TEAM NEWS: DOUBLE PODIUM FOR GONG IN SURF-FREESTYLE!

Benjamin and Malo place their Hyperloop on the podium in Fuerteventura!

Double palau, front flip to FS360, and palau to FS360—Malo kicks off the second day at full speed, qualifying for the semi-finals in just three tricks. He finished the first heat of the day with over 25 points, landing another double palau scored at 9.10.

In the next heat, our team rider Clément Hamon faced tough opponents: Chris McDonald and Tomas Acherer, currently second and third in the championship. The favorites put in a flawless performance, forcing Clément to go all out to move on to the next round. Clément held his own and attempted several combos but unfortunately failed to improve his score.

Wing Foiler: Benjamin, GONG team rider, on his Hyperloop FSP Pro and Droid Aramid X.

Unexpected drama in the last quarter!

In the final quarter-final, our team riders Bastien Escofet and Benjamin Castenskiold faced Benjamin May and Leo Suardiaz. As the competitors landed trick after trick, the championship leader started with 3 consecutive crashes. Only 4 attempts remained to land 3 tricks. At this level, things can change fast—even for the favorites. On his fourth try, he reminded everyone why he was leading the rankings, landing the cleanest double palau of the event. Relieved, he finished the heat strong with a total score of 26 points.

The fight for second place in this heat was very tight between the German and the French rider. Less than a point separated them, but neither May nor Escofet managed to improve their lowest score. Final advantage goes to the German, who landed a back mobe scoring 6.90.

Wing Foiler: Benjamin, GONG team rider, on his Hyperloop FSP Pro, Droid Aramid X, and HM mast.

Best performance of the event!

In the first semi-final, Malo keeps the pressure on with another strong heat, landing his first 4 tricks for a total of 24 points. He still has half the heat to take risks and widen the lead. Behind him, Nico Vuillermet and Benjamin struggle to land their third trick. While Nico crashes out on a sixth consecutive FS1080 attempt, Benjamin finally plays it safe with a front flip. Not enough to surpass Malo and Tomas Acherer, who qualify easily for the final.

The second semi-final plays out very differently, as Benjamin climbs from third to first place in his very last attempts with a palau frontside 720, a frontside 1080, and a double palau frontside 360—scoring the best heat score of the event. He beats his title rival Chris McDonald for the second time, though Chris also qualifies for the final by taking second place.

Wing Foiler: Malo, GONG team rider, using Hyperloop FSP Pro and Droid Aramid X.

A second re-match in the final!

In the final, Benjamin and Chris faced off for the third time in two days in Fuerteventura, joined by Malo Guénolé and Tomas Acherer. With the wind dying down, riders had to execute tricks precisely during gusts to generate enough lift for high scores. At this stage, playing it safe was no longer enough.

Malo was the first to start, landing his first three tricks. The Austrian followed, but in these conditions, struggled to land a third trick, which remained a modest 2.67 until the end of the heat. In contrast, Chris adapted best to the weakening wind and landed tricks with training-like precision for a final score of 27.47. All eyes turned to Benjamin, brilliant in the previous heat. On his final attempt, he executed several tacks with tight timing to catch the gust that could send him soaring, but his final double palau didn't reach its usual intensity. He finished second in the heat, just ahead of Malo—earning a superb double podium for GONG!

In the championship standings, Chris and Benjamin are now neck and neck heading into the Gran Canaria event next week!

The competition continues in Fuerteventura with the Freefly-Slalom.
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