A vintage year

08/07/2024

The Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup in Pozo Izquierdo once again put on a spectacular show on Sunday, bringing this 2024 edition to a brilliant close. The final day was marked by exceptional conditions, with Sarah-Quita Offringa and Pierre Mortefon winning the Slalom X, a discipline not so far removed from slalom...

Pierre Mortefon and Sarah-Quita Offringa were already assured of the title in Slalom X even before they set off for the final elimination of the week, but they decided to go for the form and the spectacle. Mortefon dominated the competition with impressive consistency, never leaving the podium in 10 eliminations. His remarkable performance gave him a 15.9-point lead over Matteo Iachino, his closest rival. Maciek Rutkowski, who started the day in 2nd position, lost his runner-up spot after being disqualified for a premature start in this last race. But he still finished on the podium with a solid 3rd place. Jordy Vonk, despite suffering from flu at the start of the event, showed incredible resilience to take 4th place, winning 2 of the last 4 eliminations. Benoit Merceur and Ingmar Daldorf also shone, recording their best results to date with 5th and 6th places respectively.

In the women's category, Sarah-Quita Offringa once again demonstrated her talent by dominating the competition from start to finish. With 7 wins from 11 eliminations, she finished the event in style, adding another victory to her already impressive list of achievements. Jenna Gibson secured her first PWA World Tour podium by finishing 2nd, while Marion Mortefon completed the podium. As an added bonus, Sarah-Quita Offringa completed an historic double by winning both the Wave and Slalom X events at Pozo Izquierdo!
Launched in the afternoon, the wave event showcased the talent of the youngest competitors, with Alexia Kiefer Quintana taking victory in the Under 21 category after a decisive win over Maria Morales. In the men's double elimination, defending champion Marcilio Browne climbed back up to 9th place.
As the years go by, the Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup at Pozo Izquierdo doesn't disappoint, with a particularly windy week and a great show on offer. New on paper, the Slalom X discipline, after testing variations at the start of the competition (jumping buoys, chicane), is bringing back to the fore a high-flying discipline that has always proved its worth. It's proof that by choosing windy destinations (and with a bit of luck), there's no need to reinvent the wheel!