Sylt PWA WC 2019

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Sylt erzielte zum vierten Mal in Folge Ergebnisse in allen Disziplinen (Wave, Freestyle & Foil), da der Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt 2019 eine Vielzahl von Bedingungen hervorbrachte - von Wind in Sturmstärke, peitschendem Regen und relativ milden Temperaturen über bitterkalten Sonnenschein und ablandigen Winden bis hin zu einem kompletten Test für die Elite der Windsurfingwelt. Sylt lieferte an insgesamt 8 von 10 Tagen, die die Besucher, die zu Tausenden ankamen, durchweg  unterhielten. Wave Women’s Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) claimed her first victory on the 2019 PWA Wave World Tour as the Aruban successfully defended her event title from 2018 - which is the first time she has won back-to-back events on the Wave World Tour. With how results went elsewhere that victory also sees Offringa move into lead on the Wave World Tour for the first time in her career and she now holds a 650 point advantage over Justyna Sniady (Simmer / Simmer Sails / AL360) and a 2,045 point advantage over reigning world champion - Iballa Moreno (Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) heading into the final event of the year in Maui at the end of the month. In the double elimination, conditions were extremely tricky with bolt onshore winds, a strong current and Sylt’s infamous shorebreak making even getting off the beach an art form, while equipment choice was key for battling the elements. Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) was one of the women to deal best with the tough conditions and that saw the 21-year-old complete an unlikely double over Iballa Moreno before going on to also negotiate her way past Lina Erpenstein (Severne / Severne Sails) and Justyna Sniady to claim her first podium on the world tour - 2nd - which sees her ranked 4th in the overalls.  Having never finished on the podium before 2019 - Sniady - has now secured 3 consecutive podiums after finishing 3rd here, which sees her ranked second in the overall rankings, whilst guaranteeing her a place on the overall podium. Iballa Moreno remains third in the overall rankings after a shock 5th place in Sylt, but fate remains in the 10-time world champions own hands with a victory at the Aloha Classic guaranteeing retention of her world title. Men’s There seems to be something about Sylt that brings the best out of - Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails) - after the Frenchman defended his event title - just like Offringa. TT made the tough conditions look comparatively easy and claimed a famous victory after winning both the Single Elimination and the Double Elimination on the same day. After winning the event Traversa then had to be flown by helicopter to hospital after suffering excruciating pain from a kidney stone - everyone from the PWA would like to wish Thomas well and hope he is 100% fit in time for Maui - where he will go into the event with faint title hopes. TT is currently ranked 6th after the opening 3 events.  After storming back through the double with a series of eye-catching displays it looked as though Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing) may go all the way and win his first event on the world tour since his world title winning year in 2013. However, he fell just one place short after winning six consecutive heats with Traversa coming out on top. The Brazilian will head to Maui with a great chance of earning a second world title with second place in Sylt seeing him climb into third place in the overall rankings. And given his Ho’okipa expertise, he may well head into the final event of the year as the narrow favorite. Philip Köster (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) completed the podium in Sylt, which is enough to see the 4-time world champion take the world tour lead for the first time this season. Köster is now the only sailor in the fleet with a 100% podium record, but will need to produce his best performance yet at an Aloha Classic to claim a 5th world title. Victor Fernandez (Fanatic / Duotone) sailed as brilliantly and consistently as ever and only Marcilio Browne’s fantastic come back denied Fernandez his second podium of the season. 4th place in Sylt keeps Fernandez firmly in the title race heading into Maui with the Spaniard ranking 3rd after the opening 3 events.  Ricardo Campello (Brunotti Boards) and Jaeger Stone (Starboard / Severne / SWOX) have both lost ground in the title race, but are certainly no means out of the equation. The Venezuelan/Brazilian and Australian came into Sylt ranked No.1 and No.2 in the world but have clipped to 5th and 4th respectively after finishing 9th and 7th here. However, things remain tight at the top just 2,439 points separating the top 5 sailors, while Traversa is then only a further 1,117 points off the lead, so there is all still to play for at the prestigious Aloha Classic. Elsewhere, Antoine Martin (JP / NeilPryde) continues to enjoy his best season to date on the world tour. The 25-year-old qualified for the semifinals of a Single Elimination for the first time in Sylt before eventually finishing 5th, which sees him ranked 7th in the overall rankings ahead of Alex Mussolini (RRD / RRD Sails), Marc Paré (Simmer / Simmer Sails) and Adam Lewis (Fanatic / Duotone / SWOX), who moves into the overall top 10 for the first time this season after his best result of 2019 - 6th. Jules Denel (JP / NeilPryde) earned his second top 10 finish of the season after fighting back from the first round of the double elimination, while German veteran - Klaas Voget (Fanatic / Duotone) - also managed the same feat to share 9th place with Campello and Mussolini. Freestyle Yentel Caers (I-99 / Point-7) had to do things the hard way after both he and fellow world title hopeful - Youp Schmit (I-99 / Avanti) - were eliminated in the second round of the single elimination. However, the Belgian regained his composure in the double and completed a famous come back to claim his first world title to cap a fantastic year for the 24-year-old, who earlier this year was also crowned the European Freestyle Champion. Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) bounced back from a disappointing 9th place in Fuerteventura to win the 2019 Mercedes Benz Windsurf World Cup undefeated as he rediscovered his competition form. Vrieswijk won two out of the three Freestyle events and missed out on a maiden world title by just 50 points. The 23-year-old finishes as the vice-world champion for the third time in the last four seasons. Steven Van Broeckhoven (Starboard / GUNSAILS) completes the overall podium after securing his second top 3 finish of the year in Sylt - after winning in Fuerteventura. An injury free Van Broeckhoven looked back to his best this year and deservedly claims a place in the overall top 3 for the first time since 2014. Things weren’t quite meant to be for Youp Schmit this time around with the Bonairean finishing 13th in Sylt, but he deserves great credit for even making it on to the water in Germany having only undergone knee surgery roughly just over a month ago. The 24-year-old still ends the year with his best overall result to date of the world tour - 4th - and everyone from the PWA wishes Youp all the best with the rest of his recovery and hope to see him back fit and strong in 2020. Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) was unlucky not to go deeper in the opening couple of events of 2019, but the 2018 vice-world champion has looked extremely dangerous throughout and in the final event of the season the Frenchman gained the result he deserved - finishing 3rd in the single and 4th in the double, which sees him ranked 5th overall for the season! Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / Duotone) was the sailor to knock Bosson out of the event top 3 as the Venezuelan produced a superb come back to earn just his first podium of the year, which is almost unheard of for the 9-time world champion. Gollito sailed with his inimitable style throughout and eventually finishes the season in 6th place.   The overall top 10 is completed by Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails), Dieter van der Eyken (Severne / Severne Sails), Sam Esteve (JP / NeilPryde) and Giovanni Passani (Tabou / GA Sails / AL360). Men’s Foil The battle to become the 2019 Men’s Foil PWA World Champion was incredibly tight coming into Sylt with just 300 points separating the top 9 sailors. In the end, Nicolas Goyard (Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils) produced an inspired performance, which saw the Frenchman finish outside the top 4 just once in the 10 eliminations completed to deservedly earn his first world title. Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) pushed Goyard N. all the way as he won his first elimination of the week in Elimination 10, but unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough with Cousin finishing just 0.7 of a point behind Goyard. That left the two sailors tied on 29,700 points at the end of the season, but Cousin misses out on countback. Being crowned the vice-world champion is still the Frenchman’s best result and the foiling future looks bright for him. Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) completes the overall podium after finishing 4th in Germany, after Luuc Vanopzeeland (JP / NeilPryde) won the battle for the final place on the event podium - which is the Dutchman’s best result to date on the world tour. Thomas Goyard’s (FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) event and world title dreams slipped through his fingers on the final day as a costly wipeout on the final reach saw him drop from 4th to 29th in Elimination 9, which ultimately brought his hopes to an end. The 27-year-old has been truly dominant in the upwind/downwind racing, but eventually finished 4th overall with the Foil Slalom discipline letting him down.  Completing the overall top 10 are Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / GA Sails / Starboard Foil) - 5th - Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) -6th - Julien Bontemps (JP / NeilPryde) - 7th - Sebastian Kornum (JP / NeilPryde) - 8th - Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne / Starboard Foil) - 9th - and Mateus Isaac (JP / NeilPryde). Where’s Next on the PWA World Tour? In just a few weeks' time, the Men’s and Women’s Wave world titles will be decided at Maui’s Iconic Ho’okipa Beach Park with the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic taking place between 27th October until 9th November. To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Germany — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page. Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women's Wave
 
1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Maaike Huvermann (NED | Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) 
3rd Justyna Sniady (POL | Simmer / Simmer Sails / AL360)
4th Lina Erpenstein (GER | Severne / Severne Sails)
5th Iballa Moreno (ESP | Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)
 
Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men's Wave  1st Thomas Traversa (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails)
2nd Marcilio Browne (BRA | Goya Windsurfing)
3rd Philip Köster (GER | Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)
4th Victor Fernandez (ESP | Fanatic / Duotone)
5th Antoine Martin (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
6th Adam Lewis (GBR | Fanatic / Duotone / SWOX)
7th Jaeger Stone (AUS | Starboard / Severne / SWOX)
7th Marc Paré (ESP | Simmer / Simmer Sails)
9th Alex Mussolini (ESP | RRD / RRD Sails)
9th Ricardo Campello (BRA/VEN | Brunotti Boards)
9th Jules Denel (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
9th Klaas Voget (GER | Fanatic / Duotone) Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men's Freestyle 1st Amado Vrieswijk (NB | JP / Severne)
2nd Gollito Estredo (VEN | Fanatic / Duotone) 
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (BEL | Starboard / GUNSAILS / Shamal)
4th Adrien Bosson (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
5th Dieter van der Eyken (BEL | Severne / Severne Sails)
6th Yentel Caers (BEL | I-99 / Point-7)
7th Antoine Albert (NC | Goya Windsurfing)
7th Francesco Cappuzzo (ITA | RRD / RRD Sails / AL360)
9th Sam Esteve (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
9th Balz Müller (SUI | MB-Boards / Severne)
9th Jacopo Testa (ITA | RRD / RRD Sails / AL360)
9th Antony Ruenes (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails) Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Men's Freestyle 1st Yentel Caers (BEL | I-99 / Point-7)
2nd Amado Vrieswijk (NB | JP / Severne)
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (BEL | Starboard / GUNSAILS / Shamal)
4th Youp Schmit (NB | I-99 / Avanti)
5th Adrien Bosson (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
6th Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (VEN | Fanatic / Duotone)
7th Antony Ruenes (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails)
8th Dieter van der Eyken (BEL | Severne / Severne Sails)
9th Sam Esteve (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
10th Giovanni Passani (ITA | Tabou / GA Sails / AL360) Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Foil 1st Nicolas Goyard (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils)
2nd Alexandre Cousin (FRA | Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
3rd Luuc Vanopzeeland (NED | JP / NeilPryde)
4th Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)
5th Thomas Goyard (FRA | FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) 
6th Sebastian Kördel (GER | Starboard / GA Sails / Starboard Foil)
7th Julien Bontemps (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
8th Sebastian Kornum (DEN | JP / NeilPryde)
9th Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOFEFOIL)
10th William Huppert (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOFEFOIL) Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Men's Foil 1st Nicolas Goyard (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils)
2nd Alexandre Cousin (FRA | Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
3rd Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)
4th Thomas Goyard (FRA | FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) 
5th Sebastian Kördel (GER | Starboard / GA Sails / Starboard Foil)
6th Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
7th Julien Bontemps (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
8th Sebastian Kornum (DEN | JP / NeilPryde)
9th Amado Vrieswijk (NB | JP / Severne / Starboard Foil)
10th Mateus Isaac (BRA | JP / NeilPryde)