The 2010 PWA Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria Grand Prix – Day Two
Waiting Game
The women were scheduled to commence battle as soon as the men’s fleet had been whittled down to the top 16. Unfortunately, this left them hanging on tenterhooks, eager to get out on the water to show off their skills.
As of yet we haven’t seen the women in wave competition for 2010, meaning an all manner of people could cause some upsets to the longstanding champions of the women’s wave tour.
German contender, Steffi Wahl (Patrik, Gaastra) was spotted out on the water training today whilst the men’s competition was on standby, and she looked to be shredding in the onshore waves. A good first heat for Wahl, could help propel her into the finals, and maybe even onto the podium.
Wahl has a fairly tough draw however with the young French racing star, Alice Arutkin (Starboard, North) in her first heat. If Arutkin’s wave sailing has improved as much as her slalom racing, then she too could pass through to the finals and cause an upset.
Another young lady training hard on the water today was Polish ripper, Justyna Sniady. Unfortunately, it looked like she was pushing it a bit too much pre-competition, and a quick inspection from the on- site doctor revealed that she may have burst her ear drum whilst spinning round a forward. Sniady remained fairly positive, and will no doubt put in a great performance against women’s windsurfing legend, Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne) during the first round.
Amongst these few, there are many other women to watch out for including the freestyler turned wave sailor from Russia, Olya Raskina (JP, NeilPryde). Laure Treboux (Fanatic, North) who now lives and trains in the waves of Western Australia for six months of the year. And, Japanese wave warrior, Junko Nagoshi (Tabou, Simmer, Dakine) who could easily upset the balance.
