Under bright alpine sunshine and with winds building from a gentle 8 knots in the morning to a punchy 21 knots by afternoon, round two of the Wingfoil World Cup Series got underway in the stunning setting of Lake Silvaplana, Switzerland.
© IWSA media/Robert Hajbuk
Set at 1,800 metres above sea level, the picturesque village of Silvaplana welcomed 54 riders from 13 countries and 4 continents. While the atmosphere onshore was warm and welcoming, conditions on the lake are challenging, with snowy peaks casting wind shadows and shifting breezes across the icy 12°C waters.
© IWSA media/Robert Hajduk
All eyes were on this high-altitude battleground as the world’s best wingfoilers took to the water for four long-distance races, each around 6.5 miles, with the ever-thrilling rabbit starts behind a speedboat kicking off the action.
© IWSA media/Robert Hajduk
Among them was the overall series leader Maddalena Spanu of Italy. The 18 year old was thrilled to be back after weeks in the classroom preparing for exams. However, day one didn’t start as planned – a cut to her hand and a fourth-place finish in the first race left her a little shaken. The Italian language student regrouped quickly, showing the consistency that’s made her the woman to beat. By day's end, she had climbed to the top of the women’s leaderboard as the overnight leader.
© IWSA media/Robert Hajduk
In the men’s fleet, Frenchman Mathis Ghio – winner of Round One and newly crowned European Champion – was expected to control proceedings. But a rookie had other plans.
New Zealand’s Sean Herbert, competing in his first World Cup Series event, shook the fleet with a jaw-dropping debut. Fresh off a training camp in the USA, he stormed to victory in both first and second race, beating Ghio by a commanding 46 seconds in the opener and edging him out in a photo finish in Race Two. His performance places him top the men’s standings overnight, riding a Chubanga foil with style and precision.
© IWSA media/Robert Hajduk
Italy’s Alessandro Tomasi also joined the winners’ circle, claiming the win in Race Three. Poland’s Kamil Manowiecki claimed the day’s final contest.
In the women’s competition, Czech rider Kristyna Chalupnikova impressed with a breakout performance – notching up one win and three second-place finishes and clearly signalling her intent to battle for podium places all week.
© IWSA media/Robert Hajduk
With forecasts predicting increasingly extreme conditions as the week unfolds, the scene is set for a thrilling week ahead, reaching the grand finale on Saturday, 14 June, with the highly anticipated medal series, where champions will be crowned.
Fans can follow every moment of the Ensis ENGEDINWING 2025 WingFoil Racing World Cup Switzerland in real-time, as races are tracked live, with updates and insights shared across all official IWSA channels.
