About 1200 windsurfers entered the 20th edition of the pro-am long distance race “Defi Wind”, which took place from May 26 until May 29, 2022. The come back event after a long Covid break saw a French domination in the men’s and women’s fleet. 5 races got finished in the men’s fleet and 4 in the women’s fleet in wind conditions ranging from 18 to 35 + knots.
With four victories, foil expert Nicolas Goyard, dominated the race but Antoine Albeau confirmed his overall skills whether on foil or fin, and Antoine Questel demonstrated that fin slalom in windy conditions is not dead, as he only competed with fins. Delphine Cousin Questel got back to her favourite position of leader, ahead of young upcoming talent Justine Le Meteyer, whilst Marion Mortefon completes the podium.
The windiest race, which was the first one, was won by none other than 49 year-old Antoine Albeau.
I never thought I would be able to still win a race when I see the new generation training so much. On top of that, I only just unwrapped my new gear 2 days ago. Everything was brand new, beside my boom! I can’t believe I can still play at the top level. Antoine Albeau, 49, who reached a top speed of 34.88 knots during the race
Overall Result 2022 Défi Wind – Women’s
1. Delphine Cousin Questel
2. Justine Le Meteyer
3. Marion Mortefon
4. Femke Van Der Veen
5. Helle Oppedal
Overall Result 2022 Défi Wind – Men’s
1. Nicolas Goyard
2. Antoine Albeau
3. Antoine Questel
4. Nicolas Warembourg
5. Pierre Mortefon
6. Matteo Iachino
7. Jordy Vonk
8. Basile Jacquin
9. Johan Soe
10. Maciek Rutkowski
Check out the full ranking here
How long (by GPS) was the first race won by Antoine in 0:33? Not 40km…