The Lanzarote iQFOiL Games said goodbye this Saturday with a heart-stopping day and fantastic conditions of 15 to 20 knots of wind, somewhat changing in direction, which has only added emotion to how each Olympic windsurfer would play their cards in the fantastic Lanzarote regatta field.
With these ingredients, the Medal Series have been held in the waters of the Canary Island, in which only the top 10 classified participated, and which have culminated in an all-or-nothing Final in which only the best three in the men's and women's categories have competed. Demanding, physically and mentally, Pilar Lamadrid (ESP) and Pawel Tarnowski (POL) have emerged victorious from it and are proclaimed champions of the Lanzarote iQFOil Games 2023.
For the second consecutive year, and only one year away from Paris 2024, the competition based in Marina Rubicón has been a success, with all the tests and formats -slalom, marathon and Windward/Leeward- completed throughout the six days of racing in Lanzarote, which many have already dubbed "the wind machine".
Pilar Lamadrid reigns again in Lanzarote
After a great semifinal, the only Spaniard in the Medal Series, Pilar Lamadrid, and the Israeli Shahar Tibi have managed to advance to the Final to face the provisional leader, Sharon Kantor (ISR), who automatically qualified yesterday.
Pilar showed composure at all times, with a good start and passing the first buoy of the course in the lead, a position she never abandoned, crossing the finish line in first place and winning the Lanzarote iQFOIL Games.
“I can't believe it!”, exclaimed the Andalusian as soon as she achieved victory. “It has been such a physically hard week! I have had a tough, tough 'battle' with Sharon, who has had a truly incredible championship. Lanzarote is incredible for sailing, as we have seen all week, with wind all the time and top conditions with which we have been able to do all the tests. I am very happy to win here for the second time,” said the world number 1.
Israel takes the second and third steps of the podium, with Shahar Tibi in second place while the young Sharon Kantor, second and first throughout the championship, takes the bronze.
Heart-stopping final in the men's category, won by the Polish Pawel Tarnowski
After the dispute of the quarterfinals and the semifinal, the Polish Pawel Tarnowski and the current European iQFOil champion, the Frenchman Nicolas Goyard, managed to access the Final. In it they have faced the British Sam Sills, who has clearly dominated throughout the championship winning more than half of the tests he has played these days.
With a classification system in which athletes risk everything on a single card in the Final, any unforeseen event is costly, although the emotion is served. And that is what we have seen today 20 meters from the finish line.
Sam Sills and Pawel Tarnowski were approaching the finish at great speed, with the Pole leading while the Briton was approaching him dangerously. Just at that moment, 20 meters from the end, Tarnowski goes into the water and a second later Sills does, while the Frenchman Nico Goyard continues towards them in third place.
“I was going at full speed towards the finish and I could hear Sam approaching, and I said to myself '15 more meters and I win'”, explained the brand new champion of the Lanzarote iQFOil Games, Pawel Tarnowski. “And suddenly, I fall and go into the water and I thought 'I'm last now'. But then I saw Sam also in the water. I did everything possible to get up quickly and cross the finish line and fortunately I did it before Nico too. It's been crazy! Honestly, I had never experienced a race like this, not even in training. I'm happy!”.
The Pole thus wins, for the first time in his career, a test of the iQFOil Games. Happy, he wanted to dedicate the victory to his wife and his future first child.
Sam Sills and Nico Goyard have completed the men's podium.
The final awards ceremony was attended by María Martín, from Lanzarote European Sports Destination; the representatives of the Yaiza City Council, Daniel Medina –Councilor for Youth and Culture- and Ángel Domínguez -Councilor for Tourism-; Ron Meir, president of the iQFOil class; Felipe Brito, vice president of the Royal Canarian Sailing Federation and Rafael Lasso, CEO of Marina Rubicón.
This international event has been organized by Marina Rubicón with the support of the Royal Canarian Sailing Federation and has been possible thanks to the institutional sponsorships of Promotur Turismo de Canarias with funding from the REACTEU Fund and Tourism of the Cabildo de Lanzarote through the European Sports Destination sports product (managed by SPEL-Turismo Lanzarote), as well as the public collaboration of the Yaiza City Council and the private entities Dinghycoach, Naviera Armas and Cabrera Medina (Cicar).
