Iachino charges back into contention to keep Albeau in crosshairs

Day 7 of the Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam – all be it from a much more offshore direction. After patiently waiting throughout the morning the wind finally stabilised around 1pm to allow a further two eliminations to be completed.

Overnight leader Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) could’ve been out of sight by the end of the second day after the 23-time world champion secured another bullet in the opening race of the day, but his over early in the next elimination leaves the door slightly open for Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7 / Shamal Sunglasses), who staged the biggest comeback of the day.

Slalom – Men’s

Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) picked up where he left off yesterday as he dominated again to claim his second bullet in third races and it looked as though AA was in danger of completely running away with the competition even at this early stage.

Albeau then comfortably qualified for the next Winners’ Final again – winning both his quarterfinal and semifinal – but then jumped the gun in the final to be disqualified meaning he received an eighth place – which he instantly discards – but it does open the door ever so slightly, while keeping the event interesting, with his lead cut to 5.6 points.

Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses) and Julien Quentel (Patrik / Avanti) both slip one place to third and fourth respectively.

Both sailors made the opening winners’ final before being eliminated in the quarterfinals of Elimination four – which is the first time this week that Williams has missed out on Heat 16, but he remains on course for his third consecutive Fuerte podium as things stand.

Movers of the Day

Matteo Iachino started the day in 18th place after a disastrous first race yesterday when he was eliminated in the third round, but since then the Italian has shown the sort of form you would expect from a reigning world champion with a third, second and fourth in his last three races.

With the discard coming into play after the fourth elimination, Iachino flies up with rankings from 18th to 2nd and he’s now Antoine Albeau’s closest contender.

Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic) is another man on the move as he climbs sixth places from 11th to 5th. The Bonairean was eliminated in the quarterfinals of Elimination one after misplacing his feet while gybing when in the qualifying positions, but since then he’s hardly put a foot wrong – subsequently qualifying for each Winners’ Final since and progressively getting better with seventh, sixth and second place finishes.

Hot ’n’ Cold

Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails / Chopper Fins) began day two of the slalom with a less than ideal start as the current vice-world champion crashed out in the quarterfinals.

The 27-year-old bounced back from a slow start yesterday and did the same again today as he claimed a crucial bullet in Elimination four to keep himself in contention – remaining in sixth at the close of play – but you’d have to feel he can’t afford any more slip-ups now.

Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) had a disappointing start to the season, but the Frenchman seems to have recaptured his best form here after qualifying for every Winners’ Final so far, which leaves him in seventh place at the moment, while fellow countryman Pascal Toselli (99NoveNove / Loft Sails) has steadily improved – finishing today with an excellent third in Elimination four – which sees him rise to 8th in the current event rankings.

The top 10 is currently completed by Cyril Moussilmani (99NoveNove / Severne) and Ben van der Steen (Patrik / Gun Sails). Moussilmani enjoyed another solid day, while van der Steen couldn’t quite replicate yesterday’s level of performance.

While racing in high winds is often classed as the pinnacle of slalom, it of course has its dangers and unfortunately today those risks became apparent with PWA Youth World Champion – Ethan Westera (Tabou / GA Sails) – being involved in a high speed racing collision, which resulted in the 19-year-old being taken to hospital before undergoing an operation to reattach the tendons in his lower leg.

Ethan is said to be fine, but disappointed to have had his competition cut short and everyone from the PWA would like to wish Ethan a speedy and successful recovery and we hope to see him back competing soon. 

Current Ranking Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam – Men’s Slalom
*After four Eliminations

1st Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde)
2nd Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7 / Shamal Sunglasses)
3rd Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses)
4th Julien Quentel (Patrik / Avanti)
5th Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic)
6th Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails / Chopper Fins)
7th Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails)
8th Pascal Toselli (99NoveNove / Loft Sails)
9th Cyril Moussilmani (99NoveNove / Severne)
10th Ben van der Steen (Patrik / Gun Sails)