Vietnam cements its reputation as a world-class competition location, following nine days of super charged freestyle and slalom action from Binh Thuan province’s, Mui Ne Bay.
Adding a second Asian stop to the PWA’s globe trotting World Tour, the world’s windsurfing community shifted its focus to the south eastern Vietnamese province of Binh Thuan, where the picture perfect location of Mui Ne bay would play host to the first ever PWA Grand Slam in Vietnam.
The location had already been tried and tested with numerous local and regional events, but this was the first time Mui Ne would be projected onto the world stage to host an international competition.
March 1st - 5th: Women’s Slalom
Handing the baton over to the slalom crew, there was barely a breath between the fleet registration, and the first heats hitting the water to christen the opening race elimination. However, progress was to be short lived after Mui Ne’s usually super consistent thermal breeze began to falter, halting progress just short of a result in the men’s elimination, but crowning Alice Arutkin (Starboard / North) the early event leader in the women’s fleet.
In the women’s second race, Karin Jaggi (Severne / Patrik) rose to the challenge to take a convincing elimination victory ahead of Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic), who was beginning to seriously threaten taking the top spot, and a consistent Alice Arutkin (Starboard / North) in third
The women’s third elimination saw Offringa continue her run of form right through to the winners final, where she pieced together a stunning heat to award her victory ahead of Turkey’s Lena Erdil (Patrik / Loft / Mystic), who was looking like she’d found her form after posting a disappointing ninth and eighth in the previous eliminations, leaving World Champion Jaggi in third.
The women’s final elimination saw Offringa cement her reputation as a serious slalom World Title contender when she scooped another race victory, ahead of Jaggi in second, and Morane Demont (Starboard / Severne) in third, handing her the event victory by a comprehensive points margin. The women’s losers final marked the final heat of the event, which was won by France’s Delphine Cousin (JP / NeilPryde).
The 2011 Vietnam PWA Grand Slam Women’s Slalom Results
1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic)
2nd Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne)
3rd Alice Arutkin (Starboard / North)
4th Morane Demont (Starboard / Severne)
5th Lena Erdil (Patrik / Loft / Mystic)
