Big numbers for new Olympic windsurfer

The crystal clear water of Lake Garda in northern Italy is a slice of heaven, with regattas hosted by local club Circolo Surf Torbole attracting record participation. Formed by glaciers, surrounded by mountains, it is a sailing mecca.

So where better than Lake Garda to be the site of the iQFoil European Championships for the new Olympic windsurfing class. With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics finally held last year, the 2022 Championship on May 17-22 at last will have full participation, since in the previous two years many athletes were still competing in the previous Olympic RS:X equipment.

The Europeans will have a world flavor as 41 nations are present, with the Tokyo gold and silver medalists Dutchman Kiran Badloe and Frenchman Thomas Goyard. The fleet, which is made up of 170 males and 110 females (registration still in progress), will reveal who is setting the standard in this newly created equipment.

The regatta program includes a maximum of 10 qualifying races to be sailed over 2-3 days which can be slalom if the wind is below 10 knots and windward-leeward when the wind is above that threshold. The fleet, which represents a significant size boost from the RS:X, will then be divided into Gold and Silver fleets with the best half of the overall classification in each category going head-to-head.

On the final day, the top ten advance to the Medal Series with the quarter finals between the 4th and 10th overall; the first two will go on to the semifinals and race against the 2nd and 3rd overall, and the super-final will see the first overall in the gold fleet face off against the first two in the semifinals.

With the goal to develop a format that offers excitement and clarity, this formula will produce podium results as soon as the competitors cross the final finish line.

Entrants listed from North America:

Women’s Fleet
Mariana Aguilar Chavez Peon (MEX)
Cristina Ortiz Vivas (MEX)
Demita Vega de Lille (MEX)
Farrah Hall (USA)
Dominique Stater (USA)

Men’s Fleet
Pedro Pascual Suitt (USA)
Noah Lyons (USA)
Alexander Temko (USA)

Details: https://iqfoilclass.org/iqeuropeans2022
Opening Ceremonies video: https://youtu.be/GV_RZmRXEZY