The smallest of differences

02/07/2023

On a classic Pozo Izquierdo spot, Marcilio Browne won the Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup wave event on Saturday against local Marino Gil. Among the favourites, Philip Köster was surprisingly eliminated by Jules Denel...

With 40-50 knots and inconsistent waves, the scene was set on Saturday at the Pozo Izquierdo spot in Gran Canaria for the 1st day of the Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup. Priority was given to the waves, and with 14 minutes of heat and 2 jumps and 2 surfs to choose from, the competitors had plenty of time to express themselves.
After an unspectacular 1st round, the last heat of the 2nd round was the opportunity to see Philip Köster in action, reassuring his fans with a clean performance after his foot injury a few weeks earlier. G-44 looked well on its way to another event victory, but the next round saw a combative Jules Denel. While Köster made a series of unusual mistakes, F-41 put in a clean performance with 2 good surfs, a back loop and a double forward. In the end, the French waverider won by the smallest of margins, 0.01 points, and put in the biggest performance of his career by beating the five-time world champion in the discipline!

In the quarter-finals, the level on the water went up a notch and it was local rider Marino Gil who delighted the crowd on the beach who had rallied to his cause. The winner over Jules Denel, E-959 managed the feat of beating Ricardo Campello at the buzzer with a one-footed back loop, a manoeuvre in the final seconds that allowed him to meet Marcilio Browne in the final.
After a smooth run up to this point, the Brazilian had to give it his all in the final against Marino Gil, who pulled off a perfect push loop forward rated 10/10 by the judges. The heat was very close, with BRA-105 winning by a margin of 0.04 points between the 2 men. Having beaten Marc Paré in the losers' final, Ricardo Campello was able to console himself and remain in contention for a place on the podium. The day's lessons include the fact that push loop forward and double forward are now essential if you hope to break into the top 4 in this event, while everyone will be keeping an eye on Philip Köster and a possible comeback in the forthcoming double elimination.