GWA WINGFOIL RACE CLASS EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022

Riders arrived to register for the GWA Wingfoil Race Class European Championships on Thursday morning (day one) to a warm welcome on the beach in Rhodes, Greece.

There is no doubt that Greece is known for its hospitality, and the people of Rhodes have welcomed the GWA crew and athletes with open arms.

Although the conditions looked promising, the wind did not hold out long enough on day one for the start of the competition. Nevertheless, the time was filled with some tow-in action, giving a great show to the crowds on the beach.

The Upcoming Race

During this event, a maximum of 15 eliminations will run throughout the week of the competition, allowing three discards. Twenty-four men and six women registered to compete across Open, Youth and Masters categories.

“The race class is a pure race oriented format,” explains Alvaro Onieva, Head Protest Judge. “There are no obstacles, pump tracks or similar as we have in the Surf-Slalom discipline. All of the equipment used is more technical and designed specifically for speed. The Race class is developing many categories, following the traditional footsteps that would be required in an Olympic category.”

Worldwide Appeal

Although this is a European Championship, riders have come from across the world to compete. Unfortunately, although non-Europeans are allowed to participate, they cannot win the official European Champion title.

“I’m from Maui, Hawaii. It’s exciting to be here, it’s my first time travelling to compete internationally,” said Bobo Gallagher. “I’ve been travelling around Europe for about a month already and it’s been great, though the conditions seem lighter than I am used to in Maui.”

The forecast for the coming days looks very promising, so we will be back on Friday with what we are certain will be an action-packed day.

The skipper’s meeting has been called for 11 am Friday, with a first possible start at 11.30 am.

Stay tuned!

Unfortunately, it won’t be live-streamed, but you can follow the live scoring and live-ticker here!

Head over to GWA Wingfoil Tour for more info.