Report from day Two – Sotavento, Fuerteventura
Surf-Freestyle winners crowned in Fuerteventura
- Yesterday we completed the Surf-Freestyle discipline in Sotavento
- Suardiaz and Macdonald took the win for the second time in a row on the Canary Islands
- Monday is all about FreeFly-Slalom action, FPS will be at 12pm (GMT -1)
MEN’S ROUND 5, SEMI FINALS & FINAL:
Day two of the competition saw the closing heats of the Surf-Freestyle discipline played out in gusty conditions on Sotavento’s turquoise waters that served up some kickers as the tide pushed up, a perfect playground for the wingfoil athletes.
Seventeen-year-old MacDonald, from Oregon’s Hood River, seems unstoppable after he charged to the final and dominated the last heat at the GWA Wingfoil World Cup Fuerteventura at Sotavento.
But Spanish-Belgian rider, Jerome Cloetens, 27, was the surprise sensation of the two days of Surf-Freestyle action. Cloetens edged it over reigning Surf-Freestyle world champion, Malo Guénolé, 18, in an epic final to take the second podium place and split the teenage young guns.
“The heat was getting tighter and tighter because Luca [Vuillermet] was ripping,” said Cloetens. “When he threw that 900 I thought I really need to stay focused. It was the most fun heat of the whole event. I felt so comfortable out there. I was just in a state of flow. I landed almost every trick, so I just really enjoyed that.”
WOMEN’S ROUND 1, SEMI FINALS & FINALS:
Suardiaz, 16, was totally dominant again to secure the win in the four-way women’s final in Sotavento, though the Dutch former world champion, Bowien van der Linden pushed hard the keep the young rider within range and took second place.
But it was Suardiaz who showed the way. She put some good numbers on the board, like 6.0 for Frontside 3. She kept her composure and earned 7.07 for a Combo and got her first Back Flip in competition for an 8.03 that was enough to give her victory.
“I‘m extremely happy to have won the 5th GWA Wingfoil World Cup Fuerteventura [here in Sotavento]. My heat went really good and I landed all my tricks that I wanted to land and I’m extremely happy and thankful for my sponsors and my family being here.” – Suardiaz said.
Words: Ian MacKinnon
Photo: Lukas K Stiller
