3 questions to Delphine Cousin

08/06/2022

Challenged by Justine Lemeteyer, Delphine Cousin wins the Défi Wind with a 88th place overall. Now focused on the Olympic iQFOil, the Frenchwoman proves that she is always present on the big events. And to the microphone of Windsurfjournal.com, she comes back on this beautiful event in Gruissan.

Windsurfjournal.com: Despite the pressure from Justine Lemeteyer, you finally won this Défi Wind. What does this victory inspire you, with the bonus of a very nice 66th place in race 4?
Delphine Cousin: Justine had a superb second day where she won both races of the day! We fought a lot in the heats and I finished very close to her each time. So there wasn't much of a point's gap between us. It was the first race of the third day (my 66th place) that put me back in the lead because I scored a lot of points with a lot of men between us! I am really happy with this victory in the Défi Wind because for me the most beautiful victories are those where there was the most battle and where everything was to be done until the last race. We can say that with Marion Mortefon and Justine Lemeteyer, it was really a battle because we almost always raced together and neither of us gave up until the end!

WJ : After the last few months spent in iQFOil, it must have been good to do some long distance again?
DC: It was a big change for sure! I really realise that slalom and foiling are very different disciplines, and the physical effort is absolutely not the same. I can confirm today that slalom is much harder physically on long distances like the Défi. In foiling, you have a big mental fatigue because the practice requires a lot of concentration. I found myself with aches and pains that I hadn't had in a long time, racing 40 kilometres! Fortunately, my S2Maui and FMX Racing equipment is really easy and comfortable, so I was able to perform well on this type of format. It just glided along!

WJ: After 2 years without the Wind Challenge, how did you experience this edition, from a sporting point of view, but also personally and festively?
DC : It's by being at the event that I realised how much I had missed it! We found everyone, both amateurs and pros, because with the few competitions we've had lately, we haven't seen each other much! This edition was really magical as we were able to race 5 rounds in beautiful conditions but also enjoy the last evening on Saturday with everyone! Personally, it was a great morale booster, just being there to celebrate windsurfing, as we love it!