Reigning senior Surf-Freestyle title holder makes early exit as new face scoops FreeFly-Slalom crown at Youth World Championships
GWA Youth Wingfoil World Championships La Palma, Canary Islands
27-30 June, 2024 | Playa de Santa Cruz de La Palma
The one-stop GWA Youth Wingfoil World Championships 2024 crowned eight teenaged winners after four days of intense FreeFly-Slalom and Surf-Freestyle action in occasionally tricky conditions in the Canary Islands, Spain.
But on the closing day of competition the biggest shock came when the reigning senior Surf-Freestyle World Champion, the US’s Chris MacDonald, was knocked out in the U19 semi-final.
That left the door open for France’s Axel Gerard, who recently turned 16 and has been grabbing podiums on the GWA Wingfoil World Tour, to take the U19 Surf-Freestyle crown in La Palma.
Gerard got the better of the young Spaniard, Xavi Corr, who took the second podium step. Tomas Acherer (AUT), a new arrival on the senior Tour, took third, while his twin brother Aleksander made it to the semi-final.
Dramatic volcanic backdrop
It was the second successive year that La Palma, with its dramatic volcanic backdrop and black sand beaches, has played host to the GWA Youth Worlds. Fifty-five young riders from 12 countries around the world made the journey in search of glory.
In the female U19 Surf-Freestyle discipline, the only division as the younger riders were moved up from lower age groups to make up the numbers, the Spanish senior World Champion Nia Suardiaz was predictably dominant and easily took the win.
But Suardiaz was pushed by two French riders, Enoha Laurent, who took second, and Eulalie Thébault, the third place. They were part of a large contingent from France supported by the FFV national sailing federation and top wingfoilers, Orane Ceris and Alan Fedit.
Suardiaz was similarly dominant in the hunt for the U19 FreeFly-Slalom discipline title. The Spanish teenager landed the crown after winning all 11 elimination rounds, followed by Austria’s Viola Lippitsch in second.
Locked together
The male U19 FreeFly-Slalom crown was taken by a new face, Tom Pansard (FRA), who pushed his fellow-countryman, Axel Gerard, into second spot, with the Canary local, Ancor Sosa (ESP) in third.
In the U16 Surf-Freestyle division Spain’s Nathan Berger got his nose in front of his three French rivals in the final to get the crown. Luca Vuillermet led the French charge, just ahead of Ezio Bastianelli and Jules Laffargue.
Luca Vuillermet got back on top in the hunt for the U16 FreeFly-Slalom title, just getting the better of Britain’s Leon Schiel and Stepan Beneš (CZE) over 11 hard-fought elimination rounds.
The fight for the U14 Surf-Freestyle and FreeFly-Slalom titles saw Marius Laffargue (FRA) and Benjamin Castenskiold (DEN) locked together. Laffargue took the crown ahead of Castenskiold in the Surf-Freestyle battle. The young Dane turned the tables to take the FreeFly-Slalom win, just pipping his French rival.
words: Ian MacKinnon
images: Lucas Tozzi
GWA Youth Wingfoil World Championships 2024 results
U14 Surf-Freestyle (male)
1 Marius Laffargue (FRA)
2 Benjamin Castenskiold (DEN)
3 Kalle Dinant (NED)
4 Sam Rossmeier (ESP)
U16 Surf-Freestyle (male)
1 Nathan Berger (ESP)
2 Luca Vuillermet (FRA)
3 Ezio Bastianelli (FRA)
4 Jules Laffargue (FRA)
U19 Surf-Freestyle (male)
1 Axel Gerard (FRA)
2 Xavier Corr (ESP)
3 Tomas Acherer (AUT)
4 Clément Hamon (FRA)
U19 Surf-Freestyle (female)
1 Nia Suardiaz (ESP)
2 Enoha Laurent (FRA)
3 Eulalie Thébault (FRA)
4 Viola Lippitsch (AUT)
U14 FreeFly-Slalom (male)
1 Benjamin Castenskiold (DEN)
2 Marius Laffargue (FRA)
3 Sam Rossmeier (ESP)
U16 FreeFly-Slalom (male)
1 Luca Vuillermet (FRA)
2 Leon Schiel (GBR)
3 Stepan Beneš (CZE)
U19 FreeFly-Slalom (male)
1 Tom Pansard (FRA)
2 Axel Gerard (FRA)
3 Ancor Sosa (ESP)
U19 FreeFly-Slalom (female)
1 Nia Suardiaz (ESP)
2 Viola Lippitsch (AUT)
3 Enoha Laurent (FRA)
