Summer, sun and a relaxed atmosphere marked the first day of the IFCA Slalom World Championships, which are held in Westerland on Sylt as part of the Multivan Summer Openings from 3-10 June. 65 participants from 12 nations have made their way to the German island to fight for the 2019 Slalom World Champion title and a total prize money of 10,000 euros. Only the wind was lacking at the start of the event. However, this did not distract anyone from the good mood – thousands of spectators took advantage of the diverse supporting program of the event and strolled on the promenade of Westerland or enjoyed the sun at the beach.[more]

The favourites of the event include the top finishers of last year’s IFCA Slalom World Championships. The reigning slalom world champion Enrico Marotti (CRO-401) from Croatia wants to defend his title and also the 2018 runner-up Maciek Rutkowski from Poland (POL-23) has ambitions to be back in the lead. Other international favourites include Dutchman Ingmar Daldolf (NED-191), Martin Hovda (NOR-41) from Norway and Frenchman Damien Arnoux (FRA-848).
Concerning the German competitors several top riders have the potential to use their advantage of knowing Sylt. Among them is the reigning slalom European Champion Vincent Langer (GER-1) from Kiel, who is also the reigning German Champion in the slalom discipline. Other German contenders with potential for a podium finish include Gunnar Asmussen (GER-2) from Flensburg, Nicolas Prien (GER-7) from Schoenberg and Sebastian Koerdel (GER-220) from Aach. But also the German youngsters Michele Antoine Becker (GER-277) from Bargteheide and Lars Paustian (GER-1999) from Kiel have chances to be placed among the top riders.
Parallel to the IFCA Slalom World Championships, the German participants have the chance to earn first points for the National ranking at the Multivan Windsurf Cup. In addition to slalom, the disciplines Foil-Racing and Wave are also part of the racing program. For the spectators, the Multivan Summer Opening also offers a colourful mix of sports activities, culinary enjoyment, diverse shopping possibilities and various DJs who play beachy summer tunes – especially during the sunsets.
By Katja Bootz | Courtesy of Choppy Water GmbH –  
All Images by 
Nici Riederer www.lightnic.de