The Engadinwind 2017 writes sports history.
With the 40th anniversary of the Engadin Surfmarathon the Regatta is the oldest still existing Windsurfing event in the world.
All winners of the last 40 years have been invited to the wonderful Engadin for a one-time anniversary. Olympians, World Champions, European Champions and Swiss Champions have followed the invitation and will compete with the legends of windsurfing on the “Legends Race” from 18th – 20th August on Lake Silvaplana.
The Swiss surf legend and windsurf pioneer Charly Messmer, who won the marathon in 1981, will be guest in Silvaplana. Also present will be the fastest windsurf women in the world and 29-time world champion Karin Jaggi from Bern. The mother, windsurf pro and marketing manager of her own windsurfing brand won the marathon in 2003 and became a freestyle world champion in her home country at the Lake Silvaplana 2005.
From the Swiss perspective are two athletes very interesting, the Olympic athletes Jan Bonga, who won the Regatta in 1987. He will start with his original Olympicboard and the multiple Swiss champion Richard Stauffacher who won the Engadin Surfmarathon 2009 and 2013. The list of winners and windsurfing legends is long. Active and former windsurfers from 15 nations are expected to celebrate the great anniversary in the Engadin on Lake Silvaplana. Special mention should also be made of the two record winners who won the marathon four times in the years 1988 – 1999. These are the Olympic Windsurfers Timm Stade and Matthias Bornhäuser, both from Germany.
The Engadinwind takes place on the Lake Silvaplana from 14th to 20th August 2017 and offers an attractive program with highlights. The big highlight is surely the 40th Engadin Surfmarathon on Saturday 19th August. An international and high-caliber field is expected. Among the favorites is World Cup rider Sebastian Kördel from Germany, who has already won the marathon three times. He is one of the youngest winners of the legendary regatta, along with probably the most famous Windsurfing legend Robby Naish USA. Robby Naish won the first Engadin Surfmarathon in 1978 at the age of 15 years. Sebastian Kördel was only 17 years old at his first victory in 1990 and would naturally like to take another win, to equalize the record winners.
Sebastian Kördel is also one of the favorites at the Swiss Championships from 15th to 20th August in the disciplines Formula Windsurfing and Slalom. Other contenders to the coveted title are Formula World Champion 2016 Alexandre Cousin FRA, multiple World- and European Champion Wojtek Brzozowski from Poland, the multiple Swiss Champion Richard Stauffacher and the winner of the last Marathon Elia Colombo from Ticino. In the Slalom you can look forward to the Austrian World Cup rider Marco Lang and the Swiss rider Baptiste Beer.
The highlights of the Engadinwind 2017 will take place on the weekend from 18th – 20th August. The windsurfing Foil Race will be carried out with an absolutely high-profile crew. At the start is the acting Slalom World Champion Matteo Iachino from Italy. Other Foil Windsurfer are the expert Gonzalo Costa Hoevel from Argentina, Bruno Martini ITA, Marco Lang AUT and Sebastian Kördel GER, all top athletes from the PWA World Tour.
The big highlight without wind will be the Freestyle Tow-in Session from 18th – 20th August on the Silvaplana Lake. Five of the Top Ten World Tour freestylers will offer a stunning show at the highest freestyle level. The “Crème de la Crème” of the Windsurf Freestyle Sports will make a show on the water of Lake Silvaplana with maneuvers like: Air Funel, Burner, Spock 720, Flaka into Ponch and of course some creations of loops.
The sounding names of the freestyle windsurfing scene are:
- Amado Vieswijk NB-20 from Bonair and acting Vice World Champion
- Steven van Broeckhoven B-72 multiple World- and European Champion from Belgium
- Yentel Caers B-16 current World Ranking No.3
- Sam Esteve F-79 Leader of the Tow-in World Ranking and Winner of the Surf Worldcups in Podersdorf
- Julien Mas F-7 Top Freestyler from France and current No. 3 of the Tow-in World Ranking.
- Riccardo Marca I-988 Italian Top Freestyler and Tow-in Specialist
- Balz Müller SUI-21 Best Swiss Freestyler No.6 in the World Ranking 2016. He is probably one of the most creative Freestyler in the world
Great video, but why no slalom/formula action? ;(
Reply