iQFoil International Games started on 19th of October 2020, in Campione, Lake Garda. This new Olympic windsurfing class is knowing a growing interest and success. We report here the chronicle of race days, which IQFoil International Games Communication office is sending us.

 

Windsurfing, regattas: iQFoil International Games, Campione, Lake Garda

 

 

Fierce competition on Day one of the iQFoil International Games in Campione, Lake Garda, for the almost 200 riders coming from 29 nations, at what it was supposed to be the first IQFoil World Championship for the Paris 2024 Olympic sail board. A revolution for Olympic windsurfing, now foiling over the waves instead of surfing them, faster and with a new format: not just the windward-leeward racecourse, still run when the wind is above 10 knots, but a Sprint Slalom – very familiar to athletes coming from the PWA and foiling generation – and even a Marathon. Two worlds are converging here in the IQFoil; the very tactical, technical and light weighted RS:Xers and the powerful, strong and skilled riders from the PWA circuit. The level of energy is sky-high, with everyone thrilled to see who, from both worlds, will better perform in a big fleet, and with everyone just excited to be back racing. 

 

 

 

Four Course races finished for both men and women – with the men divided into two 59 board fleets – in the morning with a nice 15-20 knots ‘Peler’, the local AM wind from the North, and choppy water state. Four bullets for Nicholas Goyard (FRA), third at the Europeans in August in Engadin, in the men blue fleet, closely followed by Sebastian Koerdel always second, and second at the European Championship. Whilst the yellow fleet is more open, with Pierre Le Coq (FRA), European champion Kiran Badloe (NED) and Nicolas’s brother, Thomas Goyard (FRA) alternating in the lead. In the provisional men overall the top three are Nicholas Goyard, Sebastian Koerdel and Pierre Le Coq.
The Women European champion Helen Noesmoen (FRA) won three out of today’s four races and is leading at the end of the day, but fellow countrywoman Delphine Cousin isn’t far behind in second overall, and the very young and talented Islay Watson (GBR), who was the runner-up at the Europeans, in third.

After a short wait ashore for the ‘Ora’ to fill in from the South, the 184 athletes headed back on the water for an afternoon session of Sprint Slalom with 6-8 knots. One round of qualifications and one of finals, with Sebastian Koerdel (GER) winning in the blue fleet and Bruno Martini (ITA) in the yellow.

 

 

“I am really happy of my first day here in Lake Garda - comments Nicholas Goyard (FRA) – I did better in the Race Course than the Slalom, even though coming from PWA I am more accustomed to Slalom, even though I do like the Course; it’s got different tactics and a different way of sailing, they are complementary and I don’t prefer one or the other. 

“I have been sailing against my brother for about a year as he has joined some of the PWA events, and we will be preparing together for the qualification to the Paris Olympic Games.”

“Long day today, it was wavy and hard, both morning and afternoon – says Sebastian Koerdel (GER) – but it’s great we could get in so many races and we had lots of fun. I am happy about my speed in the slalom, more than my gybes, I’ve had a good fight with Matteo (Iachino) and looking forward to tomorrow.”

Tomorrow, Day two of the IQFoil International Games organised by the iQFoil Class and Univela Campione, the first signal is scheduled to blow at 9am with the long distance race planned for the 184 competitors who will race on Lake Garda until Saturday October 24^th when the Medal Series among the best 12 boarders of the week will take place.

Hang loose.

Click here, to enjoy the whole photo gallery of race days.

 

 

Plenty of races in the books on Day two of the the iQFOiL International Games at Univela Sailing in Campione, Lake Garda, consolidating its reputation of an ideal spot for sailing. The morning began as planned with the women starting at 9:30 for the Marathon race, one of the three formats of the new Olympic sail board; the men followed in right after at 9:40. The wind was very light when everybody arrived to the club before racing, but it picked up as the sun came up from behind the tall mountains that surround the beautiful Italian lake, burning away the morning fog.

A fascinating ‘rabbit start’ for both men and women, racing separately, who were for the first time experimenting with the long distance format in a very big fleet. The course consisted of a six nautical mile long upwind to Capo Reamol, then a downwind towards the beautiful castle in Malcesine, sitting on the opposite side from Univela Sailing in Campione. 8 to 10 knots on the racecourse from the North with the typical ‘Peler’, known and appreciated by all the sailors who are familiar with these shores. It was a classic situation where the rich got richer, and the ones who started well kept the lead all the way down to the finish. Kiran Badloe (NED), Rytis Jasunias (LTU) and Alexander Cousin (FRA) were the top three in the men, with Belgian Steven van Broeckhoven in fourth – all coming from different backgrounds: a RS:X sailor, two from the PWA and a world champion in freestyle. In the women the best one was Israeli Noy Drihan, followed by two Polish riders, Maja Dziarnowska and Karolina Lipinska; with last night overall leader Helene Noesmoen finishing in fourth.

 

 

“I had a really bad start, but I managed to make up on the upwind – commented Steven Van Broeckhoven – I was pumping a lot because I was afraid I would be last, and this brought me among the top ten at the upwind mark, then had no idea in which position I would be downwind, I was just working hard to be as fast as possible, and I was very please to find myself in fourth position!

“I am actually a freestyler, I’ve been competing for more than 10 years in the PWA freestyle, I am the 2011 World Champion and I have won five times the European title in that discipline. The foiling, in the beginning, represented for me just the alternative for fun in light winds, but now I actually got more into the racing, and especially now that it is an Olympic class I focus a lot more on the foiling.”

“It was a pretty exciting first Marathon in iQFOiL – said Rytis Jasiunas, a young, promising and big Lithuanian rider – and I wasn’t sure how it would go, I waited on the beach until the very last second to see the wind conditions and pick the right gear, when I saw that the wind was on the light side I got the right set up for that. I had a good start and I was on leading pack from the first tack.

“We are still discovering the pros and cons of each body type in this class. One of the pro is certainly that being more than 2 mt tall I can put a lot of power in the foil from the side: you can see that Kiran (Badloe) and I – both over 1,95 mt – are first and second, so I don’t know if it is only for that, but I can put a lot of power even though I am on the heavier side, being above 90 kg, I can power the gear to do well in the light conditions as it happened today”

“I enjoyed the Marathon very much – commented the female winner of the Marathon Noy Drihan – the wind conditions were the ones I like, not too strong and not too light, perfect for foiling and it was super fun. Coming from the RS:X I find it very nice to foil, I love the feeling of flying over the water. I had already tried the Marathon in Silvaplana in the Open Championship, and that experience probably helped me here today to win this race.”

With the ‘Ora’ building up as the air warmed in the afternoon, the women were the first to hit the water with the slalom race format, so as to catch up to the races completed by the men from yesterday. The French PWA rider Delphine Cousin got the first bullet while the second went to fellow countrywoman Helene Noesmoen, thus consolidating her overall leadership.

 

 

Sebastian Koerdel (GER) proved to be the best of the men in the Slalom, winning again in today’s race, with the Italian PWA windsurfer, Matteo Iachino finishing third.

“It was a good day today – says Italian rider Matteo Iachino – with the Marathon in the morning with light wind dying on us, a very tricky downwind, but I can’t complain as I finished ninth after recovering from a bad start, in the middle of the fleet. Slalom in the afternoon was fun, a good third for me so I am still there fighting with the best; I am enjoying the new iQFOiL class, the gear is great and they’re managing everything well.”

Day two wraps up in Campione Univela, while we are already looking at tomorrow’s conditions, that look similar to today’s. Some windward-leeward races are planned in the morning and a couple of slalom races in the afternoon, were confirmed in the evening skippers’ briefing, held online to avoid assemblies in these critical times we are facing. This is just one of the many strategies put in place by Univela Sailing, and the co–organising club Società Canottieri Garda Salò, in order to keep the international event on the calendar and run it safely both ashore and on the water.

Hang Loose  

Click here, to enjoy the whole photo gallery of race days.

 

Results will be updated at the link below
http://iqscore-live.s3-website.eu-west-3.amazonaws.com/results

 

Another picture perfect morning at Univela Sailing in Campione, Lake Garda, where almost 200 riders are gathered for the iQFOiL International Games, the first real global event for the next-to-be Olympic sail board at the Paris 2024 Games. Three formats, equally sailed until today, Course (windward-leeward) to be sail when over 10 knots, Slalom (rounding three or four marks) preferred when below 10 knots, and a Marathon (one long distance race worth two points in the scoreboard).

Day three started as usual with the North wind ‘Peler’ coming down strong at 12-16 knots allowing both the Men’s Gold fleet and the Women two exciting and fair Course races, with French rider Nicholas Goyard winning both of them, thus consolidating his overall leadership going in to the afternoon session of competition. Sebastian Koerdel (GER) was second in the first race, but didn’t perform to his expected standard on the second, a 13th that he was luckily able to discard, while the second bullet for the Men went to Pierre Lecoq (FRA).

In the Women’s fleet the French athlete, who is proving to be the best all round rider so far, scored another first and second, Helene Noesmoen is flying towards the Final Series with a nice margin over the other competitors. Noy Drihan (ISR) won the second, but had to discard the first one, her worst score in the series (18).

 

 

Among the many siblings racing one against the other here at Univela Sailing, there are two British windsurfing sisters, always on the top since the youth sailing days, and if Saskia fought hard until lately to get to Tokyo, here is her ‘little sister’ – by only half an hour – to to be among the top 10, Imogen Sills, who finished third in the second Course race.

“It’s been so fun but very stressful at the same time. It’s just amazing I can’t believe all of us foiling on the water, just flying all over the racecourse, it’s been amazing! I retired from my Olympic campaign due to an injury two and a half years ago, then when iQFOiL came back in, I felt like I wanted to give it a go. But as I’ve been working full time in Norway for the last two months and haven’t been training at all, I am really surprised of how well it is going. I think I’ll go on with this, it’s really fun and addictive!”

A lunch break that went on a little longer than the previous days, as the ‘Ora’ wouldn’t fill in strong, and even when it showed up, it was still on the very light side of about 8 – 10 knots. Nonetheless one Slalom race for each division (Men and Women) was written in the scoreboard, taking the numbers of races up to 11. The best men were once again Sebastian Koerdel (GER), Nicolas Goyard (FRA) and Matteo Iachino (ITA), respectively first, second and third in the Final A, securing their leading position overall. In the women the Slalom went again to Helene Noesmoen, who has six bullets out of 11 races, Maja Dziarnowska (POL) was second and Lena Ersilia (GER) third.

“The week has been really nice, different wind conditions and format, so it was really good and interesting – says provisional overall Women leader Helene Noesmoen – coming from the RS:X I am really loving the new class, it’s really exciting because of the speed, everything is very fast, you have to be much quicker in the tactics and in taking decisions, and it’s really nice to do some slalom races, some long distance, very different intensity. I think it’s the best to have these three formats, because in the really light wind it’s hard to go upwind, and it’s so good that it’s bringing people here from different worlds, the Olympics and the PWA.”

Day three ends with changes in positions over the top 10, but same leaders: the French Nicolas Goyard in the Men and Helene Noesmoen in the Women.

Click here, to enjoy the whole photo gallery of race days. 

 

(during day four, no races were run due to lack of wind)

A drizzly and slow wake up on the last morning of the IQFOiL International Games in Campione, Lake Garda, organised by Univela sailing, Società Canottieri Garda Salò and the iQ FOiL Class; but the sun, just like the excitement, was just behind a thin layer of clouds, as the knock-out Medal Series were in sight.

A revolutionary system for the next-to-be Olympic sail board, with three races for the top 12 of the Opening Series: a Quarter Final among riders from 12th to 5th, four then access to Semi Final joining the 4th and 3rd overall, and the first two to cross the finishing line go on to compete in a winner-takes-all Grand Final race with the 2nd and 1st of the Opening series.

After a quick check of the equipment at the pit lane and a very short wait ashore, it was time for the Medal Series to begin. The America’s Cup style Course format with about 15 knots proved to be fast, exciting and with plenty of action: a dashing reach start and then on to a short and pumping downwind, back up windward and another breathtaking reach to the finishing line. Men and Women were quickly alternating on the racecourse, with the ones waiting their time to race carefully monitoring the action and conditions.

In the Men Quarter Final Huig-Jan Tak (NED), followed by Alexandre Cousin (FRA), Samuel Sills (GBR) and Matthew Barton (GBR) made it through to Final joining Matteo Iachino (ITA) and Kiran Badloe (NED) in another very tight race. Huig-Jan Tak went on to win also the second race of the day and with Alexandre Cousin advanced to a winner-takes-it-all Grand Final where Sebastian Koerdel (GER) and Nicolas Goyard (FRA) had been waiting. A nice start by the German boarder who managed to round first at every mark extending his lead up until the finishing line winning the event over the best riders of the world of the Paris 2024 foiling class. The silver medal went to Nicolas Goyard and the bronze to Huig-Jan Tak, who more than anyone else profited of the knock-out system and was able to step on the podium from a 10th overall in the Opening Series.

“It was very exciting, I kept my nerves together, I had an ok start but had superior speed in the reach and then could hold on to my advantage until the finish line: I am happy! – says an enthusiast Sebastian Koerdel – Now on to some off time, because from Silvaplana to now I haven’t rested, I’ll be home to monitor the global situation, getting ready for next year and possibly win an official world title next time..
“I’ve finished the first race of the week in second and I’ve been second up until today, always fighting with Nico (Goyard): he had some edge in Course racing (so I know where I have to work on), and I was a little better in the Slalom, I won all of them. The Final Series is such a great format, the reaching start is amazing, I watched the first two from the water and they are literally flying over the start creating such a spectacular show! I also like the knock-out system thanks to which you can improve a lot your position, but with a fair safety net for the top four guys that cannot go lower than fourth.”

In the Women Quarter Final Lilian de Geus (NED) was on fire, winning with a solid margin over Islay Watson (GBR), Lucie Belbeoch (FRA) and Pilar Lamadrid Trueba (ESP), all advancing to the Semi Final with Noy Drihan (ISR) and Dephine Cousin (FRA). The wind was a bit less intense, but still well over 10 knots, and it was another magnificent race by Lilian de Geus who smoothly crossed the finish line heading to the Grand Final along with Noy Drihan. There they joined Maja Dziarnowska (POL) and Helen Noesmoen (FRA) who had been leading all week. A rocket-like start by Lilian, who fell in the first reach for pushing too hard thus loosing control of the foil, leaving the other three on the podium. Noy Drihan rounded first the first mark and extended her lead up to the finish, followed by Helen Noesmoen and Maja Dziarnowska.

 

“I am very happy, it was stressful - says Noy Drihan - I started from the second race and managed to go to the Grand Final where I won the competition and it makes me so happy and proud! I liked the knock-out format, it is super stressful but I loved it!
“I am an RS:X boarder and I am still competing for a spot at the Tokyo Olympics, but I love the foiling board a lot, it is so much fun!! Here we might have a slight edge in the Course format because of the tactics, but the girls coming from the PWA are better in the Slalom, it is good that these two worlds are joining together and we are all improving day by day.
“From tomorrow I will go back to my training in the RS:X, leaving the iQFoil to rest for a while.”

While the winners celebrated, the rest of the athletes went back on the water for a few more races, recording some changes in the youth rankings, with a beautiful southerly breeze, the ‘Ora’. The iQFOiL International Games end with an impressive set of races completed in every format by everyone, and with great enthusiasm and expectations for the new foiling Olympic sail board, which found a perfect location at Univela Sailing and Lake Garda this week.

MEN TOP 12
1 – Sebastian Koerdel (GER)
2 – Nicolas Goyard (FRA)
3 – Huig-Jan Tak (NED)
4 – Alexandre Cousin (FRA)
5 – Matthew Barton (GBR)
6 – Samuel Sills (GBR)
7 – Matteo Iachino (ITA)
8 – Kiran Badloe (NED)
9 – Clement Bourgeois (FRA)
10 – Steven van Broeckhoven (BEL)
11 – Louis Giard (FRA)
12 – Thomas Goyard (FRA)

WOMEN TOP 12
1 – Noy Drihan (ISR)
2 – Helene Noesmoen (FRA)
3 – Maja Dziarnowska (POL)
4 – Lilian de Geus (NED)
5 - Lucie Belbeoch (FRA)
6 – Delphine Cousin (FRA)
7 – Islay Watson (GBR)
8 – Pilar Lamadrid Trueba (ESP)
9 – Imogen Sills (GBR)
10 – Lola Sorin (FRA)
11 – Shachar Reshef (ISR)
12 – Daniela Peleg (ISR)

MEN U21
1 - Tom Arnoux (FRA)
2 - Yun Pouliquen (FRA)
3 - Mathurin Julivet (FRA)

MEN U19
1 - Finn Hawkins (GBR)
2 - Mathis Ghio (FRA)
3 - Luc Schmitz (NED)

WOMEN U21
1 - Islay Watson (GBR)
2 - Helle Oppedal (NOR)
3 - Naama Gazit (ISR)

WOMEN U19
1 - Lola Sorin (FRA)
2 - Shachar Reshef (ISR)
3 - Daniela Peleg (ISR)

Click here, to enjoy the whole photo gallery of race days. 

 

Full results will be updated at the link below

http://iqscore-live.s3-website.eu-west-3.amazonaws.com/results