Lemeteyer and Søe dominate

01/10/2024

The fourth day of the Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt in Germany saw a radical change in conditions, with winds between 18 and 30 knots, accompanied by much colder temperatures despite the bright sunshine. In the Foil Slalom, the day was marked by five eliminations for the women and three for the men, all in complicated conditions combining irregular winds, rough seas, currents and seaweed. At the end of this eventful day, Justine Lemeteyer and Johan Søe took the provisional lead in the Foil Slalom rankings.

In the men's category, Johan Søe, making his first appearance of the season after concentrating on the Olympic Games, shone from the very first day of racing. The Dane won two of the three eliminations, while taking third place in the second run. Søe showed impressive speed and impeccable control of the jibes, seeming capable of accelerating at any moment to take the lead. But his lead remained slim. Bruno Martini, also in great form, followed closely behind with a win and two second places, just 0.3 points behind Søe. In spite of himself, Martini was the highlight of the day following an incident with Pierre Mortefon. The Frenchman's harness line became wrapped around the Italian's neck as the two crossed the finish line. This unintentional strangulation resulted in Martini losing his helmet, but in an event that could have had other consequences. Also back from his Olympic campaign, Nicolas Goyard completed the day's provisional podium, level on points with Pierre Mortefon. With an eighth, a second and a third place, Goyard can reduce the gap after the arrival of the first discard.

On the women's side, world leader Justine Lemeteyer confirmed her status as favourite. Already dominant this summer in Fuerteventura, the vice-world champion is giving her rivals no chance in Sylt. With three consecutive wins in the first eliminations, she seems untouchable. Despite a fall in the fourth elimination, this stumble was the only hitch in an almost perfect run, as she bounced back immediately to win the fifth elimination. With a lead of 3.9 points over her nearest rival, Marion Mortefon, Lemeteyer looks set to win this German event. Marion Mortefon is not far behind. With one win and four second places, she remains the main threat to Lemeteyer. Blanca Alabau, the reigning world champion, completes the provisional podium with a solid record of second and third places. Also of note is the impressive performance of Bobbi-Lynn De Jong, aged just 14, who is currently fourth.
The wind is expected to be strong again on Tuesday, between 20 and 33 knots, and if these conditions are confirmed, the organisers of the Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt could start the day with further Foil Slalom races before switching to the freestyle discipline.