Nicolas Goyard crowned 2019 Men's Foil PWA World Champion

Nicolas Goyard has been crowned the 2019 Men’s Foil PWA World Champion as the Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt concluded over the weekend.

First thing on the final morning, the wind was much lighter than forecast which caused a few concerns about whether conditions would be suitable, but by 11:30 the wind had filled in sufficiently to allow the last two Foil eliminations of the week to be completed in 7-15 knots of wind and the racing which followed was arguably some of the most exciting of the week.

Foil
 
With Nicolas Goyard (Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils) finishing third in the opening race of the day, and his main rival Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) finishing fourth, that meant the 23-year-old had built an unassailable lead with a race to spare to be crowned both the event and world champion. From the opening nine eliminations, Goyard N. did not finish outside of the top four and with the world title already wrapped up he was disqualified from the final race of the week! The 23-year-old has performed superbly over the last three days of racing and deservedly walks away from 2019 with his first world title.
 
Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) won his first race of the week in Elimination 10, but that wasn’t quite enough to deny Nicolas Goyard the event and world title. Cousin ended up falling just 0.71 of a point short of Goyard for the event title. After finishing second here Cousin finishes level on 29,700 points, but misses out on the world title on countback. Finishing the year as vice-world champion still represents a solid improvement for Cousin, who finished fourth overall last year.

With the event and world title already decided before the final race – attention turned towards the battle for the last place on the event podium with less than a point separating Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) and Luuc van Opzeeland (JP / NeilPryde). In the end, van Opzeeland came out on top with the Dutchman battling back brilliantly when under pressure in the semifinal to book his place in the final – where he would eventually finish third – two places ahead of Iachino – to earn his first podium on the world tour.

Iachino may have just missed out on the event podium, but the Italian won’t mind too much as on the final day he was crucially able to pass Thomas Goyard (FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) in the event rankings to pip the Frenchman to the final place on the overall podium.

For Goyard it will be a bitter pill to swallow having led the event after the opening day of racing, but disaster struck for him today in Elimination 9 when the 27-year-old attempted to challenge his brother – Nico – on the final reach for third place, but then wiped out and after struggling to recover his rig he was left to count a very costly 29th. Goyard T. eventually finished fifth for the event and fourth in the overall rankings.

Elsewhere, Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / GA Sails / Starboard Foil) enjoyed a superb final to climb two places into sixth. The German won Elimination 9 before just missing out on back-to-back bullets in a photo-finish with Alexandre Cousin. Sixth place here sees Kördel ranked fifth overall for 2019.

Julien Bontemps (JP / NeilPryde) recorded two seven place finishes to end the event in seventh place, while also finishing 2019 ranked seventh. The top 10 here is completed here by Sebastian Kornum (JP / NeilPryde) – eighth – Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) – ninth – and William Huppert (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL), who regains his place in the event top 10 on the final day.

After two brilliant races to conclude the event the official prize giving ceremony was held at 15:00 with the event and Men’s Freestyle and Foil World Champions being crowned in front of a packed out crowd. Congratulations to all the winners over the last 10 days.

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt – Men’s Foil
 
1st Nicolas Goyard (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils)
2nd Alexandre Cousin (FRA | Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
3rd Luuc Vanopzeeland (NED | JP / NeilPryde)
4th Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)
5th Thomas Goyard (FRA | FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
6th Sebastian Kördel (GER | Starboard / GA Sails / Starboard Foil)
7th Julien Bontemps (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
8th Sebastian Kornum (DEN | JP / NeilPryde)
9th Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOFEFOIL)
10th William Huppert (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOFEFOIL)
 
Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour – Men’s Foil
 
1st Nicolas Goyard (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils)
2nd Alexandre Cousin (FRA | Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
3rd Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)
4th Thomas Goyard (FRA | FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
5th Sebastian Kördel (GER | Starboard / GA Sails / Starboard Foil)
6th Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
7th Julien Bontemps (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
8th Sebastian Kornum (DEN | JP / NeilPryde)
9th Amado Vrieswijk (NB | JP / Severne / Starboard Foil)
10th Mateus Isaac (BRA | JP / NeilPryde)
 
Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sylt PWA World Cup – Women’s Wave
 
1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Maaike Huvermann (NED | Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Justyna Sniady (POL | Simmer / Simmer Sails / AL360)
4th Lina Erpenstein (GER | Severne / Severne Sails)
5th Iballa Moreno (ESP | Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)
 
Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt – Men’s Wave
 
1st Thomas Traversa (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails)
2nd Marcilio Browne (BRA | Goya Windsurfing)
3rd Philip Köster (GER | Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)
4th Victor Fernandez (ESP | Fanatic / Duotone)
5th Antoine Martin (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
6th Adam Lewis (GBR | Fanatic / Duotone / SWOX)
7th Jaeger Stone (AUS | Starboard / Severne / SWOX)
7th Marc Paré (ESP | Simmer / Simmer Sails)
9th Alex Mussolini (ESP | RRD / RRD Sails)
9th Ricardo Campello (BRA/VEN | Brunotti Boards)
9th Jules Denel (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
9th Klaas Voget (GER | Fanatic / Duotone)
 
Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt – Men’s Freestyle
 
1st Amado Vrieswijk (NB | JP / Severne)
2nd Gollito Estredo (VEN | Fanatic / Duotone)
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (BEL | Starboard / GUNSAILS / Shamal)
4th Adrien Bosson (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
5th Dieter van der Eyken (BEL | Severne / Severne Sails)
6th Yentel Caers (BEL | I-99 / Point-7)
7th Antoine Albert (NC | Goya Windsurfing)
7th Francesco Cappuzzo (ITA | RRD / RRD Sails / AL360)
9th Sam Esteve (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
9th Balz Müller (SUI | MB-Boards / Severne)
9th Jacopo Testa (ITA | RRD / RRD Sails / AL360)
9th Antony Ruenes (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails)
 
Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour – Men’s Freestyle
 
1st Yentel Caers (BEL | I-99 / Point-7)
2nd Amado Vrieswijk (NB | JP / Severne)
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (BEL | Starboard / GUNSAILS / Shamal)
4th Youp Schmit (NB | I-99 / Avanti)
5th Adrien Bosson (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
6th Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (VEN | Fanatic / Duotone)
7th Antony Ruenes (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails)
8th Dieter van der Eyken (BEL | Severne / Severne Sails)
9th Sam Esteve (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
10th Giovanni Passani (ITA | Tabou / GA Sails / AL360)