The PWA World Tour finally started with the launch of a brand new discipline: SlalomX.
SlalomX brings us back to racing with fins only, but with some exciting elements to shake up the format compared to regular slalom sailing. We saw, for example, an obstacle jump, chicane, speed run, marks in waves, and bigger heats (12-man heats instead of 8). All these elements together in wind conditions ranging from 30 to 40 knots gave us a spectacular show.
Two days before the event started, I got hit by a very strong flu. I was sick in bed for 3 to 4 days, and I was scared of missing out on the competition. I got very lucky that the wave discipline ran first because I would not have been able to race. It was incredibly frustrating, as I’m a guy who isn’t sick often!
When it was our time to shine, I still had a very rough time on the water, not feeling 100%. Mentally, it was tough to handle, as I felt so prepared for this event with high hopes to finish well. On the other hand, I just kept fighting through to finish the best I could.
We ended up racing for 2 days back-to-back, then had a one-day break, and raced again for 2 days back-to-back. The break day absolutely helped me a lot, as I entered the last 2 days with more energy. This was shown in my results; I managed to win two eliminations in the last 2 days, climbing back to 4th place in the overall rankings, missing out on the podium by only 3 points after 10 eliminations.
In the end, I feel gutted about missing out on the podium. I really showed great speeds and sailing and think I deserved to be on the podium. On the other hand, I’m really proud for not giving up during those first tough days and for keeping my belief in good results. With a 4th place finish, I can still hope for a higher overall ranking in Fuerteventura.
Now it’s time to go home, recover more, as this racing was really done on my energy reserves, and get ready for the PWA in Fuerteventura at the end of July!
