2026 Gran Canaria GLORIA World Cup - Day 5
by International Windsurfing Tour 10 Jul 21:32 BST
4-12 July 2026
2026 Gran Canaria GLORIA World Cup - Day 5 © John Carter
In front of a roaring home crowd at the world's most famous wave sailing arena, Gran Canaria's own Philip Köster and Daida Ruano Moreno claimed victory at the Gran Canaria GLORIA Windsurf World Cup, delivering a fairytale double for the island that built them.
The 5-Star World Wave Tour event, hosted by windsurfing icon Björn Dunkerbeck, produced a finals day of extraordinary drama at Pozo Izquierdo, with the sport's biggest names trading blows in the wind blasted conditions that have made this stretch of coast legendary.
Men's Final: Köster answers the challenge
Philip Köster (GER), the five time world champion raised on these very waves, held off a ferocious charge from Spain's Marc Paré Rico to win the men's title, 17.90 to 17.29. Miguel Chapuis (ESP) took third with 13.98, while 18-year-old Liam Dunkerbeck (ESP) - son of 42 x World Champion event host Björn Dunkerbeck - capped a breakthrough event in fourth.
The semifinals were among the tightest ever sailed at Pozo. Dunkerbeck stunned the field by winning Semifinal 1 with 18.15, edging up on the scores of even Köster (18.02) and Brazilian powerhouse Marcilio Browne (17.75) - three sailors separated by just 0.40 points. In Semifinal 2, Paré posted the highest heat score of the day, a commanding 19.17, ahead of Chapuis (18.00), with Takuma Sugi (JPN) and local hero Víctor Fernández (ESP) bowing out.
"I'm really happy with the win in the final! I had all my family here on the beach so I'm really happy about it. Yeah, I'm really stoked! Also my daughters are really, it's nice to see, I win for them ha ha!" - Philip Köster.
Women's Final: Ruano untouchable at home
In the women's final, Daida Ruano Moreno (ESP) - the most decorated female wave sailor in history - was simply untouchable, scoring 13.95 to defeat Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU, 12.33), Alexia Kiefer Quintana (ESP, 9.30) and Belgium's Sol Degrieck (9.09).
Ruano's path to the title was emphatic: her 19.25 in Semifinal 2 was the highest score of the entire finals day, men or women. Degrieck announced herself as the sport's next force by winning Semifinal 1 with 17.88 ahead of Kiefer Quintana, with Maria Behrens (GER) and Justyna Sniady (POL) eliminated.
"Of course the girls are sailing great, so you never know in competition... I'm just exited to compete in my home spot and enjoy the conditions!" - Daida Ruano Moreno
A landmark event for the World Windsurf Tour
The Gran Canaria GLORIA Windsurf World Cup marks a milestone for the World Windsurf Tour: a 5-Star World Wave Tour event delivered with full live broadcast production, global press distribution, and a field spanning four continents - from established world champions to the next generation of teenage talent.
Every heat was streamed live on the WWT HUB and broadcast to partner networks, with the event reaching record discovery audiences across WWT's social channels.
"The cream always rises to the top!" Björn Dunkerbeck, Host Organiser
"The Pozo community is strong and the event has a power to it that is undeniable." Simeon Glasson, WWT Commissioner
Final Results - Gran Canaria GLORIA Windsurf World Cup 2026
Men's Final
1. Philip Köster (GER) - 17.90
2. Marc Paré Rico (ESP) - 17.29
3. Miguel Chapuis (ESP) - 13.98
4. Liam Dunkerbeck (ESP) -11.13
Women's Final
1. Daida Ruano Moreno (ESP) - 13.95
2. Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU) - 12.33
3. Alexia Kiefer Quintana (ESP) - 9.30
4. Sol Degrieck (BEL) - 9.09
The World Windsurf Tour continues with The Tenerife World Cup coming up July 31 - August 9.