2024 PWA Chile World Cup

Sol Degrieck and Ryu Noguchi claim respective victories in Junior Round 1 in Matanzas

The Chile World Cup kicked off with some dominating performances from upcoming juniors in chest-high swell at Matanzas, Chile.

Sol Degrieck (Severne / Severne Sails) set a new bar for Junior Girls, revelling in the uncrowded conditions as she showcased powerful bottom turns, critical lip hits and an aerial, proving she’s not only a top junior contender, but also a growing threat in the Pro Women. Degrieck was a standout of the entire day’s competition and was rewarded with the highest heat total of the day (12.90 points) and the top individual wave score - which almost went into the excellent range at 7.07 points.

Degrieck said: “It was good to sail without a lot of people. I got one really nice wave and I was happy to pull off an aerial and quite a lot of turns on it. I loved sailing with the other young girls. I was having fun on the water and that’s the most important thing.”

Sol Degrieck makes a perfect start.

Noni Stuven, a young Chilean girl who is new to wave sailing, handled the conditions well to make her way into second place in the Junior Girls.

Ryu Noguchi (Starboard / Severne Sails) won the first round of Junior Boys with some rapid flow and aggressive turns. Noguchi had a solid start, scoring his best wave in the first few minutes as the young Japanese rider smacked lips, rode with rapid speed and connected multiple sections with an attacking style.

Ryu Noguchi continuing his rich vein of form.

Noguchi added: “It’s difficult for me, because where I am from is starboard tack, but my first wave was good, I got a set and had good flow on it.”

Noguchi is still on a high after recently making the semifinals at the Japan World Cup in his hometown of Omaezaki, earlier this year in February.

“I was so excited after Japan. I still don’t believe the place I got, but I’m aiming to be the world champion in the Under 18s and I want to be in top 16 Pro Men.”

Second and third place was an ever changing battle between the two local Chilean grommets. Loïc Antoine Harfagar showed good wave selection and a surf style of sailing and looked like he was going to take out second place. However, towards the end of the heat, Francisco Markiewicz pulled off a critical move in the lip and to clinch second place.

The juniors will have another two leaderboard rounds to reach their final result.

Leaderboard 1 Results Junior Girls - Chile World Cup

1st Sol Degrieck (BEL | Severne / Severne Sails)

2nd Noni Stuven (CL)

Leaderboard 1 Results Junior Boys - Chile World Cup

1st Ryu Noguchi (JPN | Starboard / Severne Sails)

2nd Francisco Markiewicz (CL)

3rd Loïc Antoine Harfager Vita (CL)

4th Joaquin Prat

5th Ismael Labbé

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Big Swell Greets Early Challenger Rounds

Mast high waves and strengthening wind welcomed the start of the Challengers round of the Chile World Cup. Twenty-four Chilean and overseas riders battled for just two positions in the main Pro Men’s fleet. Rounds 1, 2 and half of the Round 3 Quarterfinals were completed, with just 12 competitors now remaining.

Chile delivering from the word go

Wave selection proved critical, with the best waves being the larger, peeling left handers that provided multiple scoring opportunities. Top competitors displayed solid rail to rail surfing in the pocket with aerial moves.

The day started with strong Round 1 performances by Diego Ducci and Vicente Gonzalez, who both picked some of the biggest waves of the day and showcased some excellent rail to rail surfing to progress straight through to Round 3. Gonzalez made it through his Round 3 quarterfinal, but Ducci wasn’t able to repeat his performance in the dying wind of the evening and was knocked out of the competition.

Round 1, Heat 3, was an entertaining heat for the crowd, with Cristobel Zegers choosing some excellent waves and Matias Vargas doing some of the most radical turns in the pocket. Both improved their form in Round 3 and had convincing wins to progress through into the semifinals.

Finn Mellon (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) and Inaki Maturana pulled off some good aerials to get through their first round heats and make their way into the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Tomer Shamgar (Future Fly / RRD Sails) quietly went about his business with just enough effort to get through both his Round 1 and Round 3 heats.

Jose Priewer won a close heat to progress along with Tato Molina. But finishing the Round 1 heats with a convincing win was Kymani Laurent (Guadalope), who read waves well and showcased a powerful surf style that turned heads on the beach.

Kymani afterwards said: “It was quite fun with pretty good conditions today. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to sail in the Challengers and hopefully also the Pro Men. It’s a really good experience for me to be a part of that.”

Kymani Laurent off the top

Crowd favourite and wave legend, Francisco Goya (Goya Windsurfing) missed his Round 1 heat, but joined the repechage round to get a beautiful, multi-turn first wave. He then followed it up with some mesmerising riding deep in the pocket to get the highest wave score of the day - 7-points. Goya continued his good form in the Round 3 quarterfinals with a rhythmic display of aerials and quality wave riding, but his heat was cancelled after he was well on his way to one of the highest heat totals of the day. The rerun was held in lighter winds towards the end of the day and Goya was unable to get a wave in that heat.

Francisco Goya mid aerial

Other winners of the repechage round who still remain in the competition are Lucas Meldrum (Duotone / Duotone Sails) and Nelson Perez.

The Challenger rounds for men and women are expected to finish on Thursday, with Pro Men’s and Pro Women’s competition following.

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Intense Aerial Action For Early Pro Rounds

No holds bar seemed to be the theme of the day, with Challenger Finals and Round 1 of the Pro Men and Women. Today’s conditions had plenty of wind and sunshine with consistent head high waves that occasionally reached logo high on sets.

Challenger Finals

The Women’s Challenger round was won by Dominica Osman (Argentina), with Camila Curinao making her way into second, only just ahead of 12 year-old local, Noni Stuven. Dominca dominated the heat, with a good top to bottom surf style of riding on well selected waves to qualify for the Pro Women’s competition.

Dominica Osam advances

The Men’s Challenger final had whittled down 24 contenders into a four-man final. Vicente Gonzalez started strongly, with some good turns and an aerial on his first wave. He then backed that up with plenty of time to spare, to assert a dominant lead that he maintained for the entire final.

Vicenete Gonzalez books his place in the main draw

The battle for second position was more intense between Lucas Meldrum (Duotone / Duotone Sails), Finn Mellon (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) and Tomer Shamgar (Future Fly / RRD Sails). Shamgar was sitting in fourth place for most of the heat, but rode a peeling wave from very deep and finished with a perfect aerial to jump into second place in the last minute of the heat.

Tomer Shamgar left it late to sneak into the top two

Pro Women’s Round 1

Heat 1 of the Pro Women’s saw dominant performances from Justyna Sniady (North Sails) and Sarah Hauser (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing). Both showcased strong snaps in the pocket and attacked the end section.

Sarah Hauser on a Chilean beaut

Lina Erpenstein (Severne / Severne Sails) linked together her best wave in the final minute of heat 2 - performing multiple lip smacks to take the win ahead of Maria Morales Navarro (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing).

Lina Erpenstein with a cutty

Young gun Alexia Quintana (Duotone / Duotone Sails) produced a standout performance with fast snaps under the lip of some good-sized sets. Quintana was well rewarded and finished with the highest heat total in the women’s. Meanwhile, Lisa Wermeister (Duotone / Duotone Sails) just snuck into second after showing great wave selection and strong turns.

Alexia Kiefer Quintana in the pocket

The dropping evening wind in Heat 4 didn’t stop Jane Seman (Severne / Severne Sails), who found multiple good waves in her heat and proceeded to attack sections with speed. Pauline Katz (Severne / Severne Sails) let her Canary Islands experience shine to cement her position through to Round 3.

Jane Seman off the top

Pro Men’s Round 1

The Pro Men’s started with a cracking heat that included 2023 World Champion Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing, former Chile finalist Camille Juban (AV-Boards / S2Maui), Adam Warchol (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) and Shamgar. By the end, less than two points would separate first from fourth. Browne’s perfection was unmatched in the first exchange, with a 7.23 that included multiple top to bottom turns in the pocket and a solid aerial to finish. The 3-time wave world champion found reasonable back up waves, but nothing that matched his first. After a shaky start, Juban showcased his aerial excellence with two airs on one wave. In the last two minutes and still needing a decent back up, he pulled off a radical tweaked air off the main peak to take the lead.

Camille Juban mid 360

Alex Vargas (Naish) nailed his start to Heat 2 with a 6.50 on his first wave, schooling the spectators in how to ride Matanzas. The Chilean easily found several back-up scores to maintain the lead, whilst Takara Ishii (RRD / RRD Sails) just knocked out Dieter Van der Eyken (Severne / Severne Sails) and Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins) in an incredibly tight aerial battle for second place - just 0.44 of a point separated second to fourth.

Alex Vargas off to a solid start

Federico Morisio (Starboard / Severne Sails) exhibited the results of his lengthy stays in Chile, sailing fast and timing aerials perfectly. On a smaller set, he pulled off multiple aerials and a goiter to lock in his progression to the next round. Local Arnaud Frennet scored a good set from deep and performed several critical aerials to get the best wave of the heat, but couldn’t find a back up. Miguel Chapuis (Flikka / North Sails) was sitting in third for most of the heat, but pulled a goiter right in the last minute to sneak into second place.

Federico Morisio with a perfectly timed aerial

Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins) and Jules Denel (Tabou / GA Sails) crafted a complete French domination of Heat 4. Noireaux’s superior wave knowledge, aggressive turns and aerial prowess had him pegged as a safe round 1 bet for progression, while Jules Denel hammered home a 7.77, with multiple, beautifully timed aerials to take the win.

Jules Denel quickly adapting to life on his new gear

Antoine Martin (Starboard / North Sails) continued the French attack in Heat 5 with a solid mix of fin slides in the pocket, aerials and a one-handed lip hit for his best wave score of 7.77. Liam Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins) just snuck into second place with a decent aerial performance.

Antoine Martin attacking above the lip

Last year’s winner, Philip Köster (Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins) tested his bag of tricks with big tweaked aerials, power turns and some goiter and wave 360 attempts. However, it was Marino Gil Gheradi (JP / NeilPryde) who threw solid spray, landed good aerials and even pulled a taka to progress in first place.

Defending event champion, Philip Köster flying high above the lip

Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails) and Victor Fernandez (Duotone / Duotone Sails) pulled multiple aerials and hard hitting turns in the pocket to fight off local ripper Benjamin Fabres to successfully progress from Heat 7.

Victor Fernandez looking to backup his solid start to the season in Japan

But the show stopper was Julian Salmonn (Bruch Boards / GUNSAILS) who came out with all guns blazing in the final heat of the Pro Men’s. The German connected four strong aerials to earn an excellent 8.63 points, which would be the highest single wave score of the day. Current tour leader, Bernd Roediger (Flikka / Hot Sails Maui / Black Project Fins) had to settle for second, but still accumulated the third highest heat total of the day.

Julian Salmonn showing off his rail game

The Pro Men’s and Women’s are likely to continue tomorrow and the skippers' meeting will be held at 11am local time (GMT-3), while the finals could possibly be run over the weekend.

Follow the live competition scores on LiveHeats. The full Live Broadcast will be streamed on the IWT Wave Tour YouTubechannel, and the official IWT event page. Follow on social media channels @IWT_Wave_Tour and @PWAworldtour.

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Local Chileans and Top Seeds Shine as Matanzas Continues to Provide World Class Wind & Waves

Elimination rounds and part of Round 3 of Pro Men ran on Day 4 of the Chile World Cup in solid logo high swell with light winds. Heats were a generous 27 minutes, which allowed the world’s best wave sailors more margin for error, while allowing them to attempt higher tariff manoeuvres.

Philip Köster looking in ominous form

Women’s Redemption

Heat 1 saw young ripper, Sol Degrieck (Severne / Severne Sails) dominate, with a strong top to bottom surf style on well selected peeling waves, finishing her best with a decent aerial. Maria Behrens (Duotone / Duotone Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) also selected the better waves, where she threw spray with aggressive turns on the face and a lip hit.

Sol Degrieck

María Andrés (Duotone / Duotone Sails) used her knowledge from previous Chile trips to patiently select the best waves of the heat and ride them with solid rail work. Coco Foveau (Flikka / GUNSAILS) survived elimination after making her way into second place.

María Andrés

Men’s Redemption Round

Heat 1 of the Redemption Round featured several big names, but it was local Andrés Tobar who stole the show. Tobar was patient and only rode two waves in the 27 minute heat, but selected his sets well and impressed with local knowledge. His final wave would have been a close out for many, but he raced across sections, hitting the lip mid-way through and finished with a good aerial. Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde) focused on riding the bigger waves with good turns in the pocket and a nice finishing aerial to knockout Poland’s Adam Warchol by just 0.16 of a point.

Andrés Tobar

The swell backed off for Heat 2 as competitors adjusted to fight for mainly mid-range scores. Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins) managed to connect some under the lip turns and a small aerial to take the lead. Arnaud Frennet continued the local onslaught to secure second place.

Takuma Sugi

Alessio Stillrich (Simmer / Simmer Sails) found rhythm during Heat 3 and connected some smaller waves well, showcasing a good variety of tail slides, snaps and aerials. Meanwhile, Hayata Ishii (RRD / RRD Sails) made his way into second place based mainly off a single excellent peeling set wave, which allowed rapid fire aggressive turns in the pocket and a high-speed aerial.

Alessio Stillrich

The Chilean riders dominated Heat 4 with their local knowledge shining. Benjamin Fabres had sat in third place for much of the tight battle, but in the last four minutes, he found a great set wave where he showcased aggressive snaps and two, fast paced, critical aerials to take the lead. Vicente Gonzalez continued his great form from the Challenger Round, with beautiful wave selection that allowed for multiple snaps and aerials to just sneak ahead of aerial master, Felipe Wedeles.

Felipe Wedeles

Pro Men’s Round 3

The waves seemed to drop for much of Heat 1, but Camille Juban (AV Boards / S2Maui) still slashed and aired his way to a dominant victory. Andres Tobar continued his aerial streak from the redemption round to knock out Takara Ishii (RRD / RRD Sails) in the first major upset of the competition.

Camille Juban

Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing) didn’t leave anything to chance in Heat 2, securing his first keeper score early on with perfect aerials and snaps. After a few experimental goiters, he found one of the best waves of the day, which he rode as perfectly as a video game to score an excellent 8.40. Alex Vargas started the heat with nerves, but used takas, aerials and 240 degree snaps to take out second place and keep the Chilean roll going.

Reigning world champion - Marcilio Browne

Heat 3 was stacked with talent, due to an ill Robby Swift having to come through the redemption round. Federico Morisio (Starboard / Severne Sails) immediately scored the wave of the heat with consecutive, high aerial moves. However, Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins) took the lead shortly after, with his exceptional surf style and aerial prowess (not to mention a goiter that he didn’t even need to count). Swift and Morisio traded places multiple times throughout the heat, with Swift persevering despite a slight tear above the clew of his sail. However, it was the superior aerial attack of Morisio that gave him the coveted second place by just 0.3 of a point.

Morgan Noireaux

Heat 4 was another nail biter. Jules Denel (Tabou / GA Sails) connected multiple snaps and aerials on good sets to take the win. Miguel Chapuis (Flikka / North Sails) pulled off a goiter on his first wave and then managed to score some rapid fire critical moves on another wave to take second place over Takuma Sugi, who was just 0.67 points away from first place.

Jules Denel

Heat 5 saw Philip Köster (Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins) showcase his winning form from last year with the highest heat total of the competition so far - 16.37 points. He started with some of the biggest aerials of the day to score a 7.67 on his first wave. The 5-time world champion then upped his game with an 8.60 pointer, which included more aerials and a beautifully executed goiter. Despite a taped ankle, Antoine Martin (Starboard / North Sails) nailed some solid aerials and lip hits early on to cement second place.

Philip Köster

The competition will continue tomorrow with Pro Men’s and Pro Women’s running across the weekend where big crowds are expected on the beach here in Matanzas. We will almost certainly complete Pro Men's and Women’s finals on Sunday in GREAT forecast conditions.

Follow the live competition scores on LiveHeats. The full Live Broadcast will be streamed on the IWT Wave Tour YouTubechannel, and the official IWT event page. Follow on social media channels @IWT_Wave_Tour and @PWAworldtour.

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