Greek Tsortanidis and German Engelmann win the iQFoil International Games in Torbole
by Elena Giolai 18 Oct 2023 11:34 BST
10-15 October 2023
2023 iQFoil International Games Torbole, final day © Elena Giolai
In Torbole, on Garda Trentino, with the organisation of the Circolo Surf Torbole, the iQFoil International Games came to an end with a beautiful morning north wind after five days full of regattas, despite the anomalous temperatures for the season.
On Sunday morning, the last exciting races were held as scheduled with the medal series (quarter-finals, semifinals), which decided the three finalists for men and women. Four course races, six sprint slaloms, a marathon race plus the medal series ensured a complete event with all the disciplines covered. As often happens, the medal series reserved a few surprises in both the men's and women's fields, with a few exclusions from the podium of those who had always gravitated to the very top, such as France's Borgeois and Norway's World Youth Champion Funnemark among the men and Czech Svikova among the women.
In the men's field, Turkey's Biriz, leading from day one and with direct access to the final, was defeated by Greece's Tsortanidis. This shows the importance of getting into the top 10 in the qualifying, as the knockout finals cancel out the qualifying scores, allowing the top 10 to compete for the podium. Tsortanidis won, followed by Biriz and third Frenchman Yun Pouliquen. Jacopo Renna, who entered the medal series, failed to make it through the first round and finished tenth.
Among the women, solid victory for Germany's Engelmann, who, apart from one day, was always the leader; she always maintained the podium positions, taking second place in the final round by Turkey's Uralp Palombo, and Switzerland's Elena Sandera took third place, ousting Czech Svikova.
Last Saturday was a nice glass of wine at the Circolo Surf Torbole to say goodbye to those who will soon not be present at training sessions due to the arrival of the colder season. A convivial moment wanted by coach Dario Pasta for athletes and families of the competitive teams before the end-of-year meeting during which the 2024 sports calendar will be presented. But for some, the races are not over yet! In fact, some days are preparing for the iQfoil Youth and Junior World Championships in Cadiz (20-28 October), to which many Circolo Surf Torbole athletes have been summoned directly by the Italian Sailing Federation; all the more reason to wish "good wind" to all the summoned athletes.
Check full results here