iQFoil European titles awarded on Sunday

Posted by RIWmag on 21 May 2022 /

With the medal series on Sunday awarded to Torbole the iQFoil European titles
iQFoil European Championships, Torbole
After 19 regattas decided the first 10 who access the medal series on Sunday
Italy in the race for the podium with Marta Maggetti among the women; Nicolò Renna among men

Nago-Torbole (TN) – Decided with four more slalom regattas the first ten athletes, who on Sunday will compete in the "Medal Series" finals of the European Championships of the new Olympic class for Paris 2024 iQFoil, New, organized on Garda Trentino, the Circolo Surf Torbole. It was a long and busy day also for the Race Committee, which had to deal with an inconstant southerly wind on a very hot day, which forced to move the regatta field positioned further north, towards the east bank to find more wind pressure.

Wind that towards the 14:00 had a momentary major drop, with a recovery of intensity towards the 15:00, useful to continue with the men's heat slalom, that between repeated departures for general calls and expectations of wind reinforcement, have lingered compared to the tests of the female category, concluded quite quickly.

The manifestation, started with qualifying races on Tuesday 17 may, arrived on the eve of the medal series with a decidedly rich program of regattas: in all they have been completed 10 course race, 8 slalom and a marathon race, making the Championship truly complete. The choice of the format with sprint regattas with a target of 3-4' per heat for slaloms, regatta course race (techniques and tactics in a duration range on 15 minutes approx.) and the marathon in which the resistance is enhanced in about an hour of competition, makes athletes of the new Olympic class, very complete surfers, a very young and constantly improving foil generation.

Also the choice of the slalom route, down wind, but with a stern side, in addition to the "obligatory" gaits of lasco, makes the discipline more technical and tactical, with the most important moment certainly starting, but also with the second side of the stern, that in some cases can make a difference.

On Sunday, the athletes from fourth to tenth place will compete in the quarterfinals; the first two will enter the semi-final against the second and third of the general classification. The top two finishers of the semi-final will race against the first overall, thus deciding the color of the medal, and for the Dutch Luuc Van Opzeeland and the British Emma Wilson, first in the general classification, it's already in your pocket.

MEN
Unassailable the Dutch Luuc Van Opzeeland, which presents itself at the medal series first, with very few errors during the nineteen races held (8 slalom, 10 course race, 1 marathon race that is worth 2); directly in the semifinals the French Goyard and the Italian athlete of the Circolo Surf Torbole, Nicolò Reindeer. In the quarter-finals the British Sills, the Israeli Omer, the other British Brown, the other three French Bourgeois, Mestre (Italy), Le Coq, and the Dutch Jan Tak. At the numerical level, therefore, the overwhelming power of France that presents itself at the medal series with 4 Athletes, followed by Great Britain and Holland with two, Israel and Italy with an athlete. Paired in the general classification (21°-22°) the first two under 21 with Danish Søe, who managed to pass the Dutch Castelein with a better last day; third the British Hawkins.
(Click on chart to enlarge / desktop only)

WOMEN
Only Britain and Israel enter the medal series with two athletes: Emma Wilson remained in the lead and therefore already on the podium and Islay Watson, Fourth; for the rest France and Poland with the second and third place thus enter directly to the semi-final with Hélène Noesmoen and Maja Dziarnowska respectively. In the quarterfinals will face the Mexican Mariana Aguilar Chavez Peon, the Spanish Pilar Lamadrid Trueba, the Dutch Sara Wennekes, the Israeli Daniela Peleg, the Italian Marta Maggetti and the other Israeli Shahar Tibi. The Cagliari area, after a difficult start, has improved day by day to earn the medal series. The other blue Giorgia Speciale has gnawed from day to day some positions, that after a first moment settled beyond the twentieth position, with the last four slaloms he has recovered some points, closing in seventeenth place.