Please select your home edition
Edition
P&B
Product Feature
Sailingfast YETI Rambler 10 Oz Mug – Seafoam
Sailingfast YETI Rambler 10 Oz Mug – Seafoam

2020 Zoo Station Croatia PWA Slalom World Tour

by 1080 Media 20 Jul 2020 16:10 BST
2020 Zoo Station Croatia PWA Slalom World Tour © Wozniak / www.PWAWorldTour.com

Victories for Jenna Gibson (GBR) & Maciek Rutkowski (POL)

The 2020 Zoo Station Croatia PWA Slalom World Tour event proved a massive success with Bol Island producing 5 days racing out of a possible 6. Over the course of the last 6 days 12 Men's Eliminations, 13 Women's Slalom Eliminations & 6 Women's Foil Eliminations were able to be completed in solid conditions, while just returning to the racecourse represents a major step in the right direction after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bol is a small beautiful seaside town on the island Brac in Dalmatia, the central part of the Croatian coast. It is most known, besides being one of the few places in Croatia with constant thermal winds, by the beautiful beach the Golden Horn, shaped like an arrow whose top changes directions in line with the direction of the wind.

During the entire summer, when the weather is sunny and stable, Bol is blessed by a thermal wind called Maestral, blowing every day around 15 to 20 knots side-shore between approximately 1pm and 6pm.

Women's

Jenna Gibson (Fanatic / Duotone) was the clear standout sailor of the week in the Women's fleet as the 22-year-old reeled off 13 consecutive bullets to claim a landslide victory in the Slalom, whilst she also produced an excellent comeback on the foil to claim the Foil event title. Gibson had trailed Alice Read (Patrik / Severne) by 0.7 of a point, but a victory in the last elimination of the week saw her pip Read to the title - with Read only managing to finish 3rd and eventually losing out by the same margin.

The Women's Slalom podium is completed by Palma Cargo and Alice Read, while the Women's Foil podium is completed by Read and Adéla Rašková.

Men's

With no wind on the final day, that means that Maciek Rutkowski (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails) walks away from the opening event of the year with a first victory on the world tour. Rutkowski will be delighted to have carried his excellent form from last year into the new season. The Pole finishes the event with an impressive record of 7 victories from 12, whilst only finishing outside the top 3 to cap a dominant performance.

The homegrown talent of - Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde) - couldn't quite find a way to overpower Rutkowski, so the Croat doesn't walk away from his home event with the top spot, but he still claimed a solid second place, just ahead of Italy's Bruno Martini (Future Fly / Challenger Sails / Starboard Foil), who completes the podium. Marotti and Martini were both able to win several eliminations each (3 for Marotti & 2 for Martini), but a few costly errors ultimately cost them a shot at the title.

The top 5 is completed by last year's PWA Youth Slalom World Champion - Basile Jacquin (I-99 / Point-7) - and Luka Mratovic (Fanatic / Duotone / Starboard Foil).

That concludes the first event of the 2020 PWA World Tour and we hope you enjoyed the return to action - congratulations to all the winners.

Overall Results: (top three)

Men Slalom
1. Maciek Rutkowski (Poland - POL-23) 8.9pts
2. Enrico Marotti (Croatia - CRO-401) 17.1pts
3. Bruno Martini (Italy - ITA-160) 20.4pts

Women Slalom
1. Jenna Gibson (Great Britain - GBR-96) 7.0pts
2. Palma Cargo (Croatia - CRO-751) 24.0pts
3. Alice Read (Great Britain - GBR-248) 34.0pts

Women FOIL
1. Jenna Gibson (Great Britain - GBR-96) 6.8pts
2. Alice Read (Great Britain - GBR-248) 7.4pts
3. Adela Raskova (Czech Republic - CZE-77) 14.0pts

Full results here.

Full daily stories here.

Related Articles

O'pen Skiff World Championship in Japan
Team USA delivers a solid performance Five US sailors traveled to Nishinomiya, Japan for six days of challenging conditions, hot temperatures, and world class sailing. USA sailor Lucas Doran was in third place in the U17 fleet before the final day of racing. Posted on 24 Jul
Less than 48 hours to Rolex Fastnet Race
Battle lines are being drawn up Battle lines are being drawn up for the RORC's centenary Rolex Fastnet Race. As the final day of Admiral's Cup inshore racing took place in the Solent, so several yachts due to take part in Saturday's main event were out training. Posted on 24 Jul
A Day at the WASZP Games
Video interviews with some of the sailors and supporters of the class The WASZP Games 2025, being held at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy in the UK, has attracted 248 of the foiling dinghies to take part in a week of varied and high intensity racing. Posted on 24 Jul
Admiral's Cup David Maynard Thursday Gallery
First race of the day, captured for our viewing pleasure David Maynard was out on the water to catch the action from the first on Thursday of the Admiral's Cup Inshore Racing. Posted on 24 Jul
Tornado Open, Mixed & Youth Worlds day 4
Despite the shake-up in results, Mavros and Parianos continue to lead Two more races were completed today on the fourth racing day of the championship. After yesterday's well-deserved rest day—spent under the sun and by the beach—the fleet returned to the water, eager for action. Posted on 24 Jul
Snipe Women's World Championship day 1
Racing in a quintessential Enoshima southwester with big waves After a practice race yesterday, racing got under way today in a quintessential Enoshima southwester with big waves and breeze starting about 14 knots and building to 16 or 17 with a few higher puffs. Posted on 24 Jul
View the line up for Cannes Yachting Festival
The Ancasta team will be showcasing 33 brand-new yachts Join us this autumn in the stunning bay of Cannes to discover the latest innovations from the world's leading yacht manufacturers. The Ancasta team will be showcasing 33 brand-new yachts, including seven World Premieres. Posted on 24 Jul
World Sailing's inaugural Impact Report
Charting a new course for a sustainable future in sport World Sailing, the global governing body for the sport of sailing, today released its first Impact Report, a comprehensive overview of the federation's significant progress in environmental sustainability and social contribution. Posted on 24 Jul
Yoann Richomme returns to Fastnet
Says Elodie Bonafous' is the boat to beat This weekend's biennial Rolex Fastnet Race - one of the oldest classics in sailing - sees the IMOCA Class return to the racetrack, with eight boats on the startline on Saturday for what is the second round of this year's IMOCA Globe Series Championship. Posted on 24 Jul
2025 iQFOiL Youth & Junior Worlds kicks off
Over 20 races scheduled across eight days, with the world's top young windsurfers chasing the title The world's fastest young windsurfers are arriving in Brittany as the 2025 iQFOiL Youth & Junior World Championships get under way in Brest. Posted on 24 Jul