Philip Köster and Daida Ruano defend their titles at Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup
by Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup 11 Jul 10:10 BST
Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup day 6 © Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup
Pozo Izquierdo delivered another unforgettable day of competition as stronger winds finally arrived after the calima died down this Thursday, providing the ideal stage for an action-packed day at the Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup.
A packed beach watched as heat after heat unfolded, building towards spectacular professional finals that crowned familiar champions and produced several major surprises.
The day's action began at 9:00 a.m. with the Men's Under-21 Final, where local favourite Carlos Kiefer faced an in-form Gregory Stathopoulos.
Kiefer looked confident on the waves throughout the final, but the Greek rider dominated in the air. A perfectly executed double forward and one foot backloop earned Stathopoulos the highest scores of the heat and secured him the Under-21 title.
Daida Ruano writes another chapter in Pozo history
There are few stories in windsurfing quite like Daida Ruano's relationship with Pozo Izquierdo. The Gran Canaria icon, who is no longer competing regularly on the international tour, had to begin her campaign in the Challenger fleet before earning a place in the professional event. From there, she produced a flawless performance, winning every single heat she sailed—from the Challenger rounds through all qualifying heats and finally the women's professional final.
Despite the demanding conditions throughout the week, Ruano looked pretty comfortable on her local waters. However, multiple times world champion Sarah-Quita Offringa never seemed entirely comfortable in the challenging conditions. After narrowly securing her place in the final, the Aruban was unable to match Ruano's consistency in the title-deciding heat.
Alexia Kiefer completed the podium in third after making the most of her local knowledge to finish ahead of Belgium's Sol Degrieck. At just 16 years of age, Degrieck still has the opportunity to fight for the women's under-21 title, which will conclude on Friday.
Following her victory, an emotional Ruano said: "This is my 23rd victory here at Pozo Izquierdo. I've trained incredibly hard to be able to compete at this level again. I'd like to thank my coaches, my family, my friends and the organisers for all their support. Many times I've thought this is the last time... but I keep coming."
Köster holds off Paré in a dramatic men's final
The Men's Professional competition produced some of the biggest talking points of the event.The quarter-finals immediately delivered blockbuster match-ups, with Liam Dunkerbeck, Marino Gil, Philip Köster and Lennart Neubauer all lining up in the opening heat.
The first major upset came when Marino Gil narrowly missed out on qualification, losing by just 1.14 points after Dunkerbeck snatched the decisive score in the closing moments.
The surprises continued in the semi-finals. Marcilio Browne failed to reach the final, while Spain's Marc Paré and Miguel Chapuis advanced alongside Dunkerbeck and Köster.
The final itself proved to be one of the most exciting of the event. Although Köster and Dunkerbeck were widely expected to battle for the title, Marc Paré produced an outstanding late charge that almost changed the outcome. In the end, Köster held on by just 0.61 points to successfully defend the title he won in 2025.
During the prize-giving ceremony, event organiser Björn Dunkerbeck praised the standard of competition, highlighting that true professionals are those who can perform not only in Pozo's famously extreme winds but also when conditions are marginal and every point becomes even harder to earn.
Attention now turns to Friday, when the women's under-21 competition will conclude the event.
The Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup, part of the PWA World Tour, is sanctioned by the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation. The event is supported by Turismo de Islas Canarias, the Cabildo de Gran Canaria through Turismo de Gran Canaria and the Department of Sports, the Municipality of Santa Lucía de Tirajana, and Gloria Palace Hotel, together with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Monte Feliz powered by Playitas, Centro Comercial Atlántico, Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias, 7iFilm.com, Gran Canaria Blu, Poema del Mar, Ejove Lab, Provital, Bazar Ani, Bahía Grill, Jaklar, WS, AS Acción, Surf Magazine, Wind, Windsurf TV and Daily Dose.
Women's Professional Results
1. Daida Ruano (ESP) - 13.95
2. Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU) - 12.33
3. Alexia Kiefer (ESP) - 9.30
Men's Professional Results
1. Philip Köster (GER) - 17.90
2. Marc Paré (ESP) - 17.29
3. Miguel Chapuis (ESP) - 13.98
Men's U21 Results
1. Gregory Stathopoulos (GRE) - 16.70
2. Carlos Kiefer (ESP) - 13.43
3. Takumi Moriya (JPN) - 11.14