NEWS: CHRONICLE OF A DUEL FORETOLD IN MOROCCO!

The Moroccan waves were the scene of yet another duel between the two in form wing foilers on the Wing Foiling Wave Tour!

After meeting in the last final in Brazil, Malo Guénolé and Cash Berzolla faced each other again after being the standouts of the event in Morocco with fluid, committed and innovative maneuvers. The level of their final clash demonstrates the importance of a pure Wave Tour and sets the tone for future performances.

Wing foiler: Malo, GONG team rider, with the Droid UPE, Lethal FSP Pro, HM mast and Ypra-S. Photo: Lukas K. Stiller.

A high-level duel

The battle for the victory in Dakhla went down between the standouts of the event, Malo and Cash. The tension was at its height during their match-up. The two protagonists responded wave for wave. Their duel was a celebration of what wing foiling can offer in these types of conditions. Malo went for airs, frontside 360s, alley oops, carves and turns with flow and style. But it wasn’t to be for our team rider, as by the end of the 25 minutes, the judges favored the young American by only 0.21 points. A result which places them tied in the general rankings, only a few points from the newly crowned champion.

New criteria

The final was a showcase of two very different styles: all about surfing for Malo who only used the wave to produce his speed and send maneuvers, and a windsurfing-like approach for Cash who uses the propulsion of the wing to accelerate and relaunch before moves.

Two very different ways of approaching the wave, philosophically speaking. The final results seem to suggest the second approach was the preferred one by the judges. Malo linked together almost twice as many maneuvers per wave with a lot of variety, he covered close to double the distance, but logically didn’t show the same speed of movement. This was the point of difference. The speed obtained by the wing was rewarded. Wanting to stay true to the surfing spirit of the wave tour, Malo refused to use this tactic. And understandably so, sending an air with the wing is a bit like sending an air when towed-in in surfing. You obviously can’t score a towed surfer like a surfer using only the wave to generate speed. The potentials are very different and should not be confused when using two energy sources (wave + wind) versus a single energy source (wave). One thing’s for sure, those questions will certainly bring more clarity on the judging criteria for the future events.

The title for Cape Verde

In the race for the world title, Wesley Brito, the winner of the inaugural event in Cape Verde clinched the crown by beating Noé Cuyala at the last minute in a re-run of their heat, firstly won by Noé. The heat had to be re-run following a protest from Brito concerning the use of the wing on a wave from Noé.

A ninth place in Brazil and a semi-final in Morocco allows Wesley Brito to be the first ever Wing Foil Wave World Champion. A result rewarding years of high level performances marked by creativity and commitment in the waves. Well done!!!

Big UP for Hugo Marin who finishes runner-up to Wesley and was on his way to winning the title before the protest which led to the Neo/Wesley rematch.

Though he was part of all the finals, Malo must settle with a honorific position in the rankings for having missed the event in Ponta Preta to pass high school exams. Only a couple of heat wins in the early rounds of the Capo Verde event would have allowed him to win the title. Now a full-time GONG team rider, he will fully defend his chances in 2024!