Time for the medal races

02/02/2025

The top eight men and women have booked their places in Sunday's knockout final at the iQFOiL International Games in Marina Rubicón, Lanzarote.
Initially scheduled as a Marathon Race, the event was readjusted this Saturday due to unstable wind conditions on the course between Playa Blanca and the island of Los Lobos, off the coast of Fuerteventura. The race committee opted for more racing in the Course Racing category, before concluding with the final rounds of the Sprint Slalom, thus enabling the qualifying phase to be completed with a total of 16 races.

Three new Course Racing races were contested by the men's fleet. Johan Søe, the overall leader, started the day with another victory, consolidating his lead. Rytis Jasiunas won the second race, a decisive victory which enabled him to secure the last qualifying place for the medal races at the last minute. The third race was dominated by Louis Pignolet, but his result prevented him from reaching the top 8, and he finished ninth overall. Frenchman Adrien Mestre secured the last ticket to the final.

In the women's fleet, Emma Wilson once again showed her consistency, finishing second in the day's two Racing Races and maintaining a comfortable lead of 12 points going into the final day. Theresa Steinlein won the first race and climbed to seventh place in the rankings despite being disqualified in the final Sprint Slalom. Anastasia Valkevich won the second race, adding another victory to her tally for the week.
After the races finished at 1.30pm, the race committee took advantage of the good conditions to finish the unfinished heats of the Sprint Slalom from the first day. The men get the ball rolling, followed by the women, who contest an extra heat to ensure that the two fleets reach the planned total of 16 qualifying races.
On Sunday, Lanzarote will crown the first champions of the season, with racing due to start at 12:30.

Top 8 - Men
Johan Søe (DEN 37)
Nicolò Renna (ITA 150)
Nicolas Goyard (FRA 465)
Nacho Baltasar (ESP 4)
Manolo Modena (ITA 27)
Kiran Badloe (NED 9)
Rytis Jasiunas (LTU 7)
Adrien Mestre (FRA 4)

Top 8 - Women
Emma Wilson (GBR 7)
Shahar Tibi (ISR 3)
Anastasia Valkevich (POL 6)
Marta Maggetti (ITA 157)
Islay Watson (GBR 20)
Sara Wennekes (NED 33)
Theresa Steinlein (GER 799)
Palma Cargo (CRO 9)

Source: iQFOiL Class
Photos: Sailing Energy/iQFOiL Class