Full of sensations, passion and emotion

22/05/2023

Rainy and not very windy, the last day of the Défi Wind in Gruissan on Sunday ended a marathon event that started on May 12th with the Défi Kite and the Défi Wing. And if Sara Wannekes and Nicolas Goyard climb on the highest step of the podium, the main thing is really elsewhere...

The Tramontane is still there on this Sunday morning in Gruissan, the sky is grey and the light rain is intensifying. Not believing in any new races, many competitors had set off the evening before but the majority of the participants were still there for the first briefing of the day at 9.30 am. The race director, Francky Roguet, doesn't leave any doubts for long and rings the end of the hostilities, a little tear in the corner of his eye. After 10 days of a rare intensity, with the Défi Kite and the Défi Wing as a preamble, the emotion is there as well as for Philippe Bru, the conductor of this incredible barnum which has become the most important sports event of the small windsurfing planet. In a sport where the foil has taken on a fundamental importance to reach impressive levels of performance, Sara Wannekes and Nicolas Goyard won when the 1398 other participants had given their best.

And to conclude this Défi Wind, the words of the Croatian Enrico Marotti, 6th in the general ranking, among the favourites and who discovered this event for the first time, sum up everything or almost: "The Défi Wind is a race with 1400 people who share the same passion, the same emotions, windsurfing! If you ever doubt, even for a second, whether to participate or not, the answer is YES YOU MUST DO IT!!! Life is short, time flies and this experience is definitely worth it if you are a windsurfer! Stop saying it will be next year or the next time, try to get organised and if you have never done it, come in 2024! You will be super happy and excited to have participated! Trust me!"
After the rumours about the last Défi Wind in Gruissan, which were denied by the Mayor of Gruissan, Didier Codorniou, during the official inauguration on Thursday 18th May, the eyes are already on the 2024 edition and on an event that cannot be missed and that will once again be filled with sensations, passion and emotion...