Der Wind hat die Starter heute mehrmals geärgert, als die Tramontana mehrere Stunden lang mit dem lokalen thermischen Effekt kämpfte. Schließlich, als die Temperatur fiel, drehte der Wind schließlich nach Südosten und stabilisierte sich am frühen Abend so weit, dass die dritte Elimination der Woche in 5-13 Knoten abgeschlossen werden konnte. Having been disqualified for a starboard tack infringement during yesterday’s final, Thomas Goyard (FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) responded in the perfect fashion by securing his first bullet of the week as he beat Kiran Badloe (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) and Nicolas Goyard (Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils) to top spot in Elimination 3. Goyard’s victory puts him right back in contention, as when the 4th elimination is complete, the Frenchman will be able to discard a 24th place, while his other counting result at the moment is second place, which potentially puts him in pole position for the event on current form. Goyard rises from 9th to 6th after today's performance. Meanwhile, Julien Bontemps (JP / NeilPryde), who has led the event since the opening day continues to set the pace at the top of rankings, but sees his lead at the top reduced from 5.3 points overnight to 3.3 points with Mateus Isaac (JP / NeilPryde) moving into second place after an excellent 4th place today and cutting the Frenchman's advantage. Nicolas Goyard, who finished 3rd in Elimination 3, is only two points further back and also stands to gain a great deal from the discard as he currently counts a 13th from yesterday after dropping his gybe when in the lead. The Goyard brothers are a serious threat and both are now prominently placed to attack the top moving into the second half of the event.  Elsewhere, Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) is just one point outside of the top 3 after another solid showing - 6th - and the Argentine remains in 4th.  Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) started the day in second place, but drops 3 places to 5th after a 12th place today, while fellow countryman - William Huppert (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) - falls two places to 7th after his worst result of the week so far 18th, but can obviously look to discard that moving forwards. Another Frenchman, Antoine Questel (I-99 / S2Maui / Starboard Foil) breaks into the top 10 - 8th - after his best result this week - 9th, while defending champion - Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne / Starboard Foil) completes the top 10 after an 8th place today. Sebastian Kornum (JP / NeilPryde) falls to 9th. Yesterday, Tristan Algret (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) won his first bullet on the world tour and he built upon that performance today to secure 5th place, which sees the 25-year-old rise to 12th in the overall rankings, while he is one of the sailors who could benefit the most with the discard as he is currently counting 36.5 points from the first race.  Both Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) and Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) drop out of the current top 10 after they both missed out on the winners’ final in Elimination 3. Albeau, in particular, will be kicking himself as he was leading his semifinal but was forced to tack back after failing to correctly round a buoy, which cost Albeau dearly as his missed out in 13th place with the top 12 qualifying. That result leaves Albeau needing at least two discards to have any hopes of mounting a comeback as he is also counting a 24th from the opening elimination. The forecast for tomorrow doesn’t look particularly promising on paper, but as always anything can happen. The sailors will meet again at 9am tomorrow morning with a first possible start at 10am (GMT+2). You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from Costa Brava — including elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page. Current Ranking 2019 Catalunya PWA World Cup - Men’s Foil
*After 3 Eliminations 1st Julien Bontemps (FRA - JP / NeilPryde)
2nd Mateus Isaac (BRA - JP / NeilPryde)
3rd Nicolas Goyard (FRA - Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils)
4th Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (ARG - Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)
5th Alexandre Cousin (FRA - Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
6th Thomas Goyard (FRA - FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
7th William Huppert  (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
8th Antoine Questel (FRA - I-99 / S2Maui / Starboard Foil)
9th Sebastian Kornum (DEN - JP / NeilPryde)
10th Amado Vrieswijk (NB - JP / Severne / Starboard Foil)  

Am Donnerstag, den 30. Mai, wird das Défi Wind 2019 in Gruissan (Frankreich) offiziell eröffnet.  1200 Profi- und Amateurwindsurfer trafen im Süden Frankreichs ein, um sich beim legendären Marathonrennen zu messen. Dank gutem Tramontane konnten bereits am Eröffnungstag der 19. Ausgabe des Défi Windes zwei 40 km lange Läufe stattfinden, die von Nicolas Warembourg und Delphine Cousin dominiert wurden. Hier geht es zur offiziellen Seite des Defi Wind 2019 Ranking Defi Wind 2019

Während der ganzen Nacht und auch am zweiten Tag der Catalunya PWA-World Cups 2019 blies der Tramontana mit voller Kraft weiter, so dass es nur zwei sehr kurze Zeiträume gab, in denen es möglich war, sicher auf den Foils zu fahren. Um zu versuchen die tatsächlichen Bedingungen etwas einzuordnen - die maximale gemessene Böe lag heute bei 59,9 Knoten, als der Tramontana zum ersten Mal seit des legendären Events 2011 wieder sein Gesicht zeigte. Am Ende war es nur möglich, eine Elimination durchzuführen und für die überwiegende Zeit war es wirklich eine Überlebensmission, bei der sich viele der späteren Finalisten nach teilweise heftigen Stürzen noch qualifizierten. The final itself proved to be an exciting affair with the lead changing hands several on several occasions. Current world tour leader - Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) - led the race to the upwind mark, but Nicolas Goyard (Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils) soon picked up pole position, only to be hunted down by Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde), who showed incredible speed on the downwind leg. However, Albeau then ran super wide when gybing, which he blamed on the media boat interfering, which allowed Goyard to retake the lead and open up a decent advantage. However, the Frenchman then fell on the gybe meaning Tristan Algret (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) would come through and collect the lead, but the man from Guadeloupe was hard pressed by Albeau, who flew down the donwwind leg again, which led to a photo-finish.  The decision went in the favour of Algret, who managed to just hold on was absolutely delighted upon returning to the beach after winning his first ever elimination on the world tour, building upon claiming his first ever podium last week in South Korea. Albeau came to complain about the press boat incident, but his pleas fell on deaf ears this time around. Upon completion of the second race, Julien Bontemps (JP / NeilPryde) has extended his lead at the top of event rankings to 5.3 points after a solid 6th place - adding to the bullet he claimed yesterday. Bontemps closest rival at this stage is fellow countryman - Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) - who continues his fine start to the season. Cousin is the day’s biggest mover within the top 10 - improving from 8th in the overnight standings to second place after finishing 4th in today’s race. Mateus Isaac (JP / NeilPryde) climbs into the top 3  having finished 9th in Elimination 2, while Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) rises to 4th in the overnight rankings ahead of William Huppert (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL), who moves into 5th place after another 7th place today and Nicolas Goyard, who falls to 6th from 3rd after crashing that gybe - meaning he eventually finished 13th today. Pierre Mortefon breaks into the overall top 10 - 7th - after a 5th place - while Sebastian Kornum (JP / NeilPryde) sits in 8th. The Dane could only manage a 20th place finish today having been stung by a weaver fish earlier in the day. Thomas Goyard (FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) looked set to remain in second place in the current event rankings after finishing 10th in the second elimination, but was later disqualified for a right of way infringement with Maciek Rutkowski (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails), which means the Frenchman drops to equal 9th with Antoine Albeau, who along with Mortefon was the only other sailor to break into the top 10.  Losing their place in the top 10 are Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / GA Sails / Starboard Foil), who was forced to retire after the opening lap of the final due to the German thinking he had suffered a suspected slipped disc, and defending event champion - Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne / Starboard Foil)  - who drops to 15th. Elsewhere, Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil), who was one of the sailors pushing to race, finished 3rd in Elimination 2 to climb into 12th place and is now just 2.5 points outside the top 10. At the time of writing the Tramontana is still howling and the forecast predicts for It to continue tomorrow morning, so we will just have to wait and see what conditions await. The sailors will meet again at 9am on Thursday for the skippers’ meeting with a first possible start at 10am (GMT+2). You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from Costa Brava — including elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page. Current Ranking 2019 Catalunya PWA World Cup - Men’s Foil
*After 2 Elimination 1st Julien Bontemps (FRA - JP / NeilPryde)
2nd Alexandre Cousin (FRA - Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
3rd Mateus Isaac (BRA - JP / NeilPryde)
4th Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (ARG - Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)
5th William Huppert  (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
6th Nicolas Goyard (FRA - Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils)
7th Pierre Mortefon (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
8th Sebastian Kornum (DEN - JP / NeilPryde)
9th Thomas Goyard (FRA - FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
9th Antoine Albeau (FRA  - JP / NeilPryde)

Seit fast 6 Jahren betreibt die APM Marketing GmbH, der Deutschland Importeur der Marken Starboard und Severne Sails mit dem www.starboard-proshop.eu einen  Onlineshop für die Bereiche Waterwear, Mode, Accessoires und Promo Artikeln. Der Shop wurde in dieser Zeit stetig erweitert und im Zuge von Starboards Engagement in Sachen Umweltschutz auch die Produktpalette umgestellt. Viele Produkte weisen beispielsweise einen hohen Anteil an recyceltem Polyester auf. Doch nicht nur Fans von Mode und Funktionsbekleidung kommen auf ihre Kosten, auch Promo Artikel wie Aufkleber, Fahnen und vieles mehr gibt es im Starboard Proshop zu erwerben. Nachdem das Wetter in diesem Jahr bisher eine echte Achterbahnfahrt für die Windsurfer bereithielt, ruft der Starboard Proshop nun einen radikalen Spring Sale mit 50% Rabatt auf die gesamte Kollektion aus. Das Special gilt bis zum 08.06.2019. Danach wartet die neue Kollektion auf die Fans von Starboard und Severne Link zum Shop: www.starboard-proshop.eu

Die Prognose für den Finaltag des Ulsan PWA World Cup 2019 sah auf dem Papier wie der leichtwindigste Tag der Woche aus, produzierte aber tatsächlich die besten Rennbedingungen des Events, wobei der thermische Wind früh einsetzte und stabiler war als am Dienstag und Mittwoch und viele der Mädchen nach ihren 6.3er und die Männer nach 7.7er Jahren griffen. Insgesamt wurden weitere 3 Slaloms für Frauen und 2 für Männer absolviert, während eine Foilelimination auch an einem actionreichen Finaltag durchgeführt wurde, der Tag an dem Jinha sein wahres Potenzial unter Beweis stellte. Foil Women’s Delphine Cousin Questel (Starboard / S2Maui / Starboard Foil) led from start to the finish in the final Foil elimination of the week to claim a clear cut victory in the second women’s foil event. At the start of the day she had just a one point advantage over Marion Mortefon ( Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) and two point lead of Marina Alabau (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil), but by winning the 4th elimination that allowed Cousin Questel to discard a 3rd place. Eventually, Cousin Questel won by 4.6 points with 3 victories from 5 races.  Meanwhile, after a disastrous start, Marina Alabau did well to recover into second place and with a little bit more luck the 2012 Olympic Champion could’ve easily been the one to end the week on top of the podium and there is an exciting rivalry developing between herself, Cousin Questel, Mortefon and Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) with the 4 continually battling it out between each other. Mortefon just misses out on second place on count-back having finished tied on 8.7 points, but still completes the podium ahead of Blanca Alabau in 4th. Meanwhile, Helle Oppedal (Fanatic / Duotone) completes the top 5. Slalom Women’s The final day of the women’s slalom saw 3 eliminations completed and the event lead changed hands on several occasions. Lena Erdil (Starboard / Point-7 / AL360 / Chopper Fins) began the day with as the event leader, but the last day won’t have gone as the 30-year-old planned as she not only lost the event lead, but also her place on the podium. After a 4th place in the second elimination, Erdil then finished 8th and 10th in the next two races as she dropped a couple of late gybes to crash out of contention and eventually finished 5th. Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone) briefly held the event lead after winning her first elimination of the season in the second race after producing a brilliant gybe to overtake Delphine Cousin Questel (Starboard / S2Maui), but her event lead was short-lived as the reigning world champion produced her best performances of the week when it mattered most as the 27-year-old claimed back-to-back bullets to extend her winning streak on the world tour. Maëlle Guilbaud (Patrik / Loftsails) went slightly under the radar after finishing 9th in the second elimination, but the 22-year-old fought back brilliantly to claim the final place on the podium after recording a 4th and 3rd in the last two races, while denying Lilou Granier (Starboard / Phantom Sails) a place in the top 3. Men’s Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / Duotone) started the day at the top of the event rankings after winning his first ever elimination yesterday. However, Vonk saw his bid for a first event victory dwindle away after being eliminated from the second round in the semifinals. However, a 6th in the third and final race steadied the ship and he still walks away from South Korea with his second ever podium - 2nd. With Vonk missing out in the winners’ final of Elimination 3 that opened the door for vice-world champion - Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne / Shamal Sunglasses) - and the Italian duly obliged as he finished 5th and 4th in the two eliminations completed today to claim his first event victory of the year. The Italian was the only sailors to qualify for every winners’ final and that consistency paid dividends.  Tristan Algret has been close to securing a place on the podium before, but has never quite made it a reality, but today that all changed as he pipped Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) - who won the third elimination -  to the final place on the podium by just 0.2 of a point after Algret finished 7th in Elimination 3.  With the results varying so greatly here in South Korea there were plenty of changes in the overall standings on the final day. 7 of the sailors ranked in the event top 10 at the start of the day remained in the top 10, but with the second elimination being completed several sailors saw their ranking slip away. Taty Frans (Future Fly / Point-7) is the sailor that lost the most as he dropped from second in the overnight rankings to 29th after his disqualification from the second round. Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Phantom Sails) and Ben van der Steen (Goya Windsurfing / Gun Sails) were the other sailors to lose their place in the top 10. One man’s misfortune Is another man’s gain and in this case, those men are Mateus Isaac (JP / NeilPryde), who climbs into 5th place, Antoine Albeau, who as previously mentioned finished 4th and Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde), who claims the final place in the top 10.  Elsewhere, Antoine Questel (Starboard / S2Maui) climbs 4 places into 6th after the Frenchman claimed a brilliant second place in the third elimination, while Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Shamal Sunglasses) dropped out of podium contention after a quarterfinal exit in the third race, which saw the Brit drop from 4th to 7th for the event. Meanwhile, Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) falls two places to 8th, while Ethan Westera (Tabou / GA Sails) records his first top 10 finish on the world tour in 9th.  Bruno Martini (I-99 / Challenger Sails) followed in the footsteps of Jordy Vonk as the Italian earned his first ever bullet on the world tour in Elimination 2 with a highly impressive performance, but was then quickly brought back down to earth after being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the next race.  Things may not have gone the way either Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins) or Maciek Rutkowski (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails) would have wanted in South Korea, but both will be pleased to have signed off in a positive manner in the final elimination. Mortefon suffered two quarterfinals exits but then finished 3rd in Elimination 3, while Rutkowski went on to win the b-final - 9th. We'll be back on Friday with a full look at what the results mean for the overall PWA World Tour rankings. You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from South Korea — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.
Overall Result 2019 Ulsan PWA World Cup - Women's Foil 1st Delphine Cousin Questel ( FRA - Starboard / S2Maui / Starboard Foil)
2nd Marina Alabau (ESP - Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)
3rd Marion Mortefon (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
4th Blanca Alabau (ESP - Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)
5th Helle Oppedal (NOR - Fanatic / Duotone) Overall Result 2019 Ulsan PWA World Cup - Women's Slalom 1st Delphine Cousin Questel ( FRA - Starboard / S2Maui)
2nd Marion Mortefon (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone)
3rd Maëlle Guilbaud (FRA - Patrik / Loftsails)
4th Lilou Granier (NC - Starboard / Phantom Sails)
5th Lena Erdil (TUR - Starboard / Point-7 / AL360 / Chopper Fins) Overall Result 2019 Ulsan PWA World Cup - Men's Slalom 1st Matteo Iachino (ITA - Starboard / Severne / Shamal Sunglasses)
2nd Jordy Vonk (NED - Fanatic / Duotone)
3rd Tristan Algret (GPE - Starboard / Severne / Chopper Fins)
4th Antoine Albeau (FRA - JP / NeilPryde)
5th Mateus Isaac (BRA - JP / NeilPryde)
6th Antoine Questel (FRA - I-99 / S2Maui)
7th Ross Williams (GBR - Tabou / GA Sails / Shamal Sunglasses)
8th Cedric Bordes (FRA - Tabou / GA Sails)
9th Ethan Westera (ARU - Tabou / GA Sails)
10th Enrico Marotti (CRO - JP / NeilPryde)

Die ersten Slalom-Eliminations des Ulsan PWA World Cups 2019 wurden am vorletzten Tag in Südkorea abgeschlossen. Ein Tag der möglicherweise enorme Auswirkungen auf das Titelrennen für die Herren hat, sollte alles so bleiben, wie es derzeit ist. Lena Erdil (Starboard / Point-7 / AL360 / Chopper Fins) zeigte bei den Damen, dass sie - nach dem Gewinn der Eröffnungs-Slalom-Elimination - wieder auf dem Podium ganz oben stehen kann. Slalom Women’s Lena Erdil showed everyone she’s ready to challenge to top honours again after returning from a lisfranc fracture. The Turk led from start to the finish in the opening women’s elimination to claim her opening bullet of the season and her first since that injury. Erdil looked blisteringly quick throughout and was required to call upon that speed in the second elimination after being taken out by Maëlle Guilbaud (Patrik / Loftsails) in the semifinals, which left Erdil outside of the qualification places. However, the 30-year-old overtook several rivals to move back into 4th place by the final buoy and is safely into the winners’ final. Erdil has an excellent record here over the last few year’s - winning the event in 2016, while finishing second in the last two years and it looks as though she could add to that victory heading into the final day as the event leader. However, reigning world champion and current world tour leader, Delphine Cousin Questel (Starboard / S2Maui), will have other ideas as she looks to extend her winning run which dates back to November 2017. The 3-time world champion finished second in the opening elimination and it wouldn’t take much to see the tides reversed tomorrow.  Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone) maintained her strong start to the racing year by securing third place in the opening slalom race ahead of Guilbaud and Lilou Granier (Starboard / Phantom Sails), who finished 4th and 5th respectively. However, Guilbaud will drop down the rankings slightly after missing out on the winners’ final of elimination 2.  Having missed out on the opening winners’ final Nimet Tulumen (Tabou / GA Sails) successfully navigated her way into Heat 4 of the second elimination, while Mio Anayama (Starboard / S2Maui) and Noriko Nishikata (Starboard) also booked their place in the top 8. Men’s Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / Duotone) will be sitting on cloud nine after today’s racing after the flying Dutchman claimed his first ever bullet on the PWA World Tour and he was understandably delighted, punching the air in celebration as he crossed the finish line. Vonk has been in many winners’ finals over the last couple of years and today everything clicked Into place as he led from start to finish. Vonk leads the event heading into final day and is safely into the semifinals of Elimination 2. If things were to remain as they are then Vonk would also take control of the title race with many of the other top seeds struggling here. Taty Frans (Future Fly / Point-7) qualified for just his second winners’ final since that infamous crash in Fuerteventura in 2017 by winning his semifinal heat. The Bonairean endured a tough 2018 with no top 16 results and looked firmly on course to eradicate that record after finishing second in the opening race, while also gaining a confidence boost. However, Frans was then involved in a crash with Malte Reuscher (Tabou / GA Sails) in the quarterfinals of the second elimination, which resulted in the 35-year-old being disqualified from the round for dangerous sailing. Frans accepted the outcome, but did add that he was blinded by the glaring sunlight as he approaches the mark and simply couldn’t see Reuscher. Frans’ result now rests on what the wind does tomorrow as the second round does not count yet. A further two heats need to be completed in order to validate the result, so Frans could yet hang on to a podium finish or plummet down the rankings. Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne / Shamal Sunglasses) suffered an early exit in Marignane in the opening event of the year, but the Italian bounced back today with a solid third place. Like Iachino, Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Shamal Sunglasses), Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Phantom Sails / Chopper Fins), Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails), Tristan Algret (Starboard / Severne / Chopper Fins), Ben van der Steen (Goya Windsurfing / Gun Sails) and Antoine Questel (FRA - I-99 / S2Maui) were all looking to bounce back from disappointing results in France and they all did that in the opening elimination here in South Korea. Williams secured 4th place, while Cousin claimed 5th ahead of Bordes finished 6th, Algret 7th, van der Steen 8th and Questel 10th. However, Cousin, van der Steen and Questel will all be praying for no wind tomorrow after being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the second elimination. Ethan Westera (Tabou / GA Sails) continued his solid start to the season thus far by winning the b-final - Heat 13 - to secure 9th place in the opening elimination, while also navigating his way into the top 16 of elimination 2. If things were to remain as they are then Westera would rise to 3rd in the overall world tour rankings after a very consistent start and many of the top seeds faltering.  While some sailors will be praying for a no wind scenario on the final day, there will also be several sailors praying for wind so that they can improve their result here. Pascal Toselli (JP / Loftsails / Chopper Fins), Julien Quentel (Patrik / Gun Sails), Andrea Ferin (I-99 / Challenger Sails / AL360), Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde), Arnon Dagan (Future Fly / NeilPryde), Mateus Isaac (JP / NeilPryde) and Bruno Martini (I-99 / Challenger Sails) will all be looking to improve their results here after early exits in the opening elimination, while already being in the top 16 of the second round.  Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins) had been in tremendous form coming into South Korea having won the last two slalom events and his first foil event. However, the Frenchman has been well off the pace here with two quarterfinal exits and realistically he will be looking to discard this event by the end of the season. As things stand Mortefon would go from world tour leader to 9th. Elsewhere, Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) produced another superb comeback in Heat 9 as he pipped Alexandre Cousin to the final qualifying place in Heat 9. Cousin looked to be in control as they headed down the last and looked to squeeze Vrieswijk out of it, but in doing so Vrieswijk quite literally sat on Cousin’s board, which slowed the Frenchman down and allowed Vrieswijk to accelerate into the top 16 of elimination 2.  The forecast for the final day predicts lighter gradient winds than the last couple of days with 9-12 knot southwesterly winds currently expected for the afternoon. With clear skies and the wind remaining in its prevailing southwesterly direction there is definitely a chance of more thermal activity during the afternoon, but there are no guarantees that it will be windy enough to finish the second Slalom eliminations, however, there should definitely be enough for the Women’s Foil Fleet. The sailors will meet for the final time this week at 9am for the skippers’ meeting with a first possible start at 10am (GMT+9).  You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from South Korea — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page. Current Ranking 2019 Ulsan PWA World Cup - Women’s Foil
*After 4 Eliminations 1st Delphine Cousin Questel (FRA - Starboard / S2Maui / Starboard Foil)
2nd Marion Mortefon (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) 
3rd Marina Alabau (ESP - Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) 
4th Blanca Alabau (ESP - Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)
5th Helle Oppedal (NOR - Fanatic / Duotone) Current Ranking 2019 Ulsan PWA World Cup - Women’s Slalom
*After 1 Elimination 1st Lena Erdil (TUR - Starboard / Point-7 / AL360 / Chopper Fins)
2nd Delphine Cousin Questel ( FRA - Starboard / S2Maui)
3rd Marion Mortefon (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone)
4th Maëlle Guilbaud (FRA - Patrik / Loftsails)
5th Lilou Granier (Starboard / Phantom Sails) Current Ranking 2019 Ulsan PWA World Cup - Men’s Slalom
*After 1 Elimination 1st Jordy Vonk (NED - Fanatic / Duotone)
2nd Taty Frans (NB - Future Fly / Point-7)
3rd Matteo Iachino (ITA - Starboard / Severne / Shamal Sunglasses)
4th Ross Williams (GBR - Tabou / GA Sails / Shamal Sunglasses)
5th Alexandre Cousin (FRA - Patrik / Phantom Sails / Chopper Fins)
6th Cedric Bordes (FRA - Tabou / GA Sails)
7th Tristan Algret (GPE - Starboard / Severne / Chopper Fins)
8th Ben van der Steen (Goya Windsurfing / Gun Sails)
9th Ethan Westera (ARU - Tabou / GA Sails)
10th Antoine Questel (FRA - I-99 / S2Maui)  

Der 4. Tag des Ulsan PWA World Cup 2019 lieferte die bisher meisten Rennen des Events mit weiteren 2 Eliminations der Damen im foilen und den ersten 9 Läufen des Slaloms der Herren, die abgeschlossen wurden. Allerdings zog sich der Tag unglaublich langsam hin, für die 11 Läufe wurden 6 anstrengende Stunden gebraucht, weil der Wind sowohl in Stärke als auch in Richtung schwankte, was die Rennen, gelinde gesagt, schwierig machte. Foil Women’s Overnight leader - Delphine Cousin Questel (Starboard / S2Maui / Starboard Foil) - started the day with a one point advantage over Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL), but after a further two races were completed today the current world tour leader has opened up her advantage to 2.3 points after claiming her second bullet in 4 eliminations and a 3rd. Marion Mortefon remains Cousin Questel’s closest rival in second place after a second and 3rd place today, but she now has Marina Alabau breathing down her neck - just 1 point behind. For a short time, it looked as though Alabau M. would be leading the event as after winning the third elimination, the 33-year-old held pole position in the fourth race after rounding the upwind mark first. However, Alabau M. crashed on the next reach when trying to adjust her harness line, which saw her drop from first to 4th. That result still allows Alabau. M to discard the 9th place from the first race to improve from 5th to 3rd in the overall rankings, but she will know she could have potentially been at the top of the rankings. Alabau M. Is now just 1 point behind Mortefon in second and has closed to within 2.7 points of Cousin Questel with two days to go. Meanwhile, Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) and Hella Oppedal (Fanatic / Duotone) both fall one place to 4th and 5th respectively.  After the opening 11 eliminations (7 in Japan and 4 so far in South Korea) the above top 5 women have firmly established themselves as the current top seeds in the Foiling discipline.  Slalom  Men’s The opening two rounds of the Men’s Slalom saw the usual suspects advance with no real upsets. However, in the first 3 quarterfinals that followed there was a multitude of big upsets. In the opening quarterfinal - Heat 7 - last year’s world No.5 and No.7 - Julien Quentel (Patrik / Gun Sails) and Pascal Toselli (JP / Loftsails / Chopper Fins) - as well as current world No.3 - Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / GA Sails) all suffered early exits. However, it will be Toselli and Kördel who will be particularly disappointed to have missed out as they were qualifying in the previous 3 efforts to complete the heat, but missed out in the one that counted. Qualifying from Heat 7 are Ethan Westera (Tabou / GA Sails), Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Phantom Sails / Chopper Fins), Antoine Questel (Starboard / S2Maui) and Taty Frans (Future Fly / Point-7). In Heat 8 Arnon Dagan (Future Fly / NeilPryde) and Bruno Martini (I-99 / Point-7), who finished 7th in Marignane were both disqualified for false starts. After several failed attempts to complete the heat due to big holes in the wind, the second quarterfinal was eventually validated, but there were more big name casualties with reigning world champion - Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) -  and current world No.10 - Marco Lang (Fanatic / Duotone) being eliminated. Albeau appeared to be impeded by seaweed on the opening reach meaning the Frenchman lost valuable ground, while Lang also trailed into the first mark and in the light airs it is incredibly difficult to reduce the deficit. Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard / Severne / Chopper Fins) won the heat ahead of Tristan Algret (Starboard / Severne / Chopper Fins), Ben van der Steen (Goya Windsurfing / Gun Sails) and Ingmar Daldorf (Tabou / GA Sails) - all of whom qualify for the top 16. Heat 9 proved to be the final heat of the day and there was further drama with Andrea Ferin (I-99 / Challenger Sails / AL360) claiming that Steve Allen (Patrik / Severne) had t-boned him at the first mark when in the qualifying positions. However, no action was taken and the result stands. Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde) would go on to win the heat ahead of Finian Maynard (FMX Racing), Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / Duotone) and Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne), who did well to overtake Allen to grab the final qualifying position. However, both Basile Jacquin (I-99 / Point-7) and Maciek Rutkowski (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails) miss out.  With the wind continuing to frustrate the racing was eventually called off shortly after 7pm. The sailors will meet again tomorrow morning at 8am (GMT+9) for the skippers’ meeting with the action commencing from 9am onwards. The wind is expected to be slightly stronger on Wednesday, but the strength was never the really the issue today and key point for tomorrow will be the consistency of the wind. On paper though there is the potential for a solid day of racing.  You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from South Korea — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page. Current Ranking 2019 Ulsan PWA World Cup - Women’s Foil
*After 4 Eliminations 1st Delphine Cousin Questel (FRA - Starboard / S2Maui / Starboard Foil)
2nd Marion Mortefon (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) 
3rd Marina Alabau (ESP - Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) 
4th Blanca Alabau (ESP - Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)
5th Helle Oppedal (NOR - Fanatic / Duotone)  

Vom 21. bis 23. Juni 2019 sind die Multivan Kitesurf Masters zu Gast in Ahlbeck auf Usedom. Neben spannenden Wettkämpfen auf dem Wasser, ist auch an Land mit einem interessanten Programm für Abwechslung gesorgt: Multivan Kitesurf Masters In den Disziplinen Freestyle, Slalom und Racing sammeln die Fahrer wichtige Punkte auf dem Weg zum Deutschen Meistertitel. Die Zuschauer können das Geschehen auf dem Wasser direkt vom Strand oder von der Seebrücke aus verfolgen.  Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge Der „Partner der Surfer“ ist in diesem Jahr zum ersten Mal auf allen Events der Multivan Kitesurf Masters vertreten. Die Besucher haben die Möglichkeit, einzelne Fahrzeuge der aktuellen Flotte vom Titelsponsor der Multivan Kitesurf Masters hautnah zu erleben. BLACK LABEL POWER YOGA BLACK LABEL POWER YOGA ist ein fitnessorientierter und sportlicher Yogastil. Das Markenzeichen der beiden Black Label Yogis Nina und Micha ist ein lockerer und charmanter Ansagestil. Intensive Flows im Rhythmus des Atems sorgen für körperliche und mentale Entspannung. Die Besucher sind herzlich eingeladen, BLACK LABEL POWER YOGA unter freiem Himmel am Strand zu genießen. Windsport Usedom Wer will nicht die Freiheit spüren einmal selbst über das Wasser zu fliegen? Wem Zuschauen allein nicht reicht, kann bei der Kiteschule „Windsport Usedom“ selbst seine ersten Versuche wagen. Der Kitesurf-Schnupperkurs dauert ca. eine Stunde und die Anmeldung ist direkt vor Ort am Strand oder unter 0177-4935503 möglich. After Race Partys In den späten Abendstunden werden verschiedene Bands und DJs für Stimmung sorgen. Beim Sonnenuntergang und einem kühlen Getränk kann man gemeinsam mit den Kitesurf-Profis den Tag ausklingen lassen. Auf der Eventbühne werden DJ Ali, DJ René Cruz und Projekt Caramba - eine stimmungsvolle Coverband - auftreten. Programm: Donnerstag, 20.06.19 16:00                         Eröffnung der Veranstaltung 18:00                         Kitertalk auf der Eventbühne 18:00 - 19:00             Einschreibung der Teilnehmer / Freies Training bis 23:00                   Öffnungszeiten Eventgelände 19:00 - 22:00             DJ Ali Freitag, 21.06.19 08:00 - 09:00             Einschreibung der Teilnehmer 10:00                         Skippersmeeting 10:45                         Erster möglicher Start Ganztägig                  Wettkämpfe der Kitesurfer 10:00 - 23:00             Öffnungszeiten Eventgelände 11:00 & 17:00            Black Label Power Yoga 18:00                         Kitertalk auf der Eventbühne 19:00 - 22:00             Projekt Caramba Samstag, 22.06.19 09:45                         Erster möglicher Start Ganztägig                  Wettkämpfe der Kitesurfer 10:00 - 23:00             Öffnungszeiten Eventgelände 11:00 & 17:00            Black Label Power Yoga 18:00                         Kitertalk auf der Eventbühne 19:00 - 22:00             DJ René Cruz Sonntag, 23.06.19 09:45                         Erster möglicher Start Ganztägig                  Wettkämpfe der Kitesurfer 10:00 - 18:00             Öffnungszeiten Eventgelände 11:00                         Black Label Power Yoga 17:00                         Siegerehrung

Nach einem kurzen Sprung, und einem weiteren Sprung von Japan nach Südkorea sind die Slalomracer bereit für ihre nächste Rennen. Jinha Beach bereitet sich gerade darauf vor, die Herren- und Damenslaloms und die Foilrennen der Damen vom 18. bis 24. Mai für den Ulsan PWA World Cup auszurichten. Da es in Japan nicht genügend Wind gab, um einen Slalom zu absolvieren, bleiben die Ranglisten so, wie sie nach der Eröffnungsveranstaltung in Marignane waren, aber nach einer langen Woche des Wartens in Yokosuka werden die Slalomspezialisten erfreut sein zu sehen, dass die Windprognose für Jinha Beach viel vielversprechender erscheint. Slalom Women’s As previously mentioned, no slalom eliminations were completed in Japan meaning reigning world champion and current world tour leader - Delphine Cousin Questel (Starboard / S2Maui) - will still start the third event of the year as the clear favourite. The 3-time world champion made the perfect start in France and is now on a winning run that stretches back to November 2017 and she may prove difficult to stop again - especially after also gaining victory in the first ever women’s foil contest. Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone) made a solid start in France by claiming second place ahead of Oda Brødholt (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins), who is absent from proceedings, and could well prove to be Cousin Questel’s biggest threat again, however, the likes of Maëlle Guilbaud (Patrik / Loftsails) and Lena Erdil (Starboard / Point-7 / AL360 / Chopper Fins) are also more than capable of challenging for top honours. Erdil, in particular, may offer more of a threat here than in France with a couple of additional weeks training under her belt as she continues her come back from injury. Elsewhere, Jenna Gibson (Fanatic / Duotone) could also feature with the Brit winning one elimination here in 2018, while the likes of Fulya Ünlü (Starboard / Severne), Mio Anayama (Starboard / S2Maui) and Ayako Suzuki (Tabou / GA Sails), Océane Lescadieu (S2Maui), Yuki Sunaga (Loftsails) and Nimet Tulumen (Tabou / GA Sails) could all feature. Foil Delphine Cousin Questel (Starboard / S2Maui / Starboard Foil) will enter South Korea as the favourite for the second ever women’s foiling world cup after claiming a clear cut victory in Japan last week. The 3-time slalom world champion showed the same devastating form on the foil course as she has done over the last few years on the slalom course and ended the week with a perfect score of 3.5 points after winning 5 out of the 7 eliminations completed. However, 2012 Olympic Champion - Marina Alabau (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) - will be looking to gain revenge and level up the race for the 2019 Women’s PWA Foil World Championship title race. Alabau went toe-to-toe with Cousin Questel in the opening 4 races and will more than likely be the 27-year-olds major rival. Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone) completed the podium in Japan after performing extremely consistently throughout the week, which saw the French girl only finish outside the top 3 once in 7 eliminations. Mortefon will no doubt be challenging for the podium again and could well go a place or two better here. Also look out for Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) and Helle Oppedal (Fanatic / Duotone), who finished 4th and 5th in Japan. Slalom Men’s Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins) will come into South Korea full of confidence after winning his first ever foil event in Japan. The Frenchman is the current world tour lead after pipping Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) to victory in France is on an incredible run with his first victory on the Foil World Tour meaning he has now won the last 3 racing events (2 Slalom victories - 1 Foil). Mortefon is flying high at the moment and will look to maintain that early season momentum as he bids for a maiden world title. Having changed board sponsor late last winter, any questions about whether Albeau’s board speed would be competitive have been firmly answered in France. AA led the final and showed excellent speed throughout and he’ll once again be in the thick of the action as he eyes world title No.26. Current vice-world champion - Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne / Shamal Sunglasses) - will look to bounce back from a disappointing result in France, but with just one race completed in Marignane there’s no reason to panic and you can expect to see a strong showing from the Italian, who claimed the event title here in 2018.  Some people may have tried to write Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / GA Sails) off after a disappointing 2018 Slalom campaign, but the German clearly never lost faith in his own ability. Kördel bounced back immediately in France by earning his second ever slalom podium - 3rd - and continued his excellent start to the season with a second place in the Foil in Japan. Kördel will now look to maintain that early season momentum. Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / Duotone) came into 2019 off the back of his best overall result to date - 4th - and the flying Dutchman showed in France that he’ll be a force to be reckoned with again for the coming season after starting the season with a solid 4th place.  Finian Maynard (FMX Racing) made a bright start in France as he qualified for the final where he finished 5th and he too could be in the running again here in if he’s back to 100%.  Last year’s world No.5 - Julien Quentel (Patrik / Gun Sails) - also made a decent start to the season with a 6th place and will be in the mix again. The top 10 coming into South Korea is currently completed by Bruno Martini (I-99 / Challenger Sails), Malte Reuscher (Tabou / GA Sails), Mateus Isaac (JP / NeilPryde) and Marco Lang (Fanatic / Duotone), Elsewhere, Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Shamal Sunglasses), Pascal Toselli (JP / Loftsails / Chopper Fins), Cyril Moussilmani (RRD / RRD Sails) and Tristan Algret (Starboard / Severne / Chopper Fins) will all look to bounce back from missing out on the top 10 in the opening event of the year. Other names to look out for include the aspiring young talents of Ethan Westera (Tabou / GA Sails), Basile Jacquin (I-99 Point-7), Nicolas Goyard (Tabou / GA Sails) and Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) - who finished 11th, 12th, 14th and 15th respectively.  The forecast looks extremely wet for the opening day of the 2019 Ulsan PWA World Cup with up to 50mm over rain expected to fall over a 3 hour period around 3pm (GMT+9), so while there is plenty of wind on the forecast it may prove too unstable to provide any racing on Saturday. You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from South Korea — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page. Current Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Women’s Slalom 1st Delphine Cousin Questel (FRA - Starboard / S2Maui)
2nd Marion Mortefon (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone)
3rd Oda Johanne (NOR - Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)
4th Maëlle Guilbaud (FRA - Patrik / Loftsails)
5th Lena Erdil (TUR - Starboard / Point-7 / AL360 / Chopper Fins) Current Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Women’s Foil  1st Delphine Cousin Questel (FRA - Starboard / S2Maui / Starboard Foil)
2nd Marina Alabau (ESP - Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)
3rd Marion Mortefon (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
4th Blanca Alabau (ESP - Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)
5th Helle Oppedal (NOR - Fanatic / Duotone) Current Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Men’s Slalom 1st Pierre Mortefon (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins)
2nd Antoine Albeau (FRA - JP / NeilPryde)
3rd Sebastian Kördel (GER - Starboard / GA Sails)
4th Jordy Vonk (NED - Fanatic / Duotone)
5th Finian Maynard (KV - FMX Racing)
6th Quentel Julien (SXM - Patrik / Gun Sails)
7th Bruno Martini (ITA - I-99 / Challenger Sails)
8th Malte Reuscher (GER - Tabou / GA Sails)
9th Mateus Isaac (BRA - JP / NeilPryde)
10th Marco Lang (AUT - Fanatic / Duotone)

Viele hatten gestern Nachmittag den Event bereits abhakt, doch am Ende steht ein Ergebnis. Am späten Nachmittag und gerade rechtzeitig zum Finale drehte der Wind dann endlich richtig auf. Bei bis zu 30 Knoten war das komplette Fahrerfeld ziemlich überpowered, da alle nur ihr großes Material vorbereitet hatten. Während des ganzen Tages war der Wind so unbeständig, dass es 6 mühsame Stunden dauerte, um lediglich 8 Läufe zu absolvieren. Das Endergebnis wird die Locals sehr freuen, da die Lokalmatadoren Delphine Cousin Questel (Starboard / S2Maui) und Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins) im ersten Event des Jahres den ersten Platz auf dem Podium belegen und damit die Führung im Titelrennen übernehmen bevor es jetzt dann in Richtung Asien geht. Slalom Women’s Reigning world champion - Delphine Cousin Questel - led from start to finish in the winners’ final as she made the perfect start to the season. The 3-time world champion didn’t put a foot wrong during the event and deservedly walks away as the champion, which means she extends her winning run to 5 consecutive events and she could prove a hard woman to stop based on that performance. Delphine Cousin Questel: “It was super difficult conditions with the wind being so gusty. I was either overpowered or underpowered. It was hard to be on the right gear. Just before the final, I switched equipment to 7.7m from 7.9 and I made a good start by the pin. I led into the first mark and then I just aimed to control it from the front. I’m super happy to win the first event of the season, it’s been a long and stressful week. It’s always hard to compete at an event with just one race, but it is what it is, I think we were extremely unlucky as every time I’ve been here it’s been super windy. I’m happy for the organizer that we managed to get results in the end and thanks to Delphine for making the event happen.” Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone) chased home Cousin Questel, but couldn’t land a telling blow, however, the 27-year-old will still be delighted to have equalled her best result since Turkey 2015 - 2nd - and is prominently placed going forwards. Oda Johanne Brødholt (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) has been tipped as a slightly dark horse for the last couple of seasons and those fruitions came to life today as the Norwegian, who finished 3rd in the Freestyle in Bonaire, claims her first Slalom podium here in Marignane after producing a fantastic performance to hold off both Maëlle Guilbaud (Patrik / Loftsails) and Lena Erdil (Starboard / Point-7 / AL360 / Chopper Fins), who finish 4th and 5th respectively. We’ll take a look at the full results on Wednesday in the event summary. Men’s  Before the final, the sailors were presented with a gamble to either stick with what they had or gamble on the wind picking up as per the forecast. For those sailors who stuck - Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde), Finian Maynard (FMX Racing) and Julien Quentel (Patrik / Gun Sails) - sticking on their big gear didn’t pay off as they became overpowered during the final with the wind picking up greatly. However, for Pierre Mortefon and Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / GA Sails), their gamble was rewarded with victory and a 3rd place with their greater control proving pivotal in the fight for the finish line. Mortefon and Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) enjoyed a great fight in the winners’ final, which could finally be completed at the third time of asking. On the first attempt, Malte Reuscher (Tabou / GA Sails) was disqualified for a premature start, while Bruno Martini (I-99 / Challenger Sails) suffered the same fate on the next attempt with the sailors pushing the start knowing that this was the final to decide the overall event rankings.  It was Albeau who led around the first mark - a position from which he is rarely caught. However, with the wind picking up just before the start of the final AA was overpowered on his 8.6m, which presented Mortefon, who changed down just before the start of the final to 7.7m and medium board, with an opportunity to pounce and the two-time vice-world champion did just that as he produced a brilliant second gybe to move into the lead, which is one he wouldn’t relinquish as the 29-year-old powered away over the remainder of the course to make the perfect start to the season.  Pierre Mortefon: "I'm so, so happy. It's been a long week and a long day so it has not been easy to deal with the conditions. The PWA crew have done an amazing job - they made the right decisions at the right times. They pushed and we managed to get the result. It's a perfect start to the season with a victory in France - it can't get much better!” Albeau played it relatively safe over the rest of the course to make sure he didn’t jeopardise his second place, which is a solid start to the season, particularly after changing board sponsor late in the close season. However, now he knows he is competitive again he will be once again be pumped up for another title challenge as he bids for World title No.25. The podium here in Marignane is completed by Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / GA Sails) with the German sailing brilliantly in the tricky conditions to earn his best Slalom result since September 2016. Kördel endured a tough season last year and will be delighted to have made such a positive start to the year.  Last year’s World No.4 - Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / Duotone) - starts the season with a solid 4th place here in France, while Finian Maynard (FMX Racing) claims 5th ahead of Julien Quentel (Patrik / Gun Sails) - 6th - Bruno Martini - 7th - and Malte Reuscher - 8th. As with the women’s we’ll take a full look at the results in the event summary on Tuesday. After a long hard day on the water the winners were then presented in front of the crowd at 6pm during the closing ceremony! To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Marignane — 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 Marignane PWA World Cup - Women's Slalom 1st Delphine Cousin Questel (FRA - Starboard / S2Maui)
2nd Marion Mortefon (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone)
3rd Oda Brødholt (NOR - Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)
4th Maëlle Guilbaud (FRA - Patrik / Loftsails)
5th Lena Erdil (TUR - Starboard / Point-7 / AL360 / Chopper Fins)
6th Esther de Geus (NED - Fanatic / Duotone)
7th Lilou Granier (FRA - Starboard / Phantom Sails)
8th Nimet Tulumen (TUR - Tabou / GA Sails) Result 2019 Marignane PWA World Cup - Men's Slalom 1st Pierre Mortefon (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins)
2nd Antoine Albeau (FRA - JP / NeilPryde)
3rd Sebastian Koerdel (GER - Starboard / GA Sails)
4th Jordy Vonk (NED - Fanatic / Duotone)
5th Finian Maynard (KV - FMX Racing)
6th Quentel Julien (SXM - Patrik / Gun Sails)
7th Bruno Martini (ITA - I-99 / Challenger Sails)
8th Malte Reuscher (GER - Tabou / GA Sails)
9th Mateus Isaac (BRA - JP / NeilPryde)
10th Marco Lang (AUT - Fanatic / Duotone)

Der letzte Tag der FORSA Bonaire PWA Weltmeisterschaft 2019 wurde als Supersamstag angekündigt und am Ende gab es ein Finale mit einer Mischung aus Emotionen und Dramatik. Viele Zuschauer am Strand sorgten für eine fußballspielähnliche Atmosphäre, die die besten Freestyler der Welt dazu anregte, auf dem Weg zum Sieg über sich hinaus zu wachsen. Women’s Double Elimination Finals day was split into two halves and in the morning the women’s fleet was whittled down to just the top 3 ladies standing, which saw Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) successfully defend her 4th place, but she may feel there was a missed opportunity as she pushed Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) all the way in the battle for 3rd and 4th, but couldn’t quite land the higher scoring move she needed on starboard tack to earn her first podium since 2014. Upon the restart Johanne faced a rematch with Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) and for a long time the heat was evenly balanced, however, Huvermann then upped her game by landing a double spock on both tacks and a culo to setup a rematch with Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) - leaving the Norwegian to complete the podium in 3rd place. Into the final and Huvermann, just as she did in the single elimination, threw everything she had at Offringa, but for a long time, it was the Aruban leading the fight and looking like she would claim the victory there and then. However, Huvermann managed to stay in contention throughout and in the dying seconds the 21-year-old performed a buzzer beater as she landed a superb regular chachoo to take the event into a Super Final.  Offringa was as gracious in defeat, her first time that she had lost a heat in 11 years on the world tour, as she is in victory, but unsurprisingly she was emotional upon hearing the result. Meanwhile, with a rapturous crowd and becoming the first person to take a heat off Offringa, Huvermann dropped to the ground almost in disbelief as emotions rose to the boil. After a short break , Offringa and Huvermann would once again go head-to-head in a winner takes it all finale, which turned into another enthralling battle. However, it was Offringa who was able to raise her game to another level as she dug deep to win the opening event of the year. Huvermann, after reaching the dizzy heights of the final couldn’t quite replicate the same performance again and after a couple of failed double spock attempts it took some words of wisdom from the beach by Dieter van der Eyken (Severne / Severne Sails) to lift Huvermann to fight further. And that’s exactly what she did - landing double spocks on both tacks again almost immediately afterwards. Offringa though wasn’t to beat as she set the second highest scoring heat of the contest to rightfully be crowned the Queen of Bonaire. Both girls deservedly received a warm reception upon returning to the beach after putting on a wonderful display. Sarah-Quita Offringa makes a winning start to the year: “Cheers first of all to everyone, and thanks to everyone on the beach, we can hear you cheering on the water and that really motivates us! This was the first time in 11 years that I’ve lost a heat, and I’ve been thinking about that this week - about how I would react… I didn’t want to be a sore loser and actually, I felt a sense of excitement after the heat with Maaike! Congrats to Maaike  - she sailed an amazing heat! Thanks to everyone from the PWA for an amazing week!” Men’s  Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) was the star of the double elimination and the local boy continued his comeback in the morning by defeating Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails), Giovanni Passani (Tabou / GA Sails / AL360) and Yentel Caers (I-99 / Point-7) to move into the top 3. By this point, Vrieswijk had already won 7 heats in a row.  After a middle of the day interlude, Vrieswijk would then resume against Julian Mas (JP / Gun Sails), who was already guaranteed his first ever podium. The atmosphere during this heat was exceptional with the local crowd cheering for their local boy, while the French possie responded for their man. Unfortunately for Mas, he never quite scaled the heights that he had shown in the single elimination leaving Vrieswijk to march on and set up a final against fellow Bonairean - Youp Schmit (I-99 / Avanti). In the final Vrieswijk would prove too strong for Schmit with the 23-year-old once again posting a monstrous score over 180 points and it was soon clear that a Super Final for the Men’s fleet was also on the cards. The Super Final began in dramatic fashion… prior to the heat starting, Schmit needed medical attention for a swollen foot and just a few minutes later the 24-year-old appeared to be sailing back to the beach. At this point, the crowd and the judges weren’t sure if Schmit would be forced to retire through injury. It then became apparent that Schmit had lost his fin after attempting a flaka-shaka in the shallows. Once Schmit neared the beach he threw his board away in disbelief at the timing and understandably looked dejected. However the local crowd were quick to rally behind another of their local men, almost like the 12th man, and Schmit reacted immediately by landing a double culo. The two Bonairean’s then traded world class manoeuvres, which saw the lead swing back and forth with the duel poised on a knife-edge. Ultimately though it was Vrieswijk, who would manage to complete a mammoth comeback with Vrieswijk winning 10 consecutive heats to be crowned the King of Bonaire, but even more importantly taking a massive step towards a maiden world title having earlier defeated 9-time world champion - Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / Duotone) - in the 3rd round of the double elimination.  Schmit also deserves great credit for the way in which he dug deep when it really counted and should be hugely proud on his first podium finish on the world tour, which also sees him end the event as one of the title contenders for 2019. Amado Vrieswijk does it the hard way: “It’s been a long, long, long week, a long week, but an amazing though. The wind was light the final, but the level has been so high throughout and Youp pushed me all the way! I’m just really, really happy!” Shortly after the conclusion of the finals, a prize giving was held in front of packed out beach and this event will go down as one of the best ever Freestyle events. We’ll be back on Monday with a full summary of a spectacular event to see how the season weighs up from here. To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Bonaire — 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 FORSA Bonaire PWA World Cup - Women’s Freestyle 1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU - Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Maaike Huvermann (NED - Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Oda Johanne (NOR - Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)
4th Arrianne Aukes (NED - Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
5th Jazzy Zwerus (NED - JP / NeilPryde) Result 2019 FORSA Bonaire PWA World Cup - Men’s Freestyle 1st Amado Vrieswijk (NB - JP / Severne)
2nd Youp Schmit (NB - I-99 / Avanti)
3rd Julian Mas (FRA - JP / Gun Sails)
4th Yentel Caers (BEL I-99 / Point-7
5th Giovanni Passani (ITA - Tabou / GA Sails)
6th Antony Ruenes (TFRA - abou / GA Sails)
7th Adrien Bosson (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
7th Davy Scheffers (NED - Tabou / GA Sails)
9th Sam Esteve (FRA - JP / NeilPryde)
9th Steven Van Broeckhoven (BEL - Starboard / Gun Sails)
9th Taty Frans (NB - Point-7)
9th Julian Wiemar (GER - Starboard / Severne)

Am Morgen des vierten Tages der FORSA Bonaire PWA World Cups sah es zunächst aus, als gäbe es einen schnellen Start in die Action, die Bedingungen waren bereits vielversprechend. Allerdings setzte der Wind doch nicht richtig ein, was zu einer zweistündigen Pause zwischen 12 und 14 Uhr führte. Das Warten hat sich jedoch mehr als gelohnt, denn Bonaire lieferte genau die Bedingungen, nach denen sich die besten Freestyler der Welt sehnten - 20-30 Knoten Wind und Flachwasser -, was es den Herren ermöglichte, sowohl die Zuschauer als auch die Kampfrichter mit etwas mehr als 3 Stunden Weltklasse-Freestyle zu begeistern. Men’s Double Elimination Once the second round of the Men’s Double Elimination had been completed all eyes were drawn to a mouthwatering 3rd round battle featuring 9-time PWA Freestyle World Champion - Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / Duotone) - and world title hopeful Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne). In recent years we have become accustomed to seeing arguably the two best freestylers in the world battle it out in the finals. However, after a surprising single elimination the two heavy-hitters would have to meet far earlier than they are used to - and perhaps with more pressure on the line - with no discard for the Freestyle fleet this year - defeat for either sailor would more than likely spell the end of their title hopes for 2019. The action which followed was more than worthy of being a final with both men landing several outstanding moves and combinations. However, in front of a home crowd, who were fully behind their local man, and wanting to keep his title aspirations alive there was no stopping Vrieswijk, who went on to set the second highest scoring heat of the contest so far - 180.7 points - after Vrieswijk himself set the highest scoring heat of the contest thus far in the round prior against Mattia Fabrizi (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg) - 181.9 points. During the heat, Vrieswijk landed a huge kabikuchi to kick things off and then went from strength-to-strength landing anything from a flaka-shaka-720, flaka-into-bob and almost perfect flaka-into-ponch, which not only drew massive cheers from the beach, but also drew celebrations from Vrieswijk, who upon hearing the cheers responded with a dab and pumping his sail!  Vrieswijk then dispatched of Sam Esteve (JP / NeilPryde), who tried to go big in order to match the Bonairean, but couldn’t on this occasion, to set-up another huge heat against vice-world champion - Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) - who had earlier defeated Jamie Howard (F2 / F2), Dieter van der Eyken (Severne / Severne Sails) and Steven Van Broeckhoven (Starboard / Gun Sails / Shamal Sunglasses) with a series of hugely impressive performances.  In Heat 30a both men once again went all out, while treating the crowd to another freestyle feast, but even with Bosson posting the 4th highest heat score of the competition - 176.9 points - there was still no stopping Vrieswijk from driving into the top 6 - leaving Bosson to settle for joint 7th in the opening event. Vrieswijk now holds the 1st, 2nd and 3rd highest scoring heat of the contest after setting a monstrous 188 points tally against Bosson, which is also the highest points haul ever since the new live scoring system was introduced. If the 23-year-old is even anywhere near the sort of level he showed today, it is difficult to imagine anyone stopping him from fighting all the way back to claim the event title. However, there is still plenty of work to do before reaching that point… In the bottom half of the draw, both Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails) and Davy Scheffers (Tabou / GA Sails) mounted brilliant comebacks of their own, which would eventually see the two teammates meet in Heat 30b. Enroute to that point Ruenes dispatched of Francesco Cappuzzo (RRD / RRD Sails / AL360), Nicolas Akgazciyan (JP / NeilPryde) and Taty Frans (Point-7), while Scheffers, who can blow hot and cold started to gather momentum and hit a hot streak which saw him style his way past Loick Spicher (RRD / RRD Sails), Nic Hibdige (Tabou / GA Sails) and Julian Wiemar (Starboard / Severne) - after combining the latest power moves with innovative combinations. The heat between Ruenes and Scheffers turned into another fascinating battle with Scheffers once again making a flying start with a huge air bob culo, skopu 360, air funnel 720 and an amazing switch chachoo burner. However, after a flying start the 27-year-old, who was suffering slightly from a toe injury began to slow down. Meanwhile, Ruenes, who was a little slow to start began to come right back into it with a perfect spock-culo, flaka into ponch, air funnel-burner and a trademark no-handed burner taking the Frenchman into a narrow lead. Scheffers had the beating of Ruenes on starboard tack but crucially had to count a wet kabikuchi on starboard - only 11.6 points - which proved to be the difference between the two. Scheffers obviously knew that he was missing a move on starboard tack, but unfortunately just ran out of steam at the crucial moment as he crashed his final 3 attempts. Take nothing away from Ruenes though, who gathered momentum throughout the afternoon and sailed to the level everyone knows he is capable of. The Frenchman will now face Vrieswijk in the battle for 5th/6th place and beyond. The forecast looks set for a Super Saturday Grand Finale with the strong Tradewinds predicted to continue. The sailors will meet again at 8am tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 8:30am (GMT-4) onwards. Make sure you don’t miss any of the pulsating action by tuning into www.pwaworldtour.com. To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Bonaire — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images, and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page. Result FORSA Bonaire PWA World Cup - Women’s Freestyle
*Below results may still change 1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU - Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Maaike Huvermann (NED - Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Oda Johanne (NOR - Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)
4th Arrianne Aukes (NED - Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) Result FORSA Bonaire PWA World Cup - Men’s Freestyle
*Below results may still change 1st Youp Schmit (NB - I-99 / Avanti)
2nd Julian Mas (FRA - I-99 / Gun Sails)
3rd Yentel Caers (BEL I-99 / Point-7
4th Giovanni Passani (ITA - Tabou / GA Sails)
5th/6th Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne)
5th/6th Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails)