GWA Wingfoil FreeFly-Slalom World Cup

Nia Suardiaz and Kylie Belloeuvre claimed victory in Elimination 4 and 5 today. Alessandro Tomasi was successful twice in the men's competition.

01.08.2025 - The penultimate day of racing at the Wingfoil World Cup in Fuerteventura started shortly before half past two with the women's heats. And even with lighter winds than yesterday, it was reigning world champion Nia Suardiaz from Spain who won the first elimination on today's slightly longer course.

However, this was not the case in today's second race, the fifth overall. Frenchwoman Kylie Belloeuvre overtook her Spanish rival and held on to her lead until the finish. Overall, Belloeuvre still remains just behind Nia Suardiaz.

Two more races in the qualifying round are scheduled for tomorrow, followed by the finals, which will again be held in a knockout format this year.

In the men's competition, the story is quickly told. Italy's Alessandro Tomasi won both final races and thus also takes first place in the qualifying round.

This first place has advantages, as it means that the rider goes straight into the final race of the best four wingfoilers, while the riders in second to tenth place in the qualifying round still have to fight their way there in the knockout system.

The current rankings after five races (one discard) are as follows:
Men:
1. Alessandro Tomasi
2. Bastien Escofet
3. Francesco Cappuzzo
4. Julien Rattotti
5. Riccardo Zorzi

Women:
1. Nia Suardiaz
2. Kylie Belloeuvre
3. Mar De Arce
4. Viola Lippitsch
5. Bowien van der Linden

A turquoise dream: FreeFly slalom races off Fuerteventura have begun

July 31, 2025 – Wingfoilers got off to a perfect start today in the Freefly Slalom discipline on the turquoise waters off Fuerteventura. Although the wind didn't pick up until shortly after midday, it blew offshore across the almost wave-free bay. Three complete race series were completed, with the fourth getting underway in the evening.

The race course for FreeFly-Slalom is designed to be more exciting than classic slalom or race courses. After the start, the race kicks off with a long downwind speed run, followed by the triangle – a kind of huge roundabout that the wingfoilers have to circle. This requires upwind speed on the first short leg. After two crosswind runs, the race continues into the freefly section, where the wing may only be held with one hand on the leading edge handle. Active pumping with the foil is required here to maintain speed. After the next buoy, the race continues on a half wind to the finish line.

In the men's competition, different riders won the final in all three races. The overall standings are currently led by Italy's Julien Rattotti, followed by Riccardo Zorzi, Francesco Cappuzzo, and Bastien Escofet.

In the women's competition, a duel developed between Nia Suardiaz and Kylie Belloeuvre. Both won one race each in succession, but in the third race, Kylie Belloeuvre crashed on the speed run while tied with Nia Suardiaz. As a result, the Spaniard won this race, while the Frenchwoman fought her way back from eighth to fourth place.

The current rankings after three races (without discards) are as follows:

Men:
1. Julien Rattotti
2. Riccardo Zorzi
3. Francesco Cappuzzo
4. Bastien Escofet
5. Romain Ghio

Women:
1. Nia Suardiaz
2. Kylie Belloeuvre
3. Mar De Arce
4. Viola Lippitsch
5. Manon Dupé

Registration & Photo Session

28 July 2025 – As of today, the GWA Tour has stopped off at the Canary Island of Fuerteventura, where the wingfoil disciplines ‘Surf Freestyle’ and ‘FreeFly Slalom’ are on the agenda until Saturday. The line-up is impressive, with 28 men and 16 women competing in the freestyle contest and 22 men and 15 women in the slalom races.

The day started with registration and a short opening ceremony in the Carpa, the festival tent on Sotavento Beach. As the wind was already blowing strongly, a photo and video session was scheduled for 2:30 p.m., which also included tricks with parawings. A parawing demo race that had been originally planned did not take place today.

Monday was the last day of training before the competition begins tomorrow. The start is scheduled for 11 a.m., and there will also be a live stream (check out our video section).