2024 Wingfoil Racing World Cup Italy – Overall
by WingFoil Racing World Cup 20 Oct 10:49 PDT
16-20 October 2024
Manowiecki and Pianazza, a new generation of wingfoil racers – 2024 Wingfoil Racing World Cup Italy © IWSA media / Robert Hajduk
It took the accuracy of a surgeon to excel amidst this week’s unpredictable winds at the Wingfoil Racing World Cup Italy. Races were canceled and aspirations to compete against the leaders disappeared when the competition ended after just one semifinal on Sunday. This outcome awarded the overall event victory to Manon Pianazza (FRA) in the women’s category and Kamil Manowiecki (POL) in the men’s.
High aspect prototype hydrofoils and wings were utilized by the world’s finest wingfoil racers this week, with open racing evolving into a testing ground for the expanding industry and sport.
A new foiling generation
Pianazza and Manowiecki are at the forefront of this emerging discipline and symbolize a new generation of foilers. Though they took different routes to their success, both possessed the elite DNA of Olympic IQ racers.
“The level keeps increasing,” noted Pianazza, who competes in both IQ and wingfoil. “I participate in both. I think they complement each other, but I’m not complacent with the wingfoil equipment since a small error can lead to a fall. However, my IQ background equips me for an entire week of racing.”
Pianazza will miss the next wingfoil world cup event to complete her studies in physical therapy, but she intends to participate fully in the 2025 tour. She also mentioned that if more IQ foil women join, it could create a stronger fleet and larger participation.
Manowiecki, being a full-time student this year, was also pursuing the IQ Olympic pathway but made the courageous decision a year ago to leave the comfort of the Polish national team and fully commit to wingfoil racing.
“In Turkey, I realized my speed wasn’t sufficient, and within a day, I had to adjust my mindset and technique. Since then, I’ve been constantly improving,” Manowiecki explained. What triggered the change since Turkey? “The belief. The belief from everyone who supported me, including my sponsors, starting with my parents and my mother encouraging me.”
Going the distance
Dramatic and demanding long-distance races started the event, dividing the men’s fleet into numerous groups. Variable winds and a rough sea characterized the week, as Pianazza and Julien Rattotti (FRA) drew precise trajectories with their razor-thin foils towards the top of their fleets early in the competition.
Leads changed daily as the men moved through a tightly contested Gold fleet while the women raced as one fleet until Saturday.
On Sunday, an exhilarating elimination medal series was set up, with event leader Manowiecki and tour leader Mathis Ghio (FRA) securing their places in the finals. Pianazza entered the finals first, with Maddalena Spanu (ITA) posting several wins to sit in second.
Double semifinals in both men’s and women’s categories featured riders in overall positions third through ninth. The final slot in this series was claimed by the winner of the high-stakes Golden Ticket Race, a massive fleet race granting one woman and one man entry into the medal series.
Lucie Belbeoch (FRA) powered around the course to seize her Golden opportunity, winning her ticket to the semifinals.
The men’s finish was the most dramatic of the event. Romain Ghio (FRA) was maintaining his lead on the final leg of the Golden Ticket distance race, edging ahead on the edge of his foil just before the finish line when he crashed in a flurry of whitewater 100 meters from the finish. Escofet flew past, securing his place in the semifinals, leaving Ghio to endure the pain of defeat.
Fizzling finals
By Sunday, any hopes of riders victory over Manowiecki and Pianazza were dashed when the breeze died down. Only one wild women’s Semifinals Race was sailed, won by Marta Monge (ITA), before competitors were sent back to shore.
Manowiecki’s precision and command over the light conditions earned him the championship while Pianazza, using borrowed gear, showcased a superior level compared to tour leader Nia Suardiaz (ESP) and the pursuers.
Mathis Ghio’s second place was enough to maintain a strong hold on the world title going into the Jeri WingFoil Racing World Cup in Brazil, and Maddalena Spanu (ITA) demonstrated that she has arrived, with future wins on the horizon after her second-place finish in Cagliari.
That concludes the Wingfoil Racing World Cup Italy in Sardinia. With sleek new wings and foils and extremely tight races, the world will have to wait until December in Brazil to witness what the “next level” truly entails.
Results Men
1. Kamil Manowiecki, POL
2. Mathis Ghio, FRA
3. Francesco Cappuzzo, ITA
4. Alessandro Jose Tomasi, ITA
5. Julien Rattotti, FRA
6. Nicolo Spanu, ITA
7. Mateo Dussarps, FRA
8. Luca Franchi, ITA
9. Oscar Leclair, FRA
10. Bastien Escofet, FRA
Results Women
1. Manon Pianazza, FRA
2. Maddalena Spanu, ITA
3. Nia Suardiaz, ESP
4. Karolina Kluszcynska, POL
5. Charlotte Baruzzi, ITA
6. Marta Monge, ITA
7. Emilia Kosti, GRE
8. Iset Segura, ESP
9. Orane Ceris, FRA
10. Lucie Belbeoch, FRA
For more information and complete results
