Mondial du vent: youth triumphant at the Wingfoil World Cup in Leucate

Les riders réalisent des figures spectaculaires en wingfoil. Mondial du vent – Mondial du vent

Discipline récente, accessible et spectaculaire, le wingfoil fait la part belle aux jeunes gens qui brillent au plus haut niveau. Explications.

A wind of youth blew across Coussoules beach in Leucate last week during the Mondial du vent. In the final of the freestyle event of the French round of the Wingfoil World Cup, the American Christopher Macdonald and the Frenchman Malo Guénolé (18 years old) appeared as experienced riders against the French Noé Cuyala (16 years old) and Axel Gérard (15 years old).

"We don’have the fear of getting injured or falling like the older ones, explains the last named to justify the control of adolescents over the discipline . Since the sport is very new, the physical aspect is perhaps a little less important even if it tends to become more professional. Last year, in the top 5 of the world rankings, there were three of us under 18 years old."

"More attractive and less dangerous"

Little brother of kitesurfing, windsurfing or even kitefoil, the wingfoil made its appearance in 2019. It succeeded in bringing a fresh wind to gliding water sports: & ;quot;Wingfoiling is fun and attracts people, notes Malo Guénolé, freestyle wingfoil world champion in 2022. It is more attractive than windsurfing and less dangerous.."

With its board equipped with a foil and its independent sail that the rider holds in the hands, the wingfoil allows you to have more freedom on the water: "There is so much to say about wingfoil, exclaims Marseille rider Kylie Belleouvre (22 years old), 5th in freestyle and 2nd in slalom at the Mondial du vent. The youngest have grown up with this discipline, it’s their first exposure to a water sport. As soon as they touched that, they had balance straight away. And then, flying on water is incredible. We can sail in all wind conditions, between 6 and 60 knots."

An Olympic future?

For all these reasons, wingfoil is booming. "The notion of experience on a technical level is less important than for windsurfing or kiting, explains François Bovis, national technical advisor in charge of wingfoil at the French Sailing Federation. This discipline is a mixture of many others."

The wingfoil therefore has the whole future ahead of it. Until imagining an upcoming appearance at the Olympic Games ? It is too early to say according to the FFV employee : "This practice still needs to be built even if’ there are already three world circuits. We hear about Olympics but wingfoil still lacks representation and accessibility, two essential values ​​to enter the Games program. We must find ways for it to be practiced everywhere in the world."