Cup on Fuerteventura. For the first time in the
35-year history of the event, slalom races here can be done with either a fin
or a foil under the tail of the board. The all-important question of whether
windsurfing or windfoiling is faster was answered differently by the women and
men. The multiple freestyle, wave and slalom world
champion Sarah-Quita Offringa from Aruba decided in favour of the fin under the
windsurfing board and proved that this was the right choice with three
victories in the four races of the first of five regatta days. Only in the last
final was Spain's Blanca Alabau (E-3) able to escape her and save a narrow lead
to the finish on the foil. The men's race was a different story. Almost
all of the 36 participants decided to compete with foil boards. Taty Frans
(NB-9) from Bonaire stayed true to the fin and mixed in the field of today's
superior Foilers. With his setup, he managed a seventh place in the final of
the first race round, but is in 19th place overall in the addition of both
eliminations. Dutchman Jordy Vonk (NED-69) switched from foil to fin in the
meantime and reached 15th place in the ranking with this combination. With stronger winds and more swell, this
picture could change, as more riders are then likely to reach for the fin. The leader of the 2023 Slalom Tour ranking,
Poland's Maciek Rutkowski (POL-23), got off to a great start today with victory
in the first race, but then faltered in the final runs of the second round. In
the end, a collision with Italian Matteo Iachino (ITA-140), which was not his
fault, meant that he only finished 16th in the second elimination. Overall,
this results in fifth place after the opening day at Sotavento Beach. The best German rider is currently Michele
Becker in 9th place. After an early exit in the first round, he not only made
it to the final in the second elimination, but also finished second there. The slalom competition