Wingfoil
The Global Wingsports Association (GWA) World Tour returned toGran Canaria for the third consecutive year, but 2025 brought a fresh twist: the vibrantshores of El Burrero in Ingenio, famed for their cross-onshore winds and perfect kickers, made their debut as the competition venue. The conditions proved ideal for Surf-Freestyle action, and it was here that the new World Champion was crowned in record time.
The men’s showdown came down to France’s Axel Gerard and Denmark’s BenjaminCastenskiold. Gerard produced the higher individual trick scores, but Castenskiold deliveredunerring consistency. When Gerard crashed on his final attempt, the title slipped from hisgrasp.
“In the final, Gerard threw a double front flip using the wave’s kicker, getting huge height and earning a unanimous 10 from all the judges,” explained Javier Ippólito, Head Judge of thecompetition. “But it wasn’t enough to beat Castenskiold, whose top three tricks all scored wellabove average.”
Gerard claimed second place in El Burrero and fifth overall, while Xavier Corr, the Australianbased in Tarifa, took third place here and currently sits eighth in the world rankings.
After a thrilling men’s competition in which reigning champion Chris MacDonald had beendetermined to defend his crown, Castenskiold not only took the Gran Canaria event win butalso became the new 2025 GWA Wingfoil Surf-Freestyle World Champion — a staggeringachievement for a 14-year-old in his first full season on the World Tour.
“MacDonald came in as the favourite for the World Title, but he simply couldn’t land his trickswith enough consistency, missing the moves we’re used to seeing from him,” added Ippólito.
Women’s Title Still to Be Decided
In the women’s fleet, defending World Champion Nia Suardiaz (Tarifa) tops the standings, buther main rivals — Mar de Arce (Tarifa) and Germany’s Marie Schlittenbauer — remain strongcontenders. With the title on the line, El Burrero is the perfect stage for an unforgettable finaleto the 2025 Surf-Freestyle season.
“In Round 3, Suardiaz made a bold statement by opening her heat with a clean backflip,” noted Ippólito. Schlittenbauer, still riding high from her Fuerteventura win, impressed with a huge Palau Frontside followed by a stylish front flip, scoring 25.87 points in a dominant heat.
The conditions at El Burrero allowed the women to showcase their rapidly evolving skill level. Mar de Arce and France’s Manon Dupé advanced straight to the semi-finals.
In Round 4, the Netherlands’ Bowien van der Linden rode with precision and control to bookher place in the semis, followed by Italy’s Allegra Caffi with a steady, consistent performance. Switzerland’s Zara Maillard and Austria’s Viola Lippitsch also made the cut, completing a high-calibre women’s semi-final line-up.
The 2025 GWA Wingfoil World Cup El Burrero, organised by Club Deportivo CanakiteExperiences, Club Náutico El Burrero and the Municipality of Ingenio, has been a trulyhistoric edition — marking the rise of new champions and showcasing the relentlessprogression of technical performance in wingfoil Surf-Freestyle.
The event has been made possible thanks to the support of the Tourism and Sportsdepartments of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, the Canary Islands Government’s SportsCouncil, the Royal Canary Sailing Federation, 7UP, and other partners
