GWA Wingfoil World Cup Fortaleza | Superfoil Brazil | Day Five

20th of November, 2021

Report Gemma Hamaini Photos Svetlana Romantsova Video Mintautas Grigas

Day 5 at Superfoil Brazil was all about the full-speed racing action. Fortaleza continued to dish out some perfect racing conditions today with 18- 20 knots of wind and perfect sunny skies, the stage was set for a long day of racing.

Yesterday one full elimination was completed for the men, with Titouan Galea taking the win. Today we completed another full three eliminations, bringing the total to four, with one discard allowed. Titouan was unstoppable today, winning all the finals except for one, proving that he is a very versatile and capable athlete.

On the women’s side, two full eliminations were completed yesterday, with Paula Novotna winning one, and Olivia Piana the other. Today we completed a further five, with two discards allowed. Olivia Piana produced a polished display of racing, winning all of the Women’s Finals.

Men’s Elimination 2

Titouan Galea got off to a flying start for the final of Elimination 2, and maintained his strong lead throughout the race. Francesco Cappuzzo managed to advance ahead of the pack and place himself in 2nd, with Hugo Marin breathing down his neck right up to the finish line. It was a close call, but it was Titouan in 1st, Francesco 2nd, and Hugo in 3rd. 

Men’s Elimination 3

Once again we saw Titouan Galea first through the start, and he managed to clear his way around the first mark, just before a chaotic mass collision saw many riders go down and lose valuable time. Titouan looked to be set for another win, yet Hugo Marin blasted his way out of nowhere to overtake him just before the finish line, leaving Titouan to settle for 2nd place, and Camille Bouyer in 3rd. 

Men’s Elimination 4

Titouan Galea put on a show for the final of Elimination 4, throwing out a massive backflip right in front of the pack at the start of the race. It didn’t cost him time, however, as he was back in the lead within moments. Hugo Marin and Francesco Cappuzzo were left to battle for 2nd, but it was Hugo Marin who gained the lead on the final reach, leaving Francesco to settle for 3rd. 

“I was leading at the start, with Hugo right behind me,” explained Titouan. “He said, hey, do a backflip! So I said, of course! So I did a backflip right in front of him, so it was fun. I managed to win the race anyway, but I wasn’t too worried as I knew I had a discard. Honestly, there was a lot of racing today, and we were so close to each other. I like it. I really enjoyed the course. So now I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s expression session.”

Women’s Elimination 3

Olivia Piana had another successful win for Elimination 3, holding yet another solid lead. Bowien van der Linden made a good comeback after a bad start and took 2nd place, followed by Paula Novotna in 3rd. 

Women’s Elimination 4

Once again it was French athlete Olivia Piana first through the start, proving to be unreachable during this final. Bowien van der Linden managed to push her way up into second, whilst there was a tight fight for the 3rd, which was finally claimed by Paula Novotna.

Women’s Elimination 5

It was a tighter race for the final of Elimination 5, where Olivia didn’t get her usual lead ahead of the pack right from the start. Orane Ceris and Paula Novotna were close behind her fighting for 2nd, with Paula managing to speed ahead and overtake her on the downwind reach. Olivia claimed yet another win, with Paula taking 2nd, and Bowien van der Linden managed to advance into 3rd.

Women’s Elimination 6

Bowien van der Linden was first across the start for the final of Elimination 6, but Olivia took the lead straight after the first mark. This time it was Marcella Witt who was close behind her with a strong start, but she couldn’t maintain the speed. Olivia Piana cleared through the finish line with a very strong lead, and Bowien van der Linden managed to fight her way back up to take 2nd place, and Kylie Zarmati claimed 3rd. 

Women’s Elimination 7

For the final race of the day, Olivia stormed through the entire course, and again showed the crowds that she is unstoppable here in Brazil, showing so much confidence and strategic racing. Orane Ceris managed to creep her way up to 2nd place, and Brazilian rider Lidiane Viana Sanders took the 3rd position. 

“I’m so motivated to do my best as always, and I’m very happy to be fully recovered from my injury,” said Olivia. “I had a lot of fun racing, and the girls are all pushing really hard. I’ve done a lot of race training, and this has helped a lot. The level of women has really gone up in a short time. I never did any freestyle or wave before, so I didn’t expect much from here. I was amazed by the performance of the other women. They are pushing the sport further. Winging is such a good sport, as it can be done everywhere. It’s so good to see so many women starting in this new sport.”

Men final standings for this event:

1st Titouan Galea (NCL)

2nd Hugo Marin (FRA)

3rd Francesco Cappuzzo (ITA)

Women’s final standings for this event:

1st Olivia Piana (FRA)

2nd Bowien van der Linden (NDL)

3rd Paula Novotna (CZE)

South American Championships

The GWA Wingfoil Race South American Championship has also been completed here throughout the week, where we have had 9 men and 4 women registered to compete in the Race Discipline. Marcella Witt from Brazil (Women), Alvaro Cadena from Colombia (Men Masters), Riccardo Leccese from Colombia (Open Men) took the win at this continental championship in Brazil.

The overall rankings for the GWA Wingfoil World Tour can be viewed here. Don’t forget that there is still one more stop left in Tarifa, Spain from the 27th to the 30th of December to finish off the season.

Tomorrow the action here in Fortaleza continues with an expression session starting at 1pm local time. Be sure to follow our live-stream, live-ticker, and live-scoring on our website: www.wingfoilworldtour.com/live/

Check our Instagram stories for regular behind-the-scenes updates throughout the competition.