3 questions to Marion Mortefon

12/02/2024

PWA World Champion in slalom in 2022 and 3rd in the world last year, France's Marion Mortefon remains at the forefront of the discipline, both in fin and foil. Now part of the Patrik international team, she talks to Windsurfjournal.com about this change of team and the 2024 season to come...

Windsurfjournal.com: There's a certain bitterness in your post published on social networks following the end of your collaboration with Duotone... How did you feel about it?
Marion Mortefon: The end of the partnership with Duotone wasn't the best of times, but the windsurfing and outdoor sports business in general isn't doing too well. Overall, it's just a new phase for me, and I'm happy with this change too, it was important to reinvent myself after a year that wasn't easy in terms of results. I've had some good moments where I'm pretty proud of my progress and results, like in Fuerteventura, and other moments that were a bit more complicated!

WJ: Through Patrik Diethelm, Patrik is a young brand on the market that plays the performance and technical card. What do you expect from this relationship?
MM: With Patrik, it's a completely different spirit, the team is smaller, and I have more of a feeling of being part of the family. Everyone is on the ball and on the gear, and I have a real place in the team, with Patrik Diethelm, Karin Jaggi, Alexandre Cousin, Nicolas Warembourg, etc. I feel good with the equipment, performance is at the centre, and I'm happy to continue my career in that way!

WJ: How are you approaching this season, during which fin and foil will be separated on the PWA World Tour events?
MM: I'm approaching this season with the desire to really enjoy myself, to make the most of every moment on the water and to continue to progress and push back my limits. I'll be racing foil and fin of course. I don't really have a preference. Of course, the fin is the very essence of the board, and I really enjoy it in strong winds. With the foil, there's always room for improvement, I'm overcoming my fears, it's really different. I'm currently in Tenerife for 3 weeks, then I'm going to do a lot of training in the south between Hyères and Gruissan. We've got good conditions all year round, and it's also nice to be able to stay at home for a while. The season will start with the Défi Wind, an event in which I really want to perform, and my equipment will really help me this year! Then there are the events in the Canaries. Basically, I've got a bit of time before the competitions start. But I've got a lot of windsurf coachings already scheduled with passionate amateurs, and I'm happy to be able to continue developing this activity with my brothers Paul and Pierre for Mortefon Watersports!