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Day 7: Offringa on the Verge of 13th Freestyle World Crown, Whilst an Emotional Vrieswijk May Have Finally Ended Search For Maiden World Title

A marginal forecast for the morning of Day 7 of the 2021 SOMWR Movement 10 x Marignane PWA Grand Slam, presented by Greentech Festival, proved to be just enough to allow the Men’s and Women’s Freestyle Single Eliminations to be completed in light, tricky conditions. So, whilst today may not have been the power freestyle we have come to love in recent years, it was still an intriguing battle. Sailors were given 10 minutes in the Women’s Finals and 12 minutes in the Men’s Finals to show off what they can do in the lighter airs. This meant that today came down to patience, so holding your nerve was critical given the longer heat duration, with still the best 3 moves from 6 to count. Waiting for the right gust often proved pivotal. It also tested the sailor's technical ability to the max as they still attempted to land the biggest moves possible in the light winds.

As it stands, Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins), is now on the verge of claiming an incredible 13th Freestyle World Championship, whilst Amado Vrieswijk’s (Future Fly / Severne) wait for a maiden world title could finally be over after defeating - Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) - in the Winners’ Final. Vrieswijk has been on the cusp of being World Champion on 3 occasions - losing out on a tiebreak in 2016 to Gollito Estredo (RRD / RRD Sails), finishing as the vice-world champion in 2017, whilst missing out on the world title in 2019 despite winning two out of the three events that season. It’s been a long time coming for the 25-year-old, but with almost no wind on the horizon, it looks as though the wait for his first world crown may finally be over and I don’t think any sailor would begrudge him of that honour having been so close on so many occasions before.

Video: Aalvaa Media