The Lanzarote iQFOiL Games have come to an end this Friday, the last major event of the year, with a day of action and perfect conditions. Winds of between 12 and 15 knots have been the dominant theme in the Medal Series, in which the ten best windsurfers in each category have fought for a title that was finally awarded to the two undisputed leaders of the championship: Sharon Kantor and the current world champion of the class, the Dutchman Luuc Van Opzeeland. The Spaniards Nacho Baltasar and Pilar Lamadrid, meanwhile, finished in eighth and ninth position respectively.
The event, which counts towards the Olympic windsurfing circuit and which Marina Rubicón has organised for the second time this season – the first was held last January – has once again been a success and confirmed the island's unique potential for the sport. With perfect wind, sun and wave conditions throughout the week, the Lanzarote iQFOiL Games conclude having held races in all formats: slalom, race course and a demanding marathon in a unique environment that linked the islands of Lanzarote and Lobos.
Luuc Van Opzeeland, winner of the LanzaroteiQFOiL Games. Nacho Baltasar, eighth
After the quarter-finals and a semi-final in which the second and third placed overall, the Frenchman Nicolás Goyard and the Italian Nicolo Renna, were left out, the Grand Final pitted the leader Luuc Van Opzeeland against the two who earned access in the penultimate phase: the Briton Finn Hawkins and the Dane Johan Søe.
The Dutchman, who led firmly from the second day of the championship, did not give ground and again dominated clearly in the decisive race. After taking the lead at the first mark, Van Opzeeland withstood the pressure from his rivals and sealed the final victory ahead of Hawkins, who was second, and Søe, who closed the podium of the Lanzarote event in third place and took the victory in the under 21 category.
"It's been an incredible day," said the Dutchman. "The last day is always complicated, today I pushed hard, I had a fabulous start and I was up there and in the end I took the victory. It's been a good week and good waves during the championship."
The Balearic Islander Nacho Baltasar, who qualified for the Medal Series in tenth position, was fifth in the quarter-finals, a result that placed him in eighth place overall and second in the under 21 category with very good feelings ahead of the World Championships, which will be held at the end of next January under the organisation of Marina Rubicón.
"I really wanted to do the Medal, especially for the experience ahead of the Games, and this regatta has gone very well for me to see the mistakes I have and to be able to correct them for the next regattas. The truth is that I am improving a lot and very fast," said Baltasar.
Sharon Kantor, unbeatable, takes the final victory and Pilar Lamadrid finishes ninth
There were no surprises in the women's iQFOiL division. Of the three sailors who reached the Medal Series on the provisional podium, only the third, the British Emma Wilson, was unable to fight for the medals after sealing a fourth place in the semi-final.
Thus, the leader Sharon Kantor, who gained direct access to the Grand Final, and the windsurfers Tamar Steinberg and Katy Spychakov, who faced the day from the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, battled it out in an exciting three-way duel. Kantor once again gave her best and sealed the Canary Islands event with a final partial victory, a result that made her the brand new winner with a total of nine victories and three other podiums in the 16 races held.
Kantor, who did not drop from the top of the overall standings from the first day of the championship, said after returning to land that "I felt very good, the conditions were very good and the Final was very interesting. I am very happy to have won. My plan now is to stay a few days and then come back to prepare for the World Championships, which I am looking forward to."
The first and second place in the under 21 category were also taken by Sharon Kantor and Tamar Steinberg.
For her part, the Spaniard Pilar Lamadrid sealed a sixth place in the quarter-finals this Friday, which puts her definitively in ninth position overall.
The awards ceremony, which took place at 17:00 local time, was attended by Juan Monzón, Minister of Sports of the Cabildo Insular de Lanzarote; Ángel Lago, Councillor for Sports of the Yaiza Town Hall, and Daniel Medina, Councillor for Tourism; María Martín representing Tourism of Lanzarote; Rafael Bonilla, President of the Royal Canarian Sailing Federation; and Rafael Lasso, CEO of Marina Rubicón.
Action continues at the Lanzarote Sailing Center
With the Lanzarote iQFOiL Games over, Marina Rubicón is already preparing for its next two major events, the iQFOiL World Championships at the end of next January and the 49er and 49er FX World Championships in March, both events framed within the Lanzarote International Regatta. Until then, Olympic activity continues unabated at the Lanzarote Sailing Center, where a large group of teams and crews from different countries around the world have set up their training base in preparation for Paris 2024.
The event was organised by Marina Rubicón and was supported by the Royal Canarian Sailing Federation, as well as the institutional support of Promotur Turismo de Canarias, the Tourism Department of the Cabildo de Lanzarote through the European Sports Destination sports product (managed by SPEL-Turismo Lanzarote), the Yaiza Town Hall and the private entities Dinghycoach, Naviera Armas and Cabrera Medina (Cicar).