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FROM OLYMPIC CLASS TO PWA: NACHO BALTASAR SUMMERS SIGNS WITH SEVERNE

Nacho Baltasar Summers ESP 1, the 22-year-old Spanish iQFOiL sailor who finished 11th at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, has joined team SEVERNE for the remainder of the 2026 PWA season. He will compete in foil racing only, opening at PWA Sylt from 25 September to 4 October and continuing at PWA foil finals in Japan in November.

Photos: John Carter and Eduardo Manresa.

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Nacho is from Mallorca; his home spot is Sa Ràpita, where he is a member of Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita. He began sailing very young and started racing in the Optimist at 7, staying in the class until 14 before moving through Techno 293 and RS:X to the iQFOiL. He still races dinghies whenever he can, to stay connected to what he calls “the slower, more tactical side of sailing“.

His Olympic debut came at 19, with 11th place in the men’s iQFOiL at Paris 2024. In September 2025 he took silver at the iQFOiL U23 World Championship in Portimão, winning the semi-final and the first final before losing the deciding race to the Olympic champion. Earlier results include the U21 European title in 2023 and third place at the 2022 Youth Worlds in the Olympic classes. His 2026 iQFOiL season finished at the World Championship in Weymouth (6-12 September), where he led the Spanish men’s squad.

The move to the PWA comes with some equipment familiarity. Baltasar already races the SEVERNE 8.0 iQFOiL rig in the Olympic class. “On the tour he will race the SEVERNE Hyper 9 sail and the Hydro foil board combo under sail number ESP-1. He expects the reaching start to be the most familiar element of PWA racing. “Reaching starts tend to define the iQFOiL championship, since the medal race begins that way, so that’s the part I know best, and where I’ll need to bring out everything I’ve got.”

Beyond the two 2026 events, Baltasar will close the year with strength training and the January World Championship, which doubles as a national Olympic qualifier. Longer-term plans remain open. “Right now, the priority is building a strong 2026 PWA season, starting with Sylt and Japan,” he said. “Once we see how that goes, we’ll evaluate how to shape the following seasons, including whether the Olympic path opens up.”

“PWA has always set the direction for windsurfing, and I’ve dreamed of being part of it since I was a kid,” said Baltasar. “Now, with the chance to develop my skills alongside SEVERNE, there’s no better moment to start than right now.”

Kurosh Kiani…Severne: “We’ve been watching Nacho grow into a multi-talent and a multi-faceted rider over the years, coming up within the iQFOiL fleet. Nacho’s hunger to push into new formats and ride at the pinnacle of technological advancement, and SEVERNE’s constant drive to extend the boundaries of racing, is the perfect match. We’re stoked to be chasing new common goals together.”