New Zealand’s medal hopes remain alive heading into the final day of the WingFoil Racing World Cup in Turkey, despite a bruising Day 4 that tested the fleet physically and mentally in Urla Bay.
After starting the day fourth overall, Kiwi star Sean Herbert endured a turbulent day as organisers pushed through an exhausting eight-race schedule in rapidly building breeze and highly variable conditions.
Herbert opened superbly with a blistering second place in the first race of the morning session, but inconsistent results followed as the difficult land-driven gusts and relentless format began to take their toll. A seventh and discarded 17th were wedged between another fourth-place finish before the fleet returned to shore for a brief break.
The second session proved equally demanding. Herbert discarded a 16th-place result before regaining momentum with two fifths and a seventh to limit the damage on the leaderboard.
The mixed scorecard leaves Herbert fifth overall heading into the final day, but still firmly inside the crucial top nine positions that automatically progress to the medal series.
“I just couldn’t get a handle on the shifty stuff today,” Herbert said. “The gusts were coming through so fast, and if you were on the wrong side of a localised shift, you were completely buried.”
Sean Herbert is fifth heading into the medal series. Photos / Robert Hajduk, IWSA Media
The chaotic conditions and packed race schedule became a major talking point around the regatta. Races were fired off every eight minutes across two sessions, with riders navigating high-speed reaching legs, flat-water chop, and violent pressure changes funnelling off the surrounding hillsides.
While Herbert slipped one place overall, fellow Kiwi Kosta Gladiadis climbed three spots up the standings to 10th overall but will need to rely on the regatta’s “golden ticket” race (from 9pm tonight NZ time) to break into the finals. Gladiadis sits 30 points behind ninth-placed French rider Thomas Proust at the end of qualifying.
The third Kiwi in the gold fleet, Jeremiah McDonald, is 17th overall after another solid day against the world’s best.
Kosta Gladiadis climbed three places to 10th overall. Photos / Robert Hajduk, IWSA Media
At the front of the regatta, Poland’s Kamil Manowiecki was the standout performer, claiming three race wins to seize the overall lead from Italy’s Alessandro Tomasi. France’s Julien Rattotti also surged into contention after a strong afternoon session.
Defending world champion Mathis Ghio struggled to find consistency in the unpredictable breeze, opening the door for Herbert and the rest of the chasing pack heading into the final day.
Latest results and standings here.
Originally published by Yachting New Zealand.
