Wingfoil Big Air World Champions

Mar de Arce, from Tarifa, and the Frenchman Julien Rattoti, champions of the Wingfoil Big Air World Championship in Gran Canaria.

The Big Air finals of the Wingfoil World Championship in Gran Canaria were lived in style, thanks to the more than 40 knots that elevated the Spanish Mar de Arce and the French Julien Rattotti to become the world champions of the Big Air discipline (high jumps) with wingfoil, a modality that has been premiered in Gran Canaria, being also the only competition held in the international circuit of the GWA.

"The conditions were truly extreme for the Big Air final. We have seen jumps over 10 meters and the riders Julien Rattotti and Mar de Arce have been true revelations in this modality", said the judge of this modality Álvaro Onieva, who highlighted the role of the Spanish rider, who "made a very high jump and with a lot of control during the time she stayed in the air".

In the women's final, the Spaniards Mar de Arce and Nía Suardiaz, current world leader in Freefly-Slalom, once again excelled. However, it was Mar de Arce who surprised during the final, beating the big favorite, Nía Suardiaz, by a few points, despite the tough wind conditions (around 43 knots) that made the riders' jumps difficult. After this heart-stopping final, the podium was led by Mar de Arce, with a score of 13.35 points, followed by Nía Suardiaz, with 13.20 points, and Poland's Agata Blach, with 10.16 points.

"I'm super happy, but I still can't believe it," commented the first Big Air World Champion, Mar de Arce, who highlighted the show given by both the girls and the boys with the very complicated conditions.

"I was going with 2 meters of wing, the smallest we have, and I was in over my head. It was about surviving and jumping as high as possible", concluded the rider from Tarifa with Catalan origin.

The men's title has a French accent and it was Julien Rattotti, who became the first Big Air World Champion. It was a seesaw final between Rattotti and Benjamin May, in which the German, with his huge front loops, impressed the judges and scored quite a few points. But Rattotti delivered and secured the title with a jump of 11.2 meters and 9.47 points on his last trick. Third place went to another Frenchman, Titouan Galea, who last Thursday became Freefly-Slalom champion of the GWA Wingfoil World Cup Gran Canaria.

For Julien Rattotti, who is the first time competing and sailing on the Gran Canarian beach, "it has been a very difficult final to handle, but it has been great", assured the first Big Air World Champion, who proved that it is possible to sail with a small sail in these conditions. "The conditions have been epic, because the wind was very strong and there were waves, but my opponents and I have shown that in strong wind you can sail with a small sail," explained the Frenchman.

In his words, "it's a dream to be here, it's just wonderful to be in Pozo Izquierdo".