Welcome to the website of Defi Wind, an extraordinary sport event that puts in the limelight some 1000 windsurfers on the very same starting line! Born in 2001 from the association of Wind magazine and the town of Gruissan with the passion of Philippe Bru’s incredible organization team, this event remains so far the greatest worldwide gathering of competing windsurfers ever. This impressing impulse has turned the Defi Wind not only into a worldwide leader in adrenaline-water-sports events but also into a universal not-to-be-missed windsurfing appointment. [more]
The 19th edition of the unmissable Defi Wind de Gruissan will take place this year from May 30th to June 2nd. Riders and the organizers are preparing for the “D-day”! 1000 already registered more than two months before the first start! The opportunity was too good to miss to make a small point on the provisional figures of the list of registered at the largest pro – am windsurf event in the World.
1st and 1000th registered
With its original pro – am long distance concept and unique water spot powered by the famous Tramontana Wind, the Defi Wind becomes every year the gathering point for windsurfers around the world. One of the biggest fans of the event, Bjorn Dunkerbeck is the first to be registered every year. The most successful sportsman of all times (42 x PWA World Champion) would not miss the Defi Wind of Gruissan for anything. Like many amateurs, Bjorn comes to share his passion with over thousand of other windsurfers. The mass, which is particularly characteristic on the start line, is undeniably the biggest attraction of the Defi Wind de Gruissan. By the way, today the symbolic bar of the thousandth participant has been crossed with the inscription of Loïc Mandon! It is now a little over two months to add icing on the cake and sold out.
5 continents already at the start
Of these 1000 registered so far, 70% are French, but the 300 foreigners already represent 33 countries (France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, United Kingdom, Russia, Denmark, Ukraine, Austria, Sweden , Portugal, Latvia, Venezuela, Hungary, South Africa, Andorra, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, Estonia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Bonaire, Puerto Rico, Romania, Czech Republic, Turkey, Japan) and five continents! The “Dom-Tom” will also be represented with windsurfers from Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin and Tahiti already committed! Windsurfers do not hesitate to come from afar to be part of the event in Gruissan !!
Young people grow, the windsurf keeps young, but the parity is far
At the level of the age pyramid, the trend of a renewal of youth engaged last year is confirmed. To date, we have 11.5% minors registered against 10% in 2018 and less than 8% in 2017. The proportion of riders over 50 also progresses slightly for the moment. They were 24% of participants in 2018 and to date 26% this year. If it was necessary to prove that windsurfing is a sport that keeps young, it is all found. As for parity, we are still very far from it. Only 6% of women are enumerated at the moment. Go girls ! Join Delphine Cousin, Marion Mortefon and the 58 other girls ready to show that it is not only testosterone that makes a windsurf board go fast!
