At just 15 years old, Riccardo Zorzi is a force to be reckoned with. Read on to hear his event report from his win at the GWA Wingfoil World Tour Tarifa Wing Pro 2021 beating the, until now, unstoppable Balz Múller in the surf-freestyle discipline.

At just 15 years old, Riccardo Zorzi is a force to be reckoned with. Read on to hear his event report from his win at the GWA Wingfoil World Tour Tarifa Wing Pro 2021 beating the, until now, unstoppable Balz Múller in the surf-freestyle discipline. 

I left on 21 December with my family to arrive in Tarifa a few days before the start of the event so that I could train and acclimatise to the conditions of the sea and the spot. Unfortunately, the weather conditions were bad, three days with little wind and a lot of rain, so little training and bad conditions.

In the water, there were already some Frenchmen who were training including Malo Guenole (@malo_guenole) who was already performing crazy tricks with little wind and on the waves. I do not hide my concern of having to compare myself with him in the race because I felt decidedly inferior. His favorite manoeuver is the backflip (a somersault screwed backwards), practically my nightmare; I've been trying for months but I haven't been able to do it correctly yet.

On the first day of the competition, the judges started with the draws and the first person I would have to face was Stefan Spissberger (@stefanspissberger), an athlete with an enviable career in freestyle kite and who has been wingfoiling with good results for some years. With a good dose of adrenaline and tension, I started my heat against him, head to head with each jump, I must say that the anxiety of losing and going immediately against Balz Múller (@radiculo), the strongest athlete of the last 10 years, made me nervous. I managed to overtake Stefan by just a few hundredths of a point and when I got out of the water I looked at my father who had the judges' score in his hands. When I saw the thumbs up I gave a crazy liberating sigh! I passed by only 0.27 cents of a point! (17.13 - 16.89). Day 1 ended with this victory, so I was able to rest and wait for day 2 where I would be confronted with a local athlete not to be underestimated and without losing concentration.

Day 2 and I got through a round against Sam Carentz (@sam_carentz), a local athlete who knew the spot well. The only problem of the day was that the Frenchman Malo had also passed all the turns and as I feared I would find him in Round 4; this thought had not made me sleep so peacefully.  

The next morning with a bit of excitement I got ready early and set up all my gear first on the beach. Malo also had the same idea as me, we both avoided making eye contact. All morning we were waiting for the wind but it had decided to take a day off so the race committee let us do an expression session in the waves of Tarifa. The session consisted of being towed by jet skis and being able to surf the fantastic waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Many remained on the water's edge, fearful of facing the force of the sea. I could not miss this opportunity and despite my inexperience, I managed to reach the jet ski and fulfill the dream of feeling light on the crest of the wave. The French athletes put on a show and Malo left the audience speechless thanks to his backflips and elegant carvings on really big waves.

Fourth and last day of competition, the wind was blowing intensely from the early hours of dawn and everything was still to be decided, especially the races. The judges gave the first start at 8 when the sun was not yet high in the sky. There was no time to waste and the athletes performed one after the other giving a show, supported by the applause of the crowd. The moment had come, I had to stay focused because I knew that the confrontation with Malo would affect the rest of the day. Head to head until the last second, the judges did not publish the results so no one on the beach could suggest if I needed to push even more. The eight-minute challenge seemed endless and we were both anxious. I overtook my feared opponent with a 2.15 point lead.

Now I just had to stay lucid, think about the right strategy to adopt to improve my jumps to get the highest score. With Gregorio Pugliese, an Italian athlete whose repertoire of manoeuvers I knew, I didn't want to risk it, I just had to pass the heat with simple but perfect jumps.

I got to the semifinals, the games were getting really difficult now. Waiting for me was Julienne Salmon, a German, who had beaten the great Francesco Capuzzo and of whom I knew very little. Once in the water I did an almost perfect front side 360 which gave me a great boost, Salmon kept crashing and I was trying to be flawless. I finished the heat with more than 5 points, the podium was guaranteed!

I was already happy with my result, I would be playing in the final against none other than Balz Múller. I went into the water very relaxed because, however it went, I was satisfied with my performance. This just freed me from tension and I started jumping as I like it, tall, confident and fluid in my movements. I just thought about doing my best, having fun, and putting on a show. Reviewing the photos I realised I had a great heat. The judges were keeping the results under wraps, waiting for both of us to return to the beach to announce the winner. When I heard my name being pronounced, my heart tightened with emotion, I immediately ran to my father with my arms raised and screamed for happiness. 

I completed the year of GWA world competition finishing in 5th place overall, disputing only 2 events (Leucate 3rd place and 1st place in Tarifa) of 4 Stages; despite this, I am world champion in the Under 19 Freestyle category.

This victory is the result of teamwork by Sabfoil with its performance materials, Slingshot who provided me with all the wings that help me fly high, my coach Daniele Concas who trained me hard, my nutritionist Alina who always kept me tonic and Ride Engine who provided me with fantastic wetsuits. I'd like to thank my sponsors - Savoia Pneumatici, Toyo Tires, Immobiliare Costa Blu, Kitecenter Garda Lake, La Veccia Mescola - who believed in me in this growing season, allowing me to participate in all these races. Thanks also must go to the Headmaster of the Depero Artistic High School in Rovereto and all the teachers for their scholastic support.

Videos

2021 Tarifa Wing Pro | Final Day
By Riccardo Zorzi

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