LANZAROTE IQFOIL GAMES
Although Lanzarote has given the competitors a break after the battle experienced during the first day of the world circuit, the competitors have taken the opportunity to enjoy the magnificent conditions of the always-sunny Canary Island.
Wednesday, 26th January 2022 – The sailors have been able to recover this Wednesday after the battle experienced during the first day of the Lanzarote iQFoil Games, as, unfortunately, there has not been a breath of wind. And without wind there is no racing. Despite the race committee’s best efforts throughout the day, it was impossible to send the sailors out on the water. Although Lanzarote has not had enough wind to compete, Gonzalo Costa Hoevel, secretary of this Olympic class of the International iQFOiL Class Association, took the opportunity to explain what this Olympic class is all about. “They are all very happy, we will see the conditions tomorrow, although Lanzarote has shown that it has incredible conditions,” declared Costa while explaining what iQFoil is and why it is so catching.
However, the more than 100 competitors who are on the Canary Island have taken the opportunity to take a break and enjoy the island, where they have been training for months. “We’ve been training in Lanzarote for a few months now, and we couldn’t be better, as the island and the wind have welcomed us very well,” said Spain’s Pilar La Madrid, who currently leads the ranking in the women’s category, after managing to stay in the lead in the 5 races held on Tuesday. Pilar, who has swept and won all the races so far, is ready and willing to measure herself against the best in this circuit.
In the words of Thomas Goyard, current silver medallist at Tokyo 2020, “the island is really amazing, especially for surfing, but also for other outdoor sports such as diving or cycling, even skydiving,” confessed the Frenchman, who is currently ranked 15th in the men’s category. “It’s great to be here to compete, but also to train with the whole French team, even though it’s going to be a long season,” added Nicolas Goyard, third in the rankings.
The forecast for tomorrow, Thursday 27th January, looks promising, so we are looking forward to competing in Act 1 of the International iQFoil Games, which are making their debut in Lanzarote. This international competition serves as a prelude to the Olympic Games, as it has brought together the best in class, which serves to measure themselves, as “there are a lot of people and we will be able to train very well in Lanzarote,” said Pilar La Madrid.
The iQFOIL Games, sponsored by the Cabildo de Lanzarote’s Tourism and Sports Department, Promotur, are the first stop on the world circuit of the class, and will count towards the world ranking in order to qualify for the European Championship in Garda and the World Championship in Brest at the end of the year. This first edition of the world circuit takes place in the waters of Playa Blanca from the 24th to the 29th of January, in
