Youth Worlds in Costa Brava crown winners

• Surf-Freestyle and FreeFly-Slalom victors emerge at one-stop world championships after intense action

• Innovative event highlights need for sustainability and climate action through young athletes

GWA Youth Wingfoil World World Championship Costa Brava
30 June-6 July, 2025 | Club de Vela La Ballena Alegre, San Pere Pescador

The Surf-Freestyle and FreeFly-Slalom action at the the GWA 2025 Youth Worlds wrapped up after a week of intense action at San Pere Pescador, Spain, with the teenage champions chosen in the U14, U16 and U19 age groups.

The GWA Youth Wingfoil World World Championships were making their debut at Club de Vela La Ballena Alegre on the historic Costa Brava coastline, where the breezes have been slightly fickle.

The GWA, in partnership with Club de Vela La Ballena Alegre and Sailors for the Seas Powered by Oceana (SfS), took the opportunity to stage seminars and beach cleans to highlight the need for sustainability and promote climate action among the 76 boys and 17 girls from 13 nations who are competing.

The U19 Female Surf-Freestyle crown was lifted by Germany’s Marie Schlittenbauer when she got the better of France’s Eulalie Thébault in the final. Schlittenbauer, 15, debuted at the the GWA Tarifa Wing-Pro recently and took a remarkable third place there.

Finely poised

France’s Manon Dupé took the third podium step in the U19 category at San Pere Pescador, overhauling the experienced Austrian, Viola Lippitsch, in the “mini-final” run-off.

The Male U19 Surf-Freestyle competition was concluded on the penultimate day after a delay waiting for the wind to fill in, with Aleks Acherer getting the win over France’s Axel Gerard, who had been the holder of the title.

Acherer has been on a charge this year after playing second fiddle to his twin brother, Tomas, last year. Tomas lost out in the “mini-final” to Spain’s Nathan Berger, who took third place overall in San Pere Pescador.

But in earlier days France’s Ezio Bastianelli had secured the U16 Surf-Freestyle title when he beat Germany’s Hubert Christahl in the final, with the Netherland’s Kalle Dinant winning out in the “mini-final” to take third place. The biggest upset was the exit of Tarifa World Cup winner, the Dane Benji Castenskiold, 13, in Round 4, when he struggled with the light breezes.

Biggest upset

In the U14 Male division, Spain’s Sam Rossmeier triumphed in the opening action, when he won out over Frances’s Balthazar Caputo. Sandro Ginzinger, of Germany, took third place.

Germany’s Sofia Ginzinger took the U14 Female title with a win in the final against Vitoria Antolín, of Spain, with Austria’s Lisa Zechner taking third after coming out on top in the “mini-final”.

With the Surf-Freestyle completed, the FreeFly-Slalom contests got on the water. In the U14 category France’s Ana Helies took the title in the female division winning three elimination rounds from four. Carl Gillet, from France, won the male division.

In the U16 female FreeFly-Salalom France’s Enoha Laurent won the crown, while Britain’s Leon Schiel landed the crown in the male category. Viola Lippitsch, from Austria, won out in the U19 female class, while Italy’s Sebastiano Zorzi got the U19 male title.

words: Ian MacKinnon
images: Antonio Herrera Trujillo / Samuel Cárdenas

2025 GWA Youth Wingfoil World World Championships Surf-Freestyle results

U14 Male Surf-Freestyle
1 Sam Rossmeier (ESP)
2 Balthazar Caputo (FRA)
3 Sandro Ginzinger (GER)

U14 Female Surf-Freestyle
1 Sofia Ginzinger (GER)
2 Vitoria Antolín (ESP)
3 Lisa Zechner (AUT)

U16 Male Surf-Freestyle
1 Ezio Bastianelli (FRA)
2 Hubert Christahl (GER)
3 Kalle Dinant (NED)

U19 Female Surf-Freestyle
1 Marie Schlittenbauer (GER)
2 Eulalie Thébault (FRA)
3 Manon Dupé (FRA)

U19 Male Surf-Freestyle
1 Aleks Acherer (AUT)
2 Axel Gerard (FRA)
3 Nathan Berger (ESP)

2025 GWA Youth Wingfoil World World Championships FreeFly-Slalom results

U14 Female FreeFly-Slalom
1 Ana Helies (FRA)
2 Sofia Ginzinger (GER)
3 Lise Debans Gascon (FRA)

U14 Male FreeFly-Slalom
1 Carl Gillet (FRA)
2 Benito Gorea (BRA)
3 Malick Pagnotti (BRA)

U16 Female FreeFly-Slalom
1 Enoha Laurent (FRA)
2 Eulalie Thébault (FRA)
3 Olivia Sanchez (ESP)

U16 Male FreeFly-Slalom
1 Leon Schiel (GBR)
2 Sacha Pallier (FRA)
3 Benjamin Castenskiold (DEN)

U19 Female FreeFly-Slalom
1 Vioila Lippitsch (AUT)
2 Enoha Laurent (FRA)
3 Helene Simonnet (FRA)

U19 Male FreeFly-Slalom
1 Sebastiano Zorzi (ITA)
2 Arthur Thébault (FRA)
3 Hugo Babilon (FRA)

Spot Info: San Pere Pescador

Wind

Sant Pere Pescador, particularly Platja del Cortal de la Devesa, offers consistently favourable conditions for winging during late June and July. This period is characterised by reliable thermal winds and sea breeze, making it a prime location for wingfoil events and recreational winging.

The prevailing thermal sea breeze, known locally as Garbí blows from the south-east and develops daily during this season. Starting around midday, it builds through the afternoon before dropping in the early evening.

The steady side-onshore direction ensures winds of 12 to 14 knots, with occasional peaks reaching up to 18 to 20 knots. A passing cold front can occasionally bring some Tramontana wind from the north. This gusty shoreward wind averages 16 to 18 knots, introducing more variable and dynamic conditions for wingfoilers looking to go big.

Club de Vela La Ballena Alegre

The club is located in the southern part of the Bay of Roses, close to Sant Martí d’Empúries and L’Escala. The competition area is sheltered by a southeastern point approximately three nautical miles offshore from the venue.

This location provides specific conditions for winging, though this natural protection minimises waves near the coastline even during strong sea breezes. But windward areas deeper in the bay may encounter more chop.

To sum up, the combination of steady Garbí winds, and occasional north winds, makes Platja del Cortal de la Devesa on Roses Bay an exceptional destination for watersports during late June and July. Over the years, this location has become synonymous with many successful world-class sailing events.

Event Information

• Location: Club de Vela La Ballena Alegre, San Pere Pescador
• Dates: 30 June-6 July April, 2025
• The official Race Notice and event schedule can be found here.
• All event information is here.

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A written report will be posted to the website at the end of the competition.