GWA Wingfoil World Cup Lanzarote – Final Summary

A memorable World Cup event giving goosebumps every day with new tour leaders heading into the next stop. 

6th-10th July 2022
Words: Liam Dredge
Photos: Svetlana Romantsova
Videos: Mintautas Grigas

Czech water women Paula Novotna (CZE) and Venezuelan hero Gollito Estredo (VEN) powered through an epic event with surf-freestyle victories at this maiden stop in Lanzarote on the GWA calender. Lanzarote provided strong winds where every athlete went huge and gave full commitment from start to finish. Costa Teguise was a new stop for crew and riders and after such a successful four days, everyone’s raring to return in a year’s time for an even bigger and better event in 2023 with the hope of more swell to really make use of the perfect wave this spot generates. 

Event wrap-up – 6th-10th – New tour leaders get finalized as stop two in Lanzarote comes to an end.

NOVOTNA PREVAILS AGAINST RIVALS AND NOW SITS ON TOP

4 women registered for what was a windy day one of competition. Going into the event it was all tied up at the top with teammates and rivals Paula Novotna (CZE) and Nia Suardiaz (ESP) joint first in the rankings. With one win each a victory here would prevail one over the other but, we couldn’t look past both Flora Artnzer (FRA) and Orane Ceris (FRA) who were eager to ruffle some feathers and cause an upset. 

As the competition got underway, Novotna had a challenging first heat as she struggled to adapt to the variety of conditions and stronger winds at this location. With the heats playing out, in the end, it was Suardiaz and Novotna in the final whilst Flora Artzner (FRA) took on Orane Ceris (FRA) for a third-place showdown. During the build-up to the final heats, it was amazing to see both Orane and Paula attempting back flips, something we haven’t yet seen landed during competition in the women’s division.

A tight battle saw Paula edge Suardiaz 23.50 to 21.40. Landing a toeside frontside 360 wing pass was the final blow as Paula’s highest score of 7.10 was too much for the young 15-year-old. Whilst both riders were landing some impressive moves and taking the sport to new heights, Novotna now leads the rankings race after collecting maximum points, now sitting at 2870 on the scoreboard. Battling for third Flora Artzner edged the win over Ceris and sits in third for the overall rankings with Orane chasing behind as we head into the next stop on tour. Watch the day one highlight video here.

WINGFOIL WORLD CUP LANZAROTE
WOMEN’S SURF-FREESTYLE RESULTS: 

1. Paula Novotna (CZE)
2. Nia Suardiaz (ESP)
3. Flora Artzner (FRA)
4. Orane Ceris (FRA)

GOLLITO SNATCHES VICTORY AND FIRST TOUR WIN

Day two was pumping with 25 knots firing through for the men. Conditions aligned and with swell rolling through it’s got to be one of, if not the best day of freestyle competition we’ve ever had on tour. Every heat was like a final and that’s a credit to the riders who continue to push the boundaries and take this new and upcoming sport to fresh heights. 

It really is anyone’s competition to win and this was demonstrated early on as Titouan Galea (NCL) had an early exit to Francesco Cappuzzo (ITA). 

Gollito Estredo (VEN) showed his competition experience, and the 11 times windsurf champion showed bravery in going up against hungry teenager Malo Guenole (FRA) who had the toughest draw making it to the final.

A final to remember came down to the over impression score that was swayed from one rider to the other throughout, with both athletes sending it full power. A huge back loop followed by a clean front loop gave Gollito a healthy 9.10 and 9.23. Guenole chased scoring a 9 for his front loop and 7.43 for a 720 but in the end, the Venezuelan’s power and accuracy were too much to handle and the vastly decorated freestyle windsurfer snatched his first GWA Wingfoil World Tour win thanks to a greater overall impression score. 

Other highlights included local rider, Jorge Padilla (ESP) getting the highest wave score of the competition with an 8.07 on day one. Jeremy Burlando (ESP) was also scoring big before being knocked out by Balz Müller (CHE) who, in the end, found himself in the third position on the podium. Watch the day two highlight video here.

GWA WINGFOIL WORLD CUP LANZAROTE

MEN’S SURF-FREESTYLE PODIUMS

1. Gollito Estredo (VEN)
2. Malo Guenole (FRA)
3. Balz Müller (CHE)
4. Xavier Corr (ESP)

SLALOM SHOW ON DAY THREE

As the winners for the official Wingfoil World Tour Surf-Freestyle discipline were confirmed the crew showcased the slalom side of wing foiling as a fun add-on discipline. Good winds were still blowing with Titouan Galea (NCL) and Nia Suardiaz (ESP) winning the showdown. Suardiaz won all four of the women’s races while Titouan battled French companion, Hugo Marin, in a third race decider. 

Although no rankings points were up for grabs in the surf-slalom here in Lanzarote (though surf-slalom is a discipline on the GWA Wingfoil World Tour), this was a chance to showcase how efficient these foils can be and how diverse the sport of wing foiling is. A jam-packed beach loved watching tight racing with close finishes and memorable wipeouts. Watch the day three highlight video here.

GWA WINGFOIL WORLD CUP LANZAROTE
MEN’S and WOMEN’S SURF-SLALOM SHOW PODIUMS

Men

1. Titouan Galea (NCL)

Women

1. Nia Suardiaz (ESP)

BEST TRICK SHOWDOWN

On the final day in Costa Teguise, the sun was shining with a steady 15 knots, so it was another day for riders to showcase their freestyle skills. 

18 men locked into the competition and it was Christopher Macdonald (USA) who took the show win with a huge frontflip scoring 9.30. Macdonald’s front flips continue to push the boundaries and, at just 16 years of age, he’s able to send himself to the moon and stomp the landing every time. This near-perfect trick couldn’t be matched by the other 17 men and MacDonald finished the week off strongly.

On the women’s side, Nia Suardiaz (ESP) got the better of her competitors, landing an elegant backloop that scored 7.67. After Leucate at the start of the year, Paula Novotna (CZE) has managed to get the better of Nia in every event. Although there were no rankings points up for grabs on this final day, Suardiaz couldn’t have asked for a nicer way to finish the week and pile on the pressure for the upcoming events. It’s extremely tight in the women’s rankings with just 120 points separating the top two. 

GWA WINGFOIL WORLD CUP LANZAROTE

MEN’S and WOMEN’S BEST TRICK SHOW PODIUMS

Men

1. Christopher Macdonald (USA)

Women

1. Nia Suardiaz (ESP)

OVERVIEW 

There we have it, an epic four days of full-throttle competition. Making use of the best wind on days one and two allowed the surf-freestyle to be completed early on. Gollito Estredo (VEN) and Paula Novotna (CZE) come away as champions but also tour leaders in the rankings. 

As more events are scheduled this year the break between the next stop will be used wisely by all athletes. It’s a time to train, regroup, reenergize and come back fighting fit for stop four on the GWA Wingfoil World Tour calendar, which looks likely (but still to be confirmed) to take place in Tarifa, Spain in October. 

Between now and then who knows what new tricks we could see by then? After an unforgettable event here in the Canary Islands, everyone’s excited for what’s to come. 

Next up the crew heads to Rhodes for the Wing Foil Race Class European Championships, running from 14 – 17th July. 

Get more detail from Saturday’s action through the liveticker text commentary and heat ladders / results on the GWA Wingfoil World Cup Lanzarote event page here

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