Sailmon MAX Ambassador Mathis Ghio clinched the gold medal at the WingFoil Racing World Cup Turkiye with a stellar performance in the men's final. The 22-year-old Frenchman, a double world champion, showcased his speed and precision from the start. “We had to slow down quite a lot coming into the start and then accelerate as quickly as possible when we heard the start signal from the race committee," he explained. "From then on it was explosive pumping to get to the bottom of the course first.”
In the men’s final, all four riders approached the start a bit too early, creating a tense moment. Julien Rattotti received a penalty for not keeping clear of Ghio, causing him to fall off his board and drop out of the race. Despite a slightly slower start compared to the Italians Alessandro Tomasi and Francesco Cappuzzo, Ghio accelerated towards the first turning mark and held the inside line to take the lead. He maintained his lead and triumphantly launched his board into the air as he secured gold.
Rattotti’s strong performance in Saturday’s finals racing earned him the silver medal despite his setback in the final, while Tomasi secured bronze. After five days of competition in varying breezes, Urla, Turkey, has proven to be an excellent venue for wingfoil racing. The circuit will next move to The Netherlands for the Marathon Worlds in Texel in early June.
RESULTS MEN
1. Mathis Ghio (FRA) - GOLD
2. Julien Rattotti (FRA) - SILVER
3. Alessandro Tomasi (ITA) - BRONZE
Source: Wingfoilracing.com
Source photo: © IWSA media/ Robert Hajduk