Day eight of the Wissant Wave Classic more than lived up to its expectations as a fantastic Finals Day unfolded in Northern France in solid wind and waves to cap the event in style.
Wave
Women’s
Sol Degrieck (Severne Windsurfing) may only be 16-years-old, but the Belgian maestro is already establishing herself as a household name who is in podium contention at most events nowadays. In Wissant, Degrieck wasn’t just in contention for the podium as she claimed her second event victory on the World Tour, adding to her maiden victory last year in Sylt. Degrieck’s victory here isn’t quite enough to force her way into the top three, but it does keep her very much in the world title race conversation heading into the back end of the year.
The French girls thrived at their home event with Lisa Wermeister (Duotone Windsurfing / Maui Ultra Fins), Alice Arutkin (Flikka / GUNSAILS), who was the reigning event champion, and Marine Hunter (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) all qualifying for the final, but there was nothing they could do to prevent Degrieck from claiming the top spot on the podium.
Men’s
Coming into the Wissant Wave Classic, Philip Köster (Severne Windsurfing) and Marc Paré (Simmer / Simmer Sails / MFC) were tied on points and had been almost inseparable in the Canaries where they exchanged a victory and a second place in Gran Canaria and Tenerife respectively. That same rivalry rekindled here with both men qualifying for the 4-man final, also featuring France’s Kilian du Couëdic (Duotone Windsurfing) and Hawaii’s Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins).
Come the end of the final just 0.39 of a point separated the two world title rivals - such was the closeness of the duel. Köster edged the battle in the air, but the reigning world champion outscored the German in the waves to not only claim victory at the Wissant Wave Classic, but also now lead the World Tour heading into Sylt - where he is the defending event champion and looking to win in Germany for a third time - a feat no-one else has achieved.
For Köster, second is still a solid result, but there is no doubt he would’ve been coming to France with nothing but a victory in his mind and he loses some crucial ground in the world title race - where he now trails Paré by 1200 points. However, the German, who is searching for a sixth world crown, has everything still very much to play for as we head into the business end of the season. Who is your money on?
Kilian du Couëdic deserves huge acclaim for not just making the final, but then managing to secure his place on the podium against a heavily stacked field. That is impressive in its own right, but to do it at 52 is all the more impressive. On his way to third, du Couëdic pulled off double forwards, while consistently threatening the excellent range with his wave riding.
Meanwhile, Noireaux narrowly misses out on another podium and while fourth place here doesn’t increase his total points it should give him extra confidence heading into Sylt having qualified for another final. For now the 31-year-old remains eighth in the overall rankings.
Result Wissant Wave Classic - Women’s Wave
1st Sol Degrieck (BEL | Severne Windsurfing)
2nd Lisa Wermeister (FRA | Duotone Windsurfing / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Alice Arutkin (FRA | Flikka / GUNSAILS)
4th Marine Hunter (FRA | Quatro / Goya Windsurfing)
Result Wissant Wave Classic - Men’s Wave
1st Marc Paré (ESP | Simmer / Simmer Sails / MFC)
2nd Philip Köster (GER | Severne Windsurfing)
3rd Kilian du Couëdic (FRA | Duotone Windsurfing)
4th Morgan Noireaux (HI | JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins)
5th Jules Denel (FRA | Goya Windsurfing)
5th Antoine Martin (FRA | Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC)
7th Arthur Arutkin (FRA | Flikka / GUNSAILS / Black Project Fins)
7th Nicolas Akgazciyan (FRA | Goya Windsurfing)
9th Javier Escribano (ESP | Goya Windsurfing)
9th Cesar Filippi (FRA | Duotone Windsurfing)
9th Louis Depoers (FRA)
9th Thomas Van Batter (FRA)