Following a dramatic, light-wind European Championship in Naples that shook up the established order, the international wingfoil racing circuit comes together in Urla, Turkey, this week for the WingFoil Racing World Cup Türkiye.
In some ways this event is a warm-up for the upcoming World Championships in Istanbul this August. But this week’s competition is also a big deal in its own right. The event is being run as a joint-venture between the powerhouse Fenerbahçe sports club and the Pro Sailing Academy Urla, designed specifically to build the momentum and skill of the local fleet.
Following the World Cup in Hong Kong earlier this year, several top-flight riders are arriving in Turkey with a serious point to prove.
© IWSA media/Robert Hajduk
Men's Fleet: Day of Reckoning for the Favourites
In the men's fleet, reigning World Champion Mathis Ghio (FRA) and Poland’s Kamil Manowiecki suffered bruising blows to their campaigns earlier this season. Ghio, usually close to unbeatable, was exceptionally self-critical after dropping to an uncharacteristic 13th in Naples, admitting he hit a career-low point both physically and mentally while balancing intense college revision. Manowiecki similarly left Italy mired in frustration, looking to put an underperforming regatta behind him.
They will have to fight their way past a deeply motivated chasing pack. Italy's Francesco Cappuzzo, who started brilliantly in Naples with a third in the long-distance race before plummeting in the light air conditions, has spent the intervening month hitting the gym and refining his setup. Fresh off a confidence-boosting performance at the Italian National Championship, Cappuzzo is itching to get back on the water
"Naples was pretty tough for me. I was not ready for that kind of light wind," Cappuzzo said. "But here, it’s an Open Class World Cup, so we can try and test different equipment. We’re working on all-new gear with Gong, and Urla is the perfect place to test it. I have great memories here from finishing third last year after a massive comeback in the Medal Series. I can't wait for some proper breeze to go racing in more than ten knots."
Also keeping the pressure on are Julian Rattotti (FRA) and Ernesto de Amicis (ITA), both intent on defending their strong early-season form. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Sean Herbert is hunting for a breakthrough performance. Herbert struggled to show his true potential in the Italian light air and is openly praying that this week's conditions serve up a repeat of last year's classic Urla medal series, when the wind blew like hell and tested the fleet's high-end survival limits. With that said, there wasn’t sufficient wind for racing to take place on the scheduled opening day, and the long distance races are now set for Wednesday.
© IWSA media/Robert Hajduk
Women's Fleet: Li not feeling the pressure, just the fun
The women's division promises an equally tight tactical battle. Expectation is now on France's Vaina Picot, the undisputed rising star of the 2026 season. After claiming a second-place finish in Hong Kong and dominating the Formula Wing Europeans in Naples with a staggering lead, Picot is hungry to cement her status with a definitive World Cup victory.
She will face a fierce counter-attack from Hong Kong winner Yana Li (CHN). Weighing in at 57kg, Li is treating the opening races as a critical equipment test on a race track she says can be very unforgiving: "I don’t feel much pressure after winning Hong Kong; I’m just trying to enjoy the racing," said Li. "But Urla offers very challenging conditions. It’s very gusty and very shifty wind, especially with the way the breeze interacts with the island out in the bay. I really prefer the quick, short-course races, but I’m looking forward to the long-distance race around the island. It was incredibly fun last year."
Defending World Champion Maddalena Spanu (ITA) arrives in Turkey looking to reclaim her territory. By her own high standards, a sixth-place finish in Hong Kong was a disappointment, exposing a slight vulnerability in light-air pumping conditions. Spanu will be fighting to establish an early lead alongside under-15 prodigy Lara Christina Talarico (ITA), who turned heads with a phenomenal fourth-place finish at the Europeans.
© IWSA media/Robert Hajduk
The Turkish Foiling Boom
While the international elite lock horns at the front of the fleet, the sheer volume of home-grown talent tracking across the beach in Urla is the real underlying story of this event. Wingfoiling is experiencing an exponential boom in Turkey, based mainly around the windy waters of the Izmir and Urla regions.
Fenerbahçe’s Ates Çinar, a former Olympic competitor in sailing, has fully committed the club's considerable resources to the discipline, viewing the rapid evolution of wingfoiling as a golden opportunity for the Turkish sailing community to establish itself as a global powerhouse from the very ground up. Home riders have already successfully represented Turkey on the world stage in both the men’s and women’s fleets in Hong Kong and Naples this year.
This week acts as a vital runway for the local fleet. The organisers are targeting an ambitious entry of more than 30 Turkish riders for the World Championships in August, and local school owner Asya Anastasya Varicioglu, who runs a prominent wingfoil academy right here on the beach in Urla, will lead the charge of local wildcards looking to leverage deep home-turf knowledge against the touring professionals.
The ambition is shared by the youngest generation, including 13-year-old local rider Alp Yuvrucuk, who perfectly captures the spirit of the event: "I’ve done two or three competitions in my life. In the last one I couldn't even get up on the foil, so that was a bad experience," laughed Yuvrucuk, whose eyes are glued to the top of the fleet. "But all my idols are here this week. I saw Thomas Proust on the beach yesterday, but I was too happy and nervous to even say hi! I just want to have some fun and watch how the pros do it."
The racing schedule begins with the long-distance races before assigning the fleets into the quick-turnaround, short-course qualifying series flights.
