Das war der gestrige erste Tag:
A classic Sylt day with all seasons on display sees Marc Paré and Sarah-Quita Offringa strike gold at the end of the rainbow |
Sylt is famous for the wide range of conditions it produces and today was no different as all the seasons graced us with their presence at some point throughout the day. From massive squalls, to sunshine and rain, Sylt really displayed a bit of everything today, which provided the sternest of tests for the world’s best wave sailors. Faced with almost bolt onshore 20-30 knot winds, a crazy amount of current on the inside and a seriously heavy shorebreak, today truly was not a day for the faint-hearted. Come the end of the day, it is Marc Paré (Simmer / Simmer Sails and Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins), who managed to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow as they head up the current event rankings after the single eliminations.
Marc Paré & Sarah-Quita Offringa claim the top spots in the single elimination Wave Women’s Sarah-Quita Offringa has an excellent track record when it comes to Sylt having won the event in 2018, ’19 and ’22 and she’s now in pole position to add to her event title haul here after securing the top place on the podium in the single elimination - meaning the Aruban now leads the event after a tough day of competition. Offringa needed a wave in the dying seconds against Sol Degrieck (Severne / Severne Sails) to advance into the final, but found the score she required to do just that and then went on to secure the victory.
Sarah-Quita Offringa Alexia Kiefer Quintana (Duotone Windsurfing) boasts a remarkable record so far this season, which has seen her claim two second places and a third before Sylt. The 19-year-old is enjoying a breakout season and is guaranteed another podium after managing to negotiate her way into another winners’ final today. Unfortunately the final didn’t quite play out how she would’ve wanted with the Spaniard getting trapped on the inside due to Sylt’s infamous shorebreak, bolt onshore winds and strong current, but once she reflects on the day overall, she’ll be able to be extremely proud of what she has achieved.
Alexia Kiefer Quintana Meanwhile, 14-year-old Sol Degrieck continues to lay down the gauntlet to her peers. The highly talented young Belgian secured the final place on the podium in the single elimination after managing to defeat current World Tour leader - Lina Erpenstein (Severne / Severne Sails) - in the battle for third and fourth.
Sol Degrieck Men’s Reigning world champion, Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing) and Marc Paré (Simmer / Simmer Sails) had been the two standout sailors throughout the single elimination, so it was only fitting that the two of them met in the winners’ final. Paré came into Sylt on the back of winning last time out in Tenerife and he took a giant step towards securing back-to-back event wins after seeing off his Brazilian rival in the final. Despite the extremely testing conditions, Paré still managed to land a 7.12 point double forward, while also linking together a solid opening wave which earned him 5.38 points. Browne tried to reply with a double forward of his own on a couple of occasions, but couldn’t quite find his usual textbook execution, which is perhaps testament to just how difficult the conditions were, more than anything else.
Marc Paré celebrates with his caddy, Josep Pons Paré endured a tough start to the season after suffering a Lisfranc fracture in March, but after choosing to skip Pozo as it came a touch too soon, the Spaniard has hit the ground running and will now look to defend his single elimination crown over the remainder of the event.
Marc Paré Browne posted the highest scoring heat of the day in his opening heat - 22.45 points - and will probably be quite happy with his second place in the single elimination given how unpredictable Sylt can be, while with another eight days to go, he may well get another opportunity to fight for the victory as he bids to defend his wave world title and complete a hat-trick.
Marcilio Browne Victor Fernandez (Duotone Windsurfing) continued his fine form as he navigated his way into the top three of the single elimination after defeating Antoine Martin (Starboard / North Windsurfing) in Heat 16. The Spaniard has finished on the podium in three out of four events so far this season and took a big step towards making that four from five after another polished display here, which included landing one of the only frontside 360s of the day.
Victor Fernandez After claiming the scalp of Philip Köster (Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins) in the quarterfinals, Martin has already guaranteed himself his best result of the season at a 5-star event as the worse he can now finish is fifth.
Antoine Martin Miguel Chapuis (Flikka / North Windsurfing) recorded his best result to date in a single elimination after claiming joint fifth place alongside Marino Gil (JP / NeilPryde), Köster and Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde), who is seeking another top five finish after also finishing fifth in Pozo.
Miguel Chapuis The top ten is currently completed by Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails), Dieter Van der Eyken (Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins), Henri Kolberg (Naish / Naish Sails), Liam Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins), Titouan Flechet (Tabou / Hot Sails Maui), Jules Denel (Tabou / GA Sails), Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins) and Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins), all of whom currently share ninth place. Wave of the Day Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails), who finished the single elimination ranked in joint ninth, earned the only excellent wave score of the day - 8 points - after he exploded through a sick frontside 360 despite the almost bolt onshore conditions at the time. As mentioned earlier, Fernandez was the only other sailor to land a frontside 360 and the Spaniard was awarded 7.78 points.
Thomas Traversa mid 360 The forecast looks significantly lighter for Sunday, but depending how wavy it is, there could be the option of running Foil Slalom at some point. The skippers’ meeting for all three fleets has been schedule for 10am (GMT+2) with a first possible start at 10:30amfor the Wave and Freestyle sailors, while the first possible start for the Foil Slalom is 11:30am.
Forecast for the next few days You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from Sylt — including live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply by clicking HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the page. Also if you don’t already, follow us on our Social Media Channels: - Facebook: @PWAWorldTourWindsurfing - Instagram: @pwaworldtour - X: @pwaworldtour - YouTube: @pwaworldtour Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Wave 1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) 2nd Alexia Kiefer Quintana (ESP | Duotone Windsurfing) 3rd Sol Degrieck (BEL | Severne / Severne Sails) 4th Lina Erpenstein (GER | Severne / Severne Sails) 5th Maria Behrens (GER | Duotone Windsurfing / Maui Ultra Fins) 5th Justyna Sniady (POL | North Windsurfing / Maui Ultra Fins) 5th Maria Morales (ESP | Goya Windsurfing) 5th Coraline Foveau (FRA | Flikka / GUNSAILS) Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Wave 1st Marc Paré (ESP | Simmer / Simmer Sails) 2nd Marcilio Browne (BRA | Goya Windsurfing) 3rd Victor Fernandez (ESP | Duotone Windsurfing) 4th Antoine Martin (FRA | Starboard / North Windsurfing) 5th Robby Swift (UK | JP / NeilPryde) 5th Philip Köster (GER | Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins) 5th Marino Gil {ESP (JP / NeilPryde) 5th Miguel Chapuis (ESP | Flikka / North Windsurfing) 9th Thomas Traversa (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails) 9th Dieter Van der Eyken (BEL | Severne Windsurfing / Black Project Fins) 9th Henri Kolberg (GER | Naish / Naish Sails) 9th Liam Dunkerbeck (ESP | Starboard / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins) 9th Titouan Flechet (FRA | Tabou / Hot Sails Maui) 9th Jules Denel (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails) 9th Takuma Sugi (JPN | Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins) 9th Morgan Noireaux (HI | JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins) |
