Solid fights in Sotavento

02/08/2024

The decision to launch the Slalom X on Thursday at the Fuerteventura PWA World Cup proved more than justified, with Sotavento offering the windiest conditions of the event so far. And in winds of over 40 knots at the end of the day, Sarah-Quita Offringa and Pierre Mortefon made all the difference...

Sarah-Quita Offringa dominated the first day of Slalom X. She added a 23rd world title to her trophy cabinet at the start of the week after winning the freestyle, and already seems to have her sights set on the 24th title after winning all five of the day's eliminations. Even after a difficult start to the final race of the day, she managed to catch Justine Lemeteyer out of the third jibe to round off a perfect day. This same Justine Lemeteyer was the only competitor to put Offringa under pressure. Lemeteyer put in a solid day after being disqualified for an early start in the first race of the day, and followed that up with three second places and a third, putting her in second place in the provisional standings and in contention for the runner-up spot with Marion Mortefon and Jenna Gibson, who are currently tied in the overall standings.

Pierre Mortefon leads the standings after this first day of Slalom X, winning the last race of the day, and after starting with second and fourth places. When the conditions became truly extreme in the third slalom of the day, the Frenchman excelled, just as he had at Pozo Izquierdo, and remained on course to claim his first ever world title in Slalom X. But the Frenchman had to reckon with Taty Frans, who had an excellent day with second and two third places in the first three races, trailing Mortefon by just 1.3 points. NB-9, a fan of fin only races, showed that he is and remains one of the best in the world in this discipline. Matteo Iachino came back well after a semi-final elimination in the first elimination to finish the day in third place. Jordy Vonk also showed impressive consistency by qualifying for all the finals, finishing fourth. Ingmar Daldorf was the only other competitor to reach all the finals, completing the top five.
The forecast for Friday remains favourable and could well provide a fitting end to this X Slalom event before the Foil Slalom closes the event on Saturday...