After two years of postponements, 350 competitors from 25 nations are taking part in the 2022 Windsurfer World Championship.
The original Windsurfer World Championships were revived with the 17th edition in 2018 in Torbole, Italy. Following the 18th editioon the 2020 and 2021 editions (Perth, Australia) were canceled due to the Covid pandemic.
But now the 21st edition has successfully started hosted by Club Albaria in Mondello, Palermo, Italy.
On day one three races were completed in the medium-heavy and heavy categories and two tests instead for the light and medium light, for the under 19 and for women.
Leaders of the four categories are . . . in the light Marco Casagrande, in the medium-light Nicola Campus, the medium-heavy Alessandro Alberti and in the heavy, Riccardo Giordano.
Marsala Lauria Linares leads the women’s ranking and the young Blasco Aronica is leading the under 15.
Full results available here . . .
Thursday, wind permitting, on the calendar are three more races of the course-race and possibly also the slalom races.
Windsurfer Background:
The Original Windsurfer was a strict one design which sold over 400,000 units – still the largest sailing class ever.
The first world championships for the Windsurfer Class were held in 1973 (Mission Bay, San Diego, California). Three years later in 1976 in Nassau, Bahamas, 456 competitors took part in what was then the largest one design sailing event ever.
Here, a 13 year old Robbie Naish of Hawaii took the overall title. Naish would go on to dominate the sport for the next several decades.
In 2016 a project was commenced by IWCA Europe to develop a new hull based on the Windsurfer One Design moving from polyethylene to lighter weight epoxy construction with increased volume to cater for a wider range of athletes.
The “Windsurfer LT” was adopted by the Class in 2018 and can compete in the Windsurfer Class along with the Original Windsurfer and the One Design.
The 2022 Worlds event is for Windsurfer LT and WS One Design boards.
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