GWA WINGFOIL WORLD TOUR 2023 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES

SIX STOPS IN FREEFLY-SLALOM AND SEVEN IN SURF-FREESTYLE In the year she turned 16, the Spanish wingfoil star Nia Suardiaz scooped two world titles in the space of a few days. Suardiaz, from Tarifa, was so dominant in both disciplines she closed out the titles at the globe-trotting tour's fifth call at Hvide Sande, Denmark, in early September. In the end Suardiaz won all six stops in the FreeFly-Slalom, rarely dropping any of the elimination races in the course of a stellar year, that began in New Zealand and ended in Brazil. In the Surf-Freestyle discipline Suardiaz conceded two of the seven events to the Netherlands' Bowien van der Linden. But with her power, her freestyle tricks are more fluent than ever and she can now throw down Backflips at will. Suardiaz's surfing is also improving quickly, to the point where she took second spot on the GWA wingfoil Wave tour. The US's Christopher MacDonald was a class apart in landing his first Surf-Freestyle world title. The 17-year-old, based in Oregon's Hood River, won four of the tour's seven stops. In particular, he pushed the freestyle element of the discipline into uncharted territory with new moves. His signature 1080, for which he scored many perfect 10s, was a move that he made his own, forcing rivals to up their game. His victories in the big winds of back-to-back events in Spain's Canary Islands, in mid-season, were especially thrilling. The only chink in his armour is his wave riding, if the discipline is held a mixed format. He came unstuck twice, in Denmark and Brazil, when his surfing proved his slight weakness. But he ended the season well-clear in the rankings to earn the crown. The renowned waterman Francesco Cappuzzo (ITA) has long dreamed of winning the FreeFly-Slalom world title. He finally realized that dream in Brazil at the end of a season-long drama. He was in a bitter fight was Titouan Galea (FRA) and the two were neck-and-neck in the standings heading to Brazil. Galea had won two stops, while Cappuzzo had only one win. But crucially the Italian had secured a clutch of second-place finishes. In the end, the battle for the title never turned into the promised cliff-hanger in Cauipe. Galea's challenge evaporated, clearing the stage for Cappuzzo. Cappuzzo grabbed yet another second overall and that was enough to guarantee him the world title, just a few points ahead of Galea.