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Danish teenager Bejamin Castenskiold begins defence of crown
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Women’s world champion Marie Schlittenbauer out through injury
GWA Wingfoil World Cup France
21-26 April, 2026 | Mondial du Vent, Leucate
The GWA season kicks off with the opening shots for the 2026 Surf-Freestyle world titles at the storied Mondial du Vent event in Leucate, southern France, which is renowned for the fierce Tramontana winds that fuel the action.
The Surf-Freestyle order was turned on its head last season when Denmark’s Benjamin Castenskiold, 14, and Germany’s Marie Schlittenbauer, 15, landed the titles for the first time after season-long battles.
Castenskiold is set to open the defence of his crown when the Surf-Freestyle contests begin at the 29th edition of Mondial du Vent. Last season Castenskiold was beaten by the then World Champion, the US’s Chris MacDonald, in nuking conditions in France. But the young Dane went on to win two of the year’s four World Cups.
Schlittenbauer is due to miss Lecuate as she has been unable to train for several months following an operation in the off-season, but intends to battle in the other six scheduled Surf-Freestyle competitions.
Burst on to scene
Last season Schlittenbauer missed out on Mondial du Vent, but burst on to the Freestyle tour when she won two of the the three closing stops of the year to take the title and end the reign of Spain’s Nia Suardiaz, the two-time Surf-Freestyle champion who had seemed virtually unbeatable.
The line-up for the six-days of Surf-Freestyle action at Mondial du Vent will comprise a full roster of 28 men and a growing number of women—19—from 10 counties around the world. As ever, home fans will have lots to cheer about with 17 French athletes in the mix.
Mondial du Vent will also host the first-ever Downwind Parawing World Cup, which is being run by the GWA’s sister tour, the SFT Surf Foil World Tour. FreeFly-Slalom World Champion, France’s Bastien Escofet, and compatriot Alan Fedit, will join the men’s division, while Nia Suardiaz and France’s Kylie Belloeuvre, will battle with the women.
But in the Surf-Freestyle title race, the competition will be more intense than ever with seven events on the calendar. Tarifa is next up after Leucate, in June, followed by three back-to-back events in the Canaries in August, with the season set to close in Brazil, in Taíba and Jericoacoara.
Causing upset
On the men’s roster, the Austrian twins, Tomas and Aleksander Acherer, showed tremendous consistency across last season and finished equal on points in third and fourth overall, with Tomas getting the edge on countbacks.
France’s Axel Gerard, 17, is the highest ranked local rider, in fifth after his finish last season. The teenager is one to watch and is always capable of causing a big upset to the form books.
Multiple world champion in all four wingfoil disciplines, Nia Suardiaz, 19, accepts that Marie Schlittenbauer’s stunning form last season will make difficult for her to reclaim the Surf-Freestyle title.
But even without Schlittenbauer at the first event, Suardiaz will have her work cut out for her to take the win. Fellow countrywoman, Mar de Arce, beat Suardiaz for the first time last season and is ranked number one in Leucate.
Undoubtedly, Austria’s Viola Lippitsch, Switzerland’s Zara Maillard, and France’s Manon Dupé, will be intent on doing their bit to keep the leaders at the top of their game.
words: Ian MacKinnon
images: Lukas K Stiller
Spot Info
Climate
Leucate has a southern European climate with typical spring temperatures that can vary a lot in April. The average air temperature can be between 11°C and 18°C at this time of the year. The average water temperature in April is around 15°C, so don’t forget to bring a wetsuit. Sunrise is around 07.00 and sunset around 20.30.
Wind
The Tramontana is a strong wind that blows north to north-westerly, offshore. It can reach up to 40 knots. The Marin is a light-to-moderate side onshore sea breeze. The best online wind forecasts are found on Windguru.
About Leucate
The 2026 Mondial du Vent GWA Wingfoil World Cup is located on the Mediterranean, on France’s southern coast. The GWA chose this spot for the 2026 GWA Wingfoil World Tour due to the consistency of wind—it blows more than 300 days each year. Leucate also boasts ideal, wide, sandy beaches.
The Mondial du Vent is fuelled by the Tramontana, a reliable and strong north-westerly wind that blows side, to side-offshore. The 2026 event will be the sixth successive year the Mondial du Vent has hosted a GWA Wingfoil World Cup.
About Mondial du Vent
Rarely does a competition make it past the two-decade mark. But the Mondial du Vent that was established in 1997 has long surpassed that. The 2026 edition marks the event’s 29th year of hosting windsports’ enthusiasts from around the globe. The Mondial du Vent is France’s premier wind and watersports’ event.
For the 2026 season, the GWA will stage competitions in the Surf-Freestyle discipline at the Mondial du Vent, with the SFT joining with line-up with a Downwind Parawing World Cup.
Event Information
- Location: Leucate, France
- Dates: 21-26 April, 2026
- The official Race Notice and event schedule can be found here.
- All event information is here.
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An event highlight video will be published at the end of competition. A written report will be posted to the website at the end of the competition.
