Even the ever-calm race officer, Michal Jodlowski, couldn’t keep the crackle of excitement out of his voice as he announced a short postponement to racing over the radio this afternoon.
The fleet were promised a marine wonderland, and the Azores delivered in abundance on day 2 of the event.
After Wednesday’s storm, the sun returned, bringing blue skies and a light breeze of around eight knots – a touch gentle for most riders, but perfect spectator weather for the pod of dolphins that gathered to watch the first day of racing.
© IWSA media/Robert Hajduk
Kiwi teenager makes his mark
A new star has emerged in the men’s fleet: 17-year-old Kosta Gladiadis from New Zealand, revelled in the light conditions at his first major WingFoil Racing competition. Gladiadis claimed an impressive six wins from eight races.
He may have added more to his tally had he not been caught in the aftermath of a start-line collision in race 5 which saw Poland’s Bartosz Peczka and Ukraine’s Platon Kuzmenko crash heavily .
© IWSA media/Robert Hajduk
Gladiadis arrived in the Azores fresh from training at the Red Bull Academy in Monfalcone, Italy, where he met fellow competitor Ernesto De Amicis for the first time. The Italian proved equally consistent today, finishing in the top three in all but one race to sit just behind Gladiadis in the standings.
Light airs for the girls’ fleet
The girls’ competition struggled to ignite in the lighter winds, and only three races were completed. Claire Tian Yu Tse of Hong Kong, the newly crowned Asian Youth Champion, handled the tricky conditions best, taking two victories to end the day at the top of the leaderboard.
Tight battle in the Masters
In the Masters fleet, it was a day of highs and lows for Alberto Cocchi, who dominated the morning session to take the overall lead but faltered badly in the afternoon. His misfortune opened the door for Great Britain’s Chris Rashley, who now sits just two points adrift of Cocchi. The rest of the fleet will need to find another gear if they are to close the 14-point gap separating Rashley from third-placed Enrico Tonon.
© IWSA media/Robert Hajduk
A boost for the Azores
With 60 competitors and their support teams gathering on the island of Terceira for the Wingfoil Racing Youth and Masters World Championships, the event is bringing both colour and commerce to the region.
Local organiser Carlos Borges praised the support from regional authorities: “We’ve had support from the Azorean government. The Azores are an autonomous region of Portugal, so the local government is more free to decide how to spend their budget.”
He added that the championships are about more than just sport: “It’s great to see so many here and obviously it’s good for the local economy. But more than that, these are the sorts of tourists we want to attract. They’re young and love nature and are connected to it through their sport. I think this is the future of tourism. I hope they go back home and tell people about the Azores and more people like them will come.”
© IWSA media/Robert Hajduk
As the dolphins disappeared back beneath the waves and the sun began to dip over the Atlantic, this day of racing in the Azores was proof, if ever it were needed, that nature and sport can make a perfect team.
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