NEWS: MALO TAKES THE WIN IN DENMARK!

A long day of competition on the spot of Hvide Sande saw the victory of Malo Guénolé in a final heat against his GONG team mate Bastien Escofet!

Last week’s forecast looked like we would be blessed with contestable conditions throughout the waiting period, but reality turned the forecast on its head with Monday looking like the only shot for a legit Surf-Freestyle event. The organizers had to make the most of this opportunity and set an early start of competition with a light wind not exceeding 15 knots. Light but sufficient conditions for a fair battle. Besides, waves were also part of the mix which opened up the possibility of scoring waves for the first time this year in Surf-Freestyle.

Freestyle and surfing

The change in format with the counting of a wave and a freestyle trick during the third round of competition finally made sense of the Surf-Freestyle category. Due to the lack of waves on the first 4 events, it had been all about freestyle so far. This meant the edge of the hardcore freestylers shifted towards the most versatile riders. During this third round, Malo and Bastien qualified quite easily while Clément Hamon, though he owned the second highest score of the round, had to give way to Axel Gerard in this non elimination round. He nevertheless bounced back in the next heat to face a serious challenger in the person of Malo! The reigning World Champion took the win over the reigning World Champion in the under-16 category. A match-up of champs that’s gotta be the first of many to come!

Quarters, semis and final!

In these conditions, Bastien and Malo showed great form and continued their flawless run with the best heat scores in the quarters. In the semi-final, Malo faced his main rival for the title, Chris McDonald, whom he managed to dominate thanks to his solid level in wave riding. A result which deprived the young American of a world title celebration in Denmark. He finished fourth after losing the heat for the third place against Alan Fedit, himself beaten by Bastien in the other semi.

In the final, Malo and Bastien were both in for the win. Bastien kicked off things with a one-handed backflip to which he added solid scores for wave riding. Despite finishing an intense and tiring heat only 5 minutes ago, Malo didn’t let go in a consequential final for his chances in the title race, he scored the best score of the event in wave riding with 8,60 and secured first place with an FS7 scored at 8.33.

To win a consecutive world title in Surf-Freestyle at the last event in Brazil at the end of November, Malo will have to follow an identical trajectory to the one that led him to win the title in 2022. He must win and hope that the current leader does not improve on the 9th place he achieved at Taiba last year. An unlikely last place finish for the leader would allow Malo to win the title by finishing second and ahead of Alan Fedit.

Nia dominates the women’s draw

Among the girls, Nia Suardiaz wins a 5th consecutive victory this year in Surf-Freestyle! A solid demonstration of her level in varied and technical conditions. However, the competition was there with Orane Ceris who confirmed an excellent season which places her second in the championship for the moment. It was in a quarter final clash against Orane that the competition ended in Denmark for Sofia Marchetti, GONG team rider and currently ranked 5th in the world.

Freefly-slalom

The competition continues in Denmark with the Freefly-Slalom heats in conditions that we hope to be sufficient. Follow the action on the GWA website and in our magazine!