, although for a time the wind was almost too strong. After an epic day of competition, the Men’s and Women’s Single Eliminations have been completed, while the Men’s Double Elimination also began during the afternoon.
Women’s
Single Elimination
Daida Moreno (Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) posted the highest score of the day - 35.28 points - against Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) in the semifinals to deservedly book her place in the winners’ final with an insane air taka, earning 9.62 points, being the pick of her moves. Unfortunately, the conditions deteriorated for both the men’s and women’s finals making sailing extremely difficult, but Daida still managed to perform a backloop, tweaked pushloop and a stalled forward to claim victory in the single elimination.
Justyna Sniady (Simmer / Simmer Sails / AL360) is now guaranteed her first ever podium on the PWA Wave World Tour after the Pole performed brilliantly today, while also causing a major upset in the semifinals as she defeated reigning world champion - Iballa Moreno (Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) to qualify for her first ever winners’ final. Sniady landed backloops, forwards and pushloops throughout to move into the top two while consistently scoring waves in the good-to-excellent range as she demonstrated that she has taken her sailing to another level over the winter. Sniady is now guaranteed 3rd place at worst, no matter what happens in the double, and will be absolutely delighted with today’s efforts!
Having recovered from the disappointment of not making the winners’ final - Sarah-Quita Offringa - recovered to secure the final spot on the podium in the single elimination. Although, now she will only be looking to move upwards in the double. The Aruban outscored Daida in the jumping department in the semifinal, but couldn’t find the wave scores she required this time around.
Reigning world champion - Iballa Moreno - posted the highest score of any of the top 8 women in the quarterfinals - 25.26 points - but then seemed to struggle in the nuclear conditions. Iballa consistently launched into big backloops, but couldn’t quite hold onto the landings, while seeming too overpowered to inflict any damage with her wave rides, which are usually her most deadly weapon. Iballa will now no doubt be focused on trying to fight her way into the top 3 in the double elimination.
The top 5 is currently completed by Marine Hunter (KA Sail), Birgit Rieger (Flikka), Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) and Caterina Stenta (RRD / RRD Sails / Maui Ultra Fins).
Men’s
Single Elimination
Current vice-world champion - Ricardo Campello (Brunotti Boards) - earned the best birthday present possible as the just turned 34-year-old won the single elimination ahead of Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing) with a series of world class performances. In the winners’ final, Campello posted the highest score of the contest - 41.33 points - after putting on a jumping and wave riding masterclass. On his way to victory, Campello landed a huge double forward, a perfect pushloop forward, a tweaked pushloop, while posting two scores in the excellent range, which included a sick tabletop aerial. Campello will now look to defend his top spot in the double!
For the second year in a row Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing) qualified for the winners’ final in Pozo Izquierdo after winning a blockbuster heat against reigning event champion - Philip Köster (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) - in the semifinals. Both sailors produced an outstanding display with huge pushloop forwards, double forwards and backloops off-the-lip, but eventually Browne came out on top by 40.95 points to 38.97. In the final, Browne filled his jump scoresheet again, but couldn’t quite find the waves he needed.
Philip Köster received a bye in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals after Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails) was forced to withdraw from the contest through injury, but in reality that may not have been the best preparation for the latter stages of the contest. The 4-time world champion sailed exceptionally well in the semifinals but then crashed much more than people are used to seeing in the battle for third and 4th place, which may just be testament to just how hard to conditions became for the finals. Köster completes the podium in the single elimination and you still can’t rule him out from coming back through the double elimination as he seeks to complete a hat-trick of event wins here.
Reigning world champion - Victor Fernandez (Fanatic / Duotone / Shamal Sunglasses) - suffered a narrow loss to Campello in the semifinals with less than a point between them, but then, like Köster, the Spaniard looked out of sorts in Heat 24 as both he and the German failed to complete their scoresheets, which is basically unheard of for these two juggernauts. There were some rumours on the beach that Fernandez may have suffered some kind of injury, but we do not have official news to confirm that at this stage!
The top 5 is currently completed by Alex Mussolini (RRD / RRD Sails), Leon Jamaer (JP / NeilPryde), Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / Duotone) and Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails), while Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde / SWOX), Adam Lewis (Fanatic / Duotone / SWOX), Omar Sanchez (Star-Fish / KA Sail), Jaeger Stone (Starboard / Severne / SWOX / Shamal Sunglasses), Dany Bruch (Bruch Boards / GA Sails / AL360), Alessio Stillrich (Fanatic / Duotone) and Josep Pons (I-99 / Point-7) will all be looking to defend their place in the top 10 in the double elimination at a minimum.
Double Elimination
After a one hour break, the men’s double elimination began and the opening two rounds have been completed at the close of play.
Takara Ishii (RRD / RRD Sails), who finished second in the U20s, caused a big upset in the opening heat as he dispatched of last year’s world No.15 Jules Denel (JP / NeilPryde), while elsewhere, local boy Moritz Mauch (Severne / Severne Sails) also faced a first round exit from the double at the hands of 18-year-old - Miguel Chapuis (JP / NeilPryde) as the next generation made their mark in the main draw. Chapuis then went on to win a tight heat against Ben Proffitt (Simmer / Simmer Sails) and will now face Josep Pons in the third round.
Meanwhile, several sailors started a successful comeback by recording back-to-back victories - firstly Loïck Lesauvage (Goya Windsurfing), Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde), Julian Salmonn (Bruch Boards / Gun Sails), U20s Champion Marino Gil (Goya Windsurfing), Dieter van der Eyken (Severne / Severne Sails), Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne), Antoine Martin (JP / NeilPryde) and the previously mentioned Miguel Chapuis.
The wind and wave look set to continue into Wednesday with a similar looking forecast for tomorrow, meaning there should be another epic day of action on the cards. The sailors will meet again at 10am tomorrow morning with a first possible start at 10:30am (GMT+1).
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Result 2019 Gran Canaria Wind & Waves Festival - Women’s Single Elimination
1st Daida Moreno (ESP - Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Justyna Sniady (POL - Simmer / Simmer / AL360)
3rd Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU - Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
4th Iballa Moreno (ESP - Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)
Result 2019 Gran Canaria Wind & Waves Festival - Men’s Single Elimination
1st Ricardo Campello (BRA/VEN - Brunotti Boards)
2nd Marcilio Browne (BRA - Goya Windsurfing)
3rd Philip Köster (GER - Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)
4th Victor Fernandez (ESP - Fanatic / Duotone / Shamal Sunglasses)
5th Thomas Traversa (FRA - Tabou / GA Sails)
5th Leon Jamaer (GER - JP / NeilPryde)
5th Alex Mussolini (ESP - RRD / RRD Sails)
5th Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (VEN - Fanatic / Duotone)