A NEW DÉFI IS BORN!
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Défi event, the organizer Philippe Bru has launched a new challenge by welcoming this year the wingfoil discipline as a separate event. The Défi Wing was born!
The Défi organizers tell us: “Wingfoiling is the new watersport currently in vogue. This new practice was launched 3 years ago. It is a combination of windsurfing, kitesurfing and foiling. Today, the sport is booming and conquering a large public in search of new thrills. So after the Défi Wind, the Défi Kite and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the event, it seemed logical to see this new sport join the “Défi” family.
On this new Défi, the participants are coming from New Caledonia, Reunion Island, Guadeloupe, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, but also from Spain, Switzerland and Belgium.
The registered riders are mostly amateurs, aged from 14 to 62 years old, but there are also a few champions of the discipline like Olivia Piana (wingfoil freestyle vice- world champion and surf-slalom world champion GWA 2021), Orane Ceris (3rd surf-slalom world champion GWA 2021), Mathis Ghio (6th surf-slalom world champion GWA 2021) or the Auber brothers, but also other stars like Philip Köster (5 x windsurfing world champion) or Liam Dunkerbeck, the son of the multiple windsurfing world champion Björn Dunkerbeck. Liam is the recent holder of a first ever official wingfoil speed record (31 kts) : “For me the Défi Wind has always been an event to follow, because my father always told me about it when he participated. The fact that I can be present at the first edition of the Défi Wing makes me very happy, because wingfoil is a sport that is developing very fast and that I like to practice in addition to windsurfing“.
As the other Défis, the Défi Wing is not only about going fast on the water. There is also some entertainment on the beach with night parties, but especially a big trade show where all the brands come to expose their ranges of wings, boards and foils. An excellent opportunity for everyone to come and talk to the teamriders and even some designers. North, Tabou, Ga, Fanatic, Duotone, Cabrinha, F-One, Gin Kite, Exocet, JP, Reedin, AFS, Takoon, Phantom, Patrik, Forward Wip, Lokefoil, Starboard, FreeWing, Slingshot, Unifiber, Takuma, Vayu, Tahe, Sic and Core will be on the spot this year.
And if today, the new competitors are more than 120 to have registered on this Défi Wing, remember that 20 years ago, they were only 100 on the very first Défi Wind!”
Stay in touch with the Défi Wing by following us on our Facebook page or by visiting our website defiwind.com.