- 06 June 2016 | Windsurfing
There are many risks involved when you crown world champions in a one-off event. Relevant competitors might not be able to attend the event; some athletes know the venue better than others, and single event championships are not as reliable as a five or ten-stage competition.
The Dunkerbeck GPS Speed Challenge 2016 had an interesting number of male windsurfers (a total of 40) and a reduced number of women (only four sailors). Unfortunately, the vast majority of speed sailing experts did not participate in the event held in the Canary Islands.
Names like Antoine Albeau, Patrik Diethelm, Mark Grinnell, Farrel O’Shea, Matthias Rottcher, Christian Bornemann, Thierry Bielak, Christophe Richaud, and Boris Vujasinovic were not on the riders’ list, and they all sail above 45 knots.
Bjorn Dunkerbeck, who is undoubtedly one of the fastest windsurfers on Earth, won the event hosted by himself with an average speed of 38.49 knots (71.21 km/h) over 250 meters. Zara Davis beat her three opponents with a final average speed between 30 and 32 knots.
However, the 2016 ISWC World Championship did not reflect the state-of-the-art of speed windsurfing. A proper world championship should include some of the planet’s finest speed strips, and a consistent participation from the fastest sailors.
Hopefully, Dunkerbeck will help set up a proper circuit that showcases the full potential of speed windsurfing.
Dunkerbeck GPS Speed Challenge 2016 | Top 3
Men
1. Bjorn Dunkerbeck (DEN)
2. John Skye (GBR)
3. Markus Emanuelsson (SWE)
Women
1. Zara Davis (GBR)
2. Maria Jose Hernandez (SPA)
3. Anne Schindler (GER)
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Source: WCA
