Heute Morgen sah es zunächst nicht allzu vielversprechend für den vierten Tag des „2026 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup“ aus, da die Teilnehmer von extrem schwachem Wind begrüßt wurden. Einige Einheimische sagten jedoch voraus, dass es um 9 Uhr windiger werden würde, und tatsächlich zeigte die Brise fast pünktlich um 9 Uhr Anzeichen einer Zunahme, sodass um 9:30 Uhr endlich die Rennen beginnen konnten. Der Wind blieb durchgehend schwach und äußerst tückisch – 7 bis 14 Knoten –, was alle Teilnehmer dazu veranlasste, auf ihre größten Ausrüstungen zurückzugreifen – doch nach drei Ruhetagen liegen nun endlich die ersten Ergebnisse der Woche vor. Japan ist bekannt dafür, für Drama zu sorgen, und auch in dieser Hinsicht hat es wieder einmal nicht enttäuscht…
Women’s
Blanca Alabau (WeOne / Severne Sails) pinged the start in the opening Winners’ Final to lead the race from start to finish to take the overnight event and world top spot. The Spaniard, who is aiming to win her second world title, controlled the race and looked to have excellent top speed, while looking smooth through the gybes.
While Alabau was in clear air and waters after the first buoy, the same can’t be said for the rest of the fleet as reigning world champion Justine Lemeteyer (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / AEON Foil System) was forced wide to avoid Lina Eržen (Starboard / S2Maui), who appeared to get backwinded at the opening mark. That opened the door for Mae Davico (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / AEON Foil System) to thread the needle and move into the top two and the 24-year-old secured second place ahead of teammates Marion Mortefon (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / AEON Foil System) and Lemeteyer, who had to settle for fourth in the opener.
Women's Winners' Final
Men’s
With Fabian Wolf (Starboard / Severne Sails / AEON Foil System) being disqualified in the quarterfinals for a premature start, along with four other sailors, that swung the world title race further open with the rest of the world’s top six all qualifying for the first Winners’ Final of the event.
Pierre Mortefon (FMX Racing / North Sails) made the best start of the pack in the final, but Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / North Sails / Z Foils), who knows an event win offers him the most realistic chance of winning the world title, put the pedal to the metal as he powered past the Frenchman to claim the opening bullet of the week.
At one stage, current world champion, Matteo Iachino (Starboard / NeilPryde), looked as though he may miss out on a place in the top three, but he did well to overtake Nico Prien (JP / NeilPryde) to claim third, while Prien claimed fourth. That means that the Italian and Vrieswijk are currently tied on 20,100 points, but crucially it is currently Vrieswijk who leads on countback heading into the final day.
Men's Winners' Final
With Wolf suffering that shock early exit, Mortefon climbs into third place in the overall rankings after securing second place in Elimination 1, while Bruno Martini (WeOne / S2Maui / Z Foils) rises into fourth after finishing seventh.
For Wolf, the German currently drops to fifth in the overall rankings and with only a day to go it’s almost impossible to see a discard being gained, so sadly his chances of challenging for the world title and podium are extremely slim as he now currently trails Mortefon in third by 800 points.
Elsewhere, William Huppert (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / AEON Foil System) made a solid start to the event with a fifth place, which sees him currently ranked joint fifth in the overalls too, while Jordy Vonk (Duotone Windsurfing) claimed sixth in the opener.
Sem Stroosma qualified for the Winners’ Final, but had to settle for eighth after jumping the gun in the final, while Maciek Rutkowski (JP / NeilPryde), who is sailing with a foot injury, managed to win the B-Final ahead of Alexis Mathis and John Soukos (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails).
Takumi Kuragano (JP / NeilPryde) and Tomonori Anami are currently the highest ranked Japanese sailors in fourteenth and fifteenth, respectively.
The forecast for tomorrow looks promising on paper with 16-22 knot northeasterly winds predicted. However, things may prove to be tricky as overcast skies and scattered showers are expected, which may affect the normal flow of the wind here. We will just have to wait and see how things unravel. The sailors will meet again for the final skippers’ meeting of the week at 08:00 (GMT+9) with the racing once again commencing from 08:30 onwards. With prize giving being held at 2pm on the beach the pressure will be massive as any mistake from one of the front runners will have a huge impact on their overall results. From a neutrals’ perspective, the stage is set for a nail-biting and incredibly exciting final day when the Men’s and Women’s Foil Slalom event and world titles will be decided. Who’s your money on?
You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from Japan — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply by clicking HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the page.
Current Rankings 2026 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup - Women’s Foil Slalom
1st Blanca Alabau (ESP | WeOne / Severne Sails)
2nd Mae Davico (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / AEON Foil System)
3rd Marion Mortefon (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / AEON Foil System)
4th Justine Lemeteyer (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / AEON Foil System)
5th Lina Eržen (SLO | Starboard / S2Maui)
Current Rankings 2026 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf
World Cup - Men’s Foil Slalom
1st Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly / North Sails / Z Foils)
2nd Pierre Mortefon (FRA | FMX Racing / North Sails)
3rd Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / NeilPryde)
4th Nico Prien (GER | JP / NeilPryde / Z Foils)
5th William Huppert (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / AEON Foil System)
6th Jordy Vonk (NED | Duotone Windsurfing)
7th Bruno Martini (ITA | WeOne / S2Maui / Z Foils)
8th Sem Stroosma (NED)
9th Maciek Rutkowski (POL | JP / NeilPryde)
10th Alexis Mathis (FRA)