Sailing World Championships 2023, The Hague: IQFoil titles for van Opzeeland and Tibi, as Nolot and Maeder win kite golds
Local favourite Luuc van Opzeeland delighted the home crowds as 38 Paris 2024 quota spots were awarded in IQFoil and Formula Kite classes.
Sailing
Dutch windsurfer Luuc van Opzeeland triumphed on his home beach to take the IQFoil class title at the 2023 Sailing World Championships on Saturday (19 August).
Tokyo 2020 Olympian Shahar Tibi led an Israel one-two in the women's IQFoil with France's Lauriane Nolot and 16-year-old Max Maeder of Singapore taking Formula Kite gold medals on the penultimate day in The Hague.
All four winners obtained quota spots for their nations with 11 available in both windsurfing competitions, and eight awarded in each of the kite surfing events.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the next Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
The 2023 Sailing World Championships are being streamed live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com (territorial restrictions apply), with highlights and replays also available.
Luuc van Opzeeland and Shahar Tibi take IQFoil world titles
Italy's Nicolo Renna had led the scoreboards throughout the week, but the new world championship format meant the final race was a standalone affair unlike the double-points medal race in previous editions.
Joining him were home favourite van Opzeeland and Germany's Sebastian Kordel.
Van Opzeeland and Renna were battling for the lead, but the Italian got tangled up with the third mark of five as he tried to find more speed and lost touch on his main rival.
Renna's mishap allowed Kordel to move up into second and that was how it finished.
All three men had already secured Paris quotas for their National Olympic Committees with spots going to the top 11 windsurfers from different countries.
There was a one-two for Israel in the women's event as Tibi took the line ahead of Katy Spychakov.
Britain's Emma Wilson was on top before the final race and chose to tack in a different direction to her two rivals. But the move backfired and she was always behind.
Tibi, who raced in the 470 two-person dinghy class at Tokyo 2020, has proved even better suited to foiling and was in fine form all week.
She had the speed edge and crossed the line eight seconds clear of Spychakov. Afterwards, the 25-year-old dedicated her triumph to four-time world champion Lee Korzits.
Nolot cruises to Kite success as Maeder edges out Toni Vodisek for men's gold
Lauriane Nolot capped a dominant week by beating three British rivals in the women's Formula Kite final.
The Frenchwoman carried forward two wins from the previous regatta races leaving her needing just one victory in the final.
And she obliged, reaching the first mark in front and staying clear to go one better than her silver last year in Cagliari.
Eleanor Aldridge took silver from Lily Young with Katie Dabson in fourth.
Having finished second in the regatta, Maeder carried forward one win into the final with Toni Vodisek of Slovenia on two wins.
Maeder took the first heat to draw leave, with Austria's Valentin Bontus and Axel Mazella still to get off the mark.
Mazella led the second heat with Vodisek hitting the water and Maeder having to take evasive action. That allowed the Frenchman to stay clear with another heat required.
In heat three, Vodisek soon realised he had the wrong kite for the conditions and headed to the beach for an equipment change hoping that Maeder would not clinch overall victory.
Mazella had the lead but went into the water, leaving Bontus and Maeder to battle it out. The young Singaporean with the Swiss name, courtesy of his father, rode flawlessly to clinch the world title having won the youth world crown at the same venue last year.
Results placings from 2023 Sailing World Championships, Saturday 19 August:
Men's IQ Foil
- Luuc van Opzeeland (NED) 🥇 - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for the Netherlands
- Sebastian Kordel (GER) 🥈 - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Germany
- Nicolo Renna (ITA) 🥉 - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Italy
- Luca Di Tommasi (ITA)
- Sam Sills (GBR) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Great Britain
- Yoav Omer (ISR) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Israel
- Josh Armit (NZL) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for New Zealand
- Louis Pignolet (FRA)
- Grae Morris (AUS) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Australia
- Thomas Goyard (FRA)
- Nacho Baltasar Summers (ESP) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Spain
- Clement Bourgeois (FRA)
- Pawel Tarnowski (POL) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Poland
- Radoslaw Furmanski (POL)
- Nicolas Goyard (FRA)
- Mateus Isaac (BRA) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Brazil
- Tom Reuveny (ISR)
- Finn Hawkins (GBR)
- Adrien Mestre (FRA)
- Yoav Cohen (ISR)
- Elia Colombo (SUI) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Switzerland
- Max Castelein (NED)
Women's IQ Foil
- Shahar Tibi (ISR) 🥇 - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Israel
- Katy Spychakov (ISR) 🥈
- Emma Wilson (GBR) 🥉 - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Great Britain
- Mina Mobekk (NOR) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Norway
- Helene Noesmoen (FRA)
- Tamar Steinberg (ISR)
- Sharon Kantor (ISR)
- Yan Zheng (CHN) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for People's Republic of China
- Mariana Aguilar Chavez Peon (MEX) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Mexico
- Marta Maggetti (ITA) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Italy
- Sara Wennekes (NED) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for the Netherlands
- Pilar Lamadrid Trueba (ESP) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Spain
- Shahar Reshef (ISR)
- Palma Cargo (CRO) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Croatia
- Maya Morris (ISR)
- Giorgia Speciale (ITA)
- Huang Xianting (CHN)
- Lola Sorin (FRA)
- Maja Dziarnowska (POL) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Poland
- Nicole Van Der Velden (ESP)
- Lilian de Geus (NED)
- Veerle Ten Have (NZL) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for New Zealand
Women's Formula Kite
- Lauriane Nolot (FRA) 🥇
- Eleanor Aldridge (GBR) 🥈 - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Great Britain
- Lily Young (GBR) 🥉
- Katie Dabson (GBR)
- Daniela Moroz (USA) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for the United States
- Annelous Lammerts (NED) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for the Netherlands
- Chen Jingyue (CHN) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for People's Republic of China
- Poema Newland (FRA)
- Madeleine Anderson (GBR)
- Li Wan (CHN)
- Breiana Whitehead (AUS) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Australia
- Maya Ashkenazi (ISR) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Israel
- Gal Zukerman (ISR)
- Leonie Meyer (GER) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Germany
- Maggie Eillen Pescetto (ITA) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Italy
- Gisela Pulido Borrell (ESP)
Men's Formula Kite
- Maximilian Maeder (SGP) 🥇 - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Singapore
- Toni Vodisek (SLO) 🥈 - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Slovenia
- Axel Mazella (FRA) 🥉
- Valentin Bontus (AUT) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Austria
- Riccardo Pianosi (ITA) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Italy
- Denis Taradin (CYP) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Cyprus
- Huang Qibin (CHN) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for PR China
- Martin Dolenc (CRO) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Croatia
- Bruno Lobo (BRA) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Brazil
- Benoit Gomez (FRA)