Youth and experience shine at 4-Star Wissant Wave Classic
by International Windsurfing Tour 18 Sep 17:17 BST
12-20 September 2026
2026 Wissant 4-STAR World Cup Challenger Junior U18 Champion Javi Escribano from Spain © Nicolas Peltier
Two generations of riders took centre stage at the 4-STAR Wissant Wave Classic, with Spain's Javier Escribano Toribio claiming the Junior U18 title and Denmark's Michael Viscovich delivering a commanding performance to win the Masters 45+.
With the world's leading professional riders also battling through the main World Cup divisions, Wissant provided a perfect showcase of the depth of the sport - from some of the most exciting young talents in world windsurfing to a fiercely competitive Masters fleet.
Javier takes the junior title
Spain's Javier Escribano Toribio continued his outstanding 2026 season with victory in the Junior final, scoring 13.75 points to take the Wissant title.
Behind him came one of the brightest young talents in women's wave windsurfing, 16 year old Sol Degrieck of Belgium, who finished second with 10.03.
Degrieck had already made a major statement earlier in the competition, producing a 17.38 heat total - the highest score of the entire Junior division - before winning her semifinal and advancing to the deciding heat. In that semifinal Derrick defeated Escribano in a big upset. Escribano was rattled but came back strong in the final to take the title. Sol's performance was a powerful sign of things to come.
France's young riders completed the top four, with Julien Debat taking third on 7.85 and Thibault Moritz fourth on 7.12.
Junior results
1. Javier Escribano Toribio - Spain - 13.75
2. Sol Degrieck - Belgium - 10.03
3. Julien Debat - France - 7.85
4. Thibault Moritz - France - 7.12
For Javier, Wissant adds another major result to an exceptional year that has already seen him competing successfully across both the Junior and professional World Tour where he currently leads the Junior U18 World Rankings.
And for the Junior fleet as a whole, the level on display in Wissant offered another glimpse at just how strong the next generation of wave windsurfing is becoming.
Viscovich powers to Masters victory
At the other end of the competition spectrum, experience was on full display in an intensely competitive Masters division.
Denmark's Michael Viscovich was the standout rider, winning his opening heat, his semifinal and then completing the job in the final with a 14.37 point heat total.
Behind him, the battle for the remaining podium places could hardly have been closer.
Local French riders Sylvain Bourlard, Yann Sune and Stéphane Queniart fought all the way to the finish, with just 1.51 points separating second through fourth.
Bourlard secured second with 11.88, Sune took third with 11.35, and Queniart finished fourth on 10.37.
Masters results
1. Michael Viscovich - Denmark - 14.37
2. Sylvain Bourlard - France - 11.88
3. Yann Sune - France - 11.35
4. Stéphane Queniart - France - 10.37
One sport. Every generation.
The Junior and Masters competitions are an important part of what the World Windsurf Tour is building through the 5-STAR pyramid: creating a pathway that allows different generations of riders to compete, progress and be celebrated on the same world stage.
At Wissant, that vision was on full display.
Young riders were pushing the future of the sport. Masters were showing that world class competition and performance continue across generations. And all of it was happening alongside a star studded 4-STAR World Cup Challenger field packed with many of the biggest names in wave windsurfing.
With the Junior and Masters champions now crowned, attention turns back to the Pro Men and Pro Women as the Wissant Wave Classic moves toward its decisive final rounds.
Finals Day for the pro Men and Women is today. Watch it all LIVE on the HUB: worldwindsurftour.com
The future is flying. The Masters are still charging. And Wissant is delivering.