September 20, 2024
Qualification round number 1 took place today at the 2024 FPT GVA Wind Festival at the Tropical Corner. Fighting for those coveted 4 spots in the Sunday final, it were Yentel Caers (JP/NeilPryde), Sam Esteve (JP/NeilPryde), Tim Gerdes (Severne) and Foivos Tsoupras (Duotone/Maui Ultra Fins) who prevailed. With no Foilstyle action, all the focus was on the Tow-In. Check out the highlight video as well as the full day recap below.
The forecast did not suggest any possibility of foilstyle today, which was underlined by the glassy waters throughout the day. A practice session took place, allowing for combo moves to be trained. The session saw Yentel Caers coaching yet another host of Tow-In aficionados in a clinic.
Soon enough it was time for the first round of qualificaiton. This year, the top 4 men per qualification round as wellas the two top-scoring women overal will be making it into the grand final on sunday. The format was slightly adjusted to previous years. Each riders got 3 runs, with two of the best counting. One of the runs had to be on flat water, with the other two utilising the wake boat wave from Wake Up Geneva. First up were Maaike Huvermann (Severne/Maui Ultra Fins) and Leander Halm (Starboard/Severne/Maui Ultra Fins). Both goofy riders, got the chance to put in their runs early.
Halm went wall out. His take off was so radical, that his boom snapped mid air as he went for one of the biggest Air Funnels we have ever seen from a 15-year old. Despite his commitment and quick gear change, unfortunately the German rider has not made it into the final.
Maaike Huvermann, performing impressively as always, will have to wait till tomorrow to know if she has qualified for the final. She is in a great position though, with both Anina Heimoz and Lisa Kloster (MB-Board/Sailloft) needing to surpass her 10.33 score to knock her out tomorrow.
Being more certain of his qualification will be Sam Esteve. The Frenchman was impeccable in his conduct on the water, and with his signature style he secured himself a spot in the Sunday final. In similar fashion, Yentel Caers put on a great show as well. With the highest score of the day, the 2021 FPT Geneva winner made it into the final easily. However, it was the show run he did after the competition, not counting towards his score, that really impressed the crowds. Yentel completed a perfect 2.5 air rotation, the Samair, in a fashion at least as good as his french teammate. We cant wait to see him in the final.
Tim Gerdes, although prioritising Foilstyle, impressed today as well. The Brouwersdam local put in a great combo move to propel him into the final. In a similar fashion, Foivos Tsoupras qualified with a performance he was not fully proud of. The German rider confessed to going safe in roder to make it, but hopes to step it up when it really counts.
Missing out the most today was Bodhi Kempen (Severne). The Dutch rider was on the podium in Vieste with a world-class Double Culo, and was in a great position for the 2024 Tow-In rankings. Unfortunately his performance was sub-optimal, meaning that he will miss the final.
With half of the finalists decided, all eyes are now on tomorrow, where we will see the likes of Lennart Neubauer and George Grisley fight it out. Make sure to tune into the livestream at 5:45PM.
