GWA Wingfoil World Cup Gran Canaria 2026 - Day 3
Francesco Cappuzzo and Nia Suardiaz win the FreeFly-Slalom
On Gran Canaria, the windy conditions continued on the third day. Three more race heats were held to determine the top six riders for the subsequent finals.
Tom Pansard won the qualifying round ahead of Bastien Escofet; both advanced directly to the final heat.
The four riders who finished in third through sixth place first had to compete against each other in two semifinal heats to determine which two would round out the four-man final. Francesco Cappuzzo and Sebastiano Zorzi made it through.
Then things got exciting, because with his victory in the preliminary round, Tom Pansard already had one of the two required first-place finishes — known as a "bullet" — in the bag. You need two bullets to win the event. All the other riders started from scratch.
Francesco Cappuzzo went on to win the first final run, tying him with Tom Pansard. Since nothing had been decided yet, another final run followed. Bastien Escofet won that one. This meant that three riders now had a "bullet" and the chance to clinch the title with a win in the next run.
In the end, Francesco Cappuzzo succeeded in doing so: "It feels so good to be back on top. I was having bad dreams for the last six or seven months after Abu Dhabi; I’m so happy to be back on top now here. The conditions were really challenging; anyone could win this event. I’m really happy that I pushed and came out with the win. Now I have to go full-on in Fuerteventura and finish the job."
FreeFly-Slalom final results men
1. Francesco Cappuzzo (ITA)
2. Bastien Escofet (FRA)
3. Tom Pansard (FRA)
4. Sebastiano Zorzi (ITA)
5. Noé Cuyala (FRA)
6. Benjamin May (GER)
In the women’s competition as well, the top six from seven heats advanced to the finals. Having won her preliminary heat, Nia Suardiaz had already secured her first "bullet" and she didn’t let anything slip in the finals. The Spanish athlete also won the second final, thereby claiming the FreeFly-Slalom title at the World Cup in Gran Canaria.
FreeFly-Slalom final results men
1. Nia Suardiaz (ESP)
2. Kylie Belloeuvre (FRA)
3. Enoha Laurent (FRA)
4. Mar de Arce (ESP)
5. Bowien van der Linden (NED)
6. Manon Dupé (FRA)
On Thursday, the action continues in El Burrero with Surf-Freestyle; the winner of this second discipline will be decided by Saturday. It looks like it’ll be high-wind freestyle — so let’s look forward to the action in the heats.
July 22, 2026 © WING DAILY | text: Jürgen Schall | photos/graphics: GWA / Samuel Cardenas | translation: DE
