GWA Wingfoil World Cup Dakhla 2024 powered by Armstrong Foils concludes
by Ian MacKinnon 5 Oct 2024 18:55 BST
29 September - 6 October 2024
GWA Wingfoil World Cup Dakhla 2024 powered by Armstrong Foils © Zakaria Taberkant / Chris Besson
Spain's Elena Moreno and the US's Cash Berzolla were the women's and men's winners at the GWA Wingfoil World Cup Dakhla in Morocco at the close of an epic day of action in the right-hand break of Oum Lamboiur.
For Moreno the victory made it back-to-back wins on the GWA Wingfoil World Tour in the Wave discipline which leaves her top of the rankings going into the final stop of the season in Brazil later in October. But she was still digesting the win.
"Actually, I'm still assuming nothing," she said, right afterwards. "In the water you don't have time to analyse anything. I'll have to look at the images later. But I'm so excited to go to Brazil. Everyone says it's an amazing place, but I've never been."
Maui-based Berzolla again was an absolute sensation as he won the final in Dakhla, his second win there in succession. During his heats he scored a perfect 10-point wave and in the final finished with a remarkable 18.96 out of 20 for his two counting scores.
"[The win] is beyond words," said Berzolla. "A final with my best friend from Maui and I'm really stoked to take out the win again in Dakhla. I never expected to get a 10. I just go out there and do my best and when a wave comes I just hope everything works out."
Primed and ready
The fourth day of the GWA Wingfoil World Cup Dakhla 2024 powered by Armstrong Foils marked possibly the final days of contestable waves and the race director took the decision to run overlapping heats to get through the competition in time.
The 24 men and 11 women from 12 countries worldwide were primed and ready to go after several days of stop-start action that had got the men as far as Round 2 and the women to the semi-final stage.
The men opened the action and the big shock of Round 3 was that the winner of the opening round in Cape Verde in February, France's Malo Guénolé, was sent out by debutant Liam Coralle (USA).
In another quarter-final, Cash Berzolla came up against his close friend and Maui training partner Finn Spencer (CAN). But the gloves came off and Berzolla buried him with a perfect 10 that took his heat total to 19.63, the highest of competition.
Berzolla came up against Vinnicius Martins (BRA) in the first semi-final. But even though Martins had laid waste to strong opponents in the run up, he was no match for Berzolla and ended up in the mini-final, the run-off for third place.
Banging final
The 14-year-old Briton, Leon Schiel, was the youngest competitor in the world cup, but forged a way to the semi-final were he met Otis Buckingham. Schiel's inexperience got the better of him and he lost.
But in the mini-final Schiel had the edge on Brazil's Martins with a big wave score early on, even though he went down in a wave and struggled to get going in the light wind inside. It was historic win for the teenager.
The final was a banger. Berzolla came out firing and never really let up. His 'airs' on the faces and foil slides were uncompromising and he again chalked up 9-point plus scores that were just unbeatable.
His rival and buddy from Maui's North Shore, Buckingham did his best to stay in touch and made a good show with some big wave scores, but it was not quite enough in the end, though he was delighted with his first final.
"To me it just felt like a normal session out there," he said. "The wind picked and the waves started pulsing and the envelope was just draining and we were losing our minds because it was full-on barrels and we were just having a super-fun time."
Taught affair
In the women's semi-final Great Britain's Francesca Maini, a top kiteboarding Big Air athlete, was found slightly wanting after a stellar run in her debut GWA competition. In the mini-final she came up against Nia Suardiaz (ESP) and it was a close run thing, but the Spaniard took the third podium step.
The women's final was taught affair between Bowien van der Linden (NED) and Elena Moreno. The Spaniard started off slowly and was trailing before she punched out a big wave that helped her to the win.
Van der Linden had opened strongly with solid scores but could not find a reply that left her several points adrift. Still, she was delighted with her performance and another final in Dakhla.
"I've been in the final twice in Dakhla, so I was really hoping I would get a third chance," she said. " I really enjoyed the conditions. I love the wave here and I really think I've improved. I'm super-happy with my riding. Next year I will come again and show them what I can do."
In the meantime, the next stop is Brazil later this month. Join us then.
GWA Wingfoil World Cup Dakhla 2024 results
Men
1. Cash Berzolla (USA)
2. Otis Buckingham (USA)
3. Leon Schiel (GBR)
4. Vinnicius Martins (BRA)
Women
1. Elena Moreno (ESP)
2. Bowien van der Linden (NED)
3. Nia Suardiaz (ESP)
4. Francesca Maini (GBR)