Tricky conditions in Lanzarote

27/01/2023

The first event of 2023 for the new Olympic foiling windsurfing discipline reached its halfway point today with a change in the leadership of the women's fleet. Sharon Kantor (ISR) is the new leader moving ahead of Spaniard Pilar Lamadrid, who dropped to second place, just two points behind. Sam Sills (GBR) still dominates the men's fleet. Friday is the penultimate racing day.

The third day of competition of the Lanzarote iQFOil Games maintains the 100 per cent record with all the races completed. In the men's category the gold fleet was in action, with the 42 top classified racing each other as well as the silver fleet. Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands, once more delivered ideal conditions with big waves and 15 knots of wind gusting up to 25 knots as the day rolled on. There is no doubt why the new Olympic class of windsurfing in Paris 2024 has chosen Lanzarote as the venue for its first event of the pre-Olympic season.
Four races for the 66 women who today have changed the race area to sail in the area in the south of the island at Papagayo beach. Strong winds and very big waves led to a few crashes. As she herself said yesterday, the Israeli windsurfer Sharon Kantor has had a great tussle with the Spanish Pilar Lamadrid, a duel that started on day one and today, she has managed to pass her rival. At just 20 years old, Kantor, who already won yesterday's marathon race, took the lead in the first two races while in the next two she was passed by her compatriot Katy Spychakov who lies third overall.
"In the first race the conditions were stable but at the last race it was hard to understand what was happening in the water, but I think we had great fun. I won the two first races, I had a crash in the third one and I was sixth in the last one, so I am really happy that I managed to climb to the first place. My goal for tomorrow is to keep first place and to be in the finals,” has the new leader stated.
All in all, Lamadrid is upbeat after a 2-2-3-(20) sets and with two days to go, she is only two points behind at the Lanzarote iQFOil Games. "Another windy day in Lanzarote and also a bit more complicated, above all I think due to a lack of strength after the marathon and the two course races from yesterday, which were quite hard", she recognizes. “For me it has been a consistent day, except for the last race, in which bad decisions made me be in the middle of the fleet and a final fall made me drop to 20th, but being my discard I am not far from Sharon. I think everything is quite open for tomorrow, which will be the last day before the Medal.”

The men's fleet has sailed for the first time in the race area just in front of Marina Rubicón. For the third day in a row, Sam Sills (GBR) is still on the top of the overall standings, with two new bullets, winning an incredible eight out of 11 races so far. The Briton is 20 points away from his best pursuer, Nicolas Goyard (FRA), that has scored 2-2-(29)-15. “The wind was really tricky: a lot of shifts, the current was opposite to the wind so the sea was pretty big, it was hard to predict. It goes up and down and it is very tricky to be consistent. Sam is doing a really good job; apart from Sam I think everybody is having good races and bad races,” the Frenchman has pointed out.
Goyard already knows what it means to win the Lanzarote iQFOil Games and he is clear about his goal for tomorrow, the penultimate day of regattas on the Canary Island: “For tomorrow my goal is to secure a place in the top 3 because I think Sam is going to be hard to catch, so it is better to secure top 3 to be able to be straight in semi-finals. Let's see how it goes!,” he has said. Israel is third and fourth overall, with Tom Reuveny and Yoav Cohen, respectively. The latter European champion of the former R:SX Olympic class in 2022, won today's first test. Kiran Badloe (NED) completes the top 5.
Friday, the penultimate day of the Lanzarote iQFOil Games, the 150 competitors are expected to complete four more races. The forecast for Friday is lighter winds, so we expect to race the slalom discipline. Racing will begin at 14:00 CET.

Provisional overalls. iQFOil Women. Day 3
1. Sharon Kantor (ISR), 2+2+1+2+(8)+2+1+1+1+1+(27)+6=19
2. Pilar Lamadrid (ESP), 1+1+6+1+(17)+1+2+2+2+2+3+(20)=21
3. Katy Spychakov (ISR), 3+3+2+(13)+9+4+3+3+(39)+11+1+1=40
… 66 entries

Provisional overalls. iQFOil Men. Day 3
1. Sam Sills (GBR), (1)+1+1+1+1+1+(11,5)+(11,5)+(5)+4+1+1=12
2. Nicolas Goyard (FRA), 2+(13)+6+(8)+1+1+1,5+1,5+2+2+(29)+15=32
3. Tom Reuveny (ISR), 1+6+1+(19)+(20)+6+3,5+3,5+7+1+(11)+7= 36
… 84 entries

Source: iQFOil Class
Photos: Sailing Energy