3 + 1 questions to Pierre Mortefon

14/10/2022

4th of the Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup in Germany, the Frenchman Pierre Mortefon remains in contention for the world title before the event in Japan in mid-November... In an interview with Windsurfjournal.com, he talks about this result and the stakes for the future, as well as his recent participation in the Défi Wind Corsica.

Windsurfjournal.com: 4th of this event in Sylt, is it a satisfaction or rather a disappointment when you were on the virtual podium for a long time during the week?
Pierre Mortefon: It's a little disappointment at the end because I started the event very well with a win. I had some good heats and I was quite regular. But I made a small mistake at the end of the last race which cost me a place in the final, it's a shame. After that, there's no such thing as a final on the first day and the next day. In the end, it's the little details that count a lot to win. It's a little disappointing, but on the other hand I showed that I was solid in difficult conditions and that I could still be counted on.

WJ: With the exception of Matteo Iachino and yourself, it's more of a new generation that is present in the top 8 of this event, how do you explain this while the level in slalom foil has obviously progressed very quickly in recent months?
PM: It's clear that once again, we are fighting with Matteo, it was a bit like in Croatia and there are indeed a lot of young people around but it's not really a surprise. The road is turning slowly and there are guys who are working hard and training to be there and play up front. It's also motivating, and I think the Covid period and the two years we've had have allowed a lot of people to get up to speed with foiling, both in terms of equipment and technique. And that's why today we have these results.

WJ: How do you feel about the event in Japan, confirmed at the last minute, everything is still possible to get the world title?
PM: It's a good thing that this event is confirmed, it's confirmed for 3 years, and it's also good for the world tour. Everything is still open. I may have lost a small point in the battle for the title but as we are only on two events, there is almost everything that counts, so everything is still possible. I'm going to prepare as best I can to be ready. There will certainly be different conditions and a lot of pressure because there are guys who are not used to being in front who are actually in the lead... I will try to use my experience and sail well to play for the title until the end.

WJ: How was the Défi Wind Corsica which you just participated in?
PM: It was a great event! I think and hope it is something that will be on the calendar for the next few years. The Défi Wind team looked happy, the local organisation too and a lot of people were smiling after the last race on Sunday. It's something I've been talking about for a while, and I've also made a few plans in that direction, foiling allows you to discover new things, do new races and see things differently. Corsica is a beautiful place, it was also an opportunity to do a little family trip. What I liked about this event is that when there is no wind, there are beautiful things to see and lots of things to do to share a cooler moment with the family. And conversely, when we've had good conditions, it's a great place to sail with lots of potential for the future.