It took the precision of a surgeon to come out on top of this week’s fickle winds at the Wingfoil Racing World Cup Italy. Races were abandoned and hopes of challenging the leaders were dashed when racing was cancelled after only one semifinal race on Sunday. That result gave overall event leaders Manon Pianazza (FRA) the women’s event win and Kamil Manowiecki (POL) the men’s victory.

High aspect prototype hydrofoils and wings were under the feet and in the hands of the best wingfoil racers in thew world this week. And the open racing has become the test bed for a growing industry and sport.

After some crazy tight crossings, dramatic lead changes and even some crashes on Saturday, most of the medal series fleet has been determined, including the first riders to make the Wingfoil Racing World Cup Italy finals.

Three races were sailed in the morning, and then the men’s fleet was split into gold, silver and bronze fleets. Women continued racing as a fleet of 20.

Starts couldn’t have been tighter in both fleets, with riders weaving in and out of each other, their wings nearly touching. The top nine racers in the men’s gold fleet and women’s fleet grabbed a precious ticket into Sunday’s Medal Series.

The remaining 53 men and 11 women are now left to duke it out Sunday morning as one massive fleet in the free-for-all Golden Ticket race.

The rain came and the wind went. There was no racing on day three of the Wingfoil Racing World Cup Italy here in Cagliari and the race committee waited as long as they could before they blew the horn in the light drizzle and abandoned racing for the day.

Now the heat is on to complete the opening series for both women’s and men’s fleets so Sunday’s final medal series group can be determined.

A super short track racecourse and the latest 6.5-meter double-profile wings couldn’t save nearly half the women’s and men’s fleets on day two as some riders sank up to their knees waiting for a puff to get foiling in the six- to eight-knot winds.

It was a dramatic first day of the Wingfoil Racing World Cup Italy with two grueling long-distance races that had riders shaking their arms to send blood to cramping forearms.

A wincing sailor was staring at a bleeding foot, riders ducked through the prop wash of the rabbit start boat hammering at more than 30 knots and a lost leader of the fleet lead a group the wrong way around the course.

The six-mile-long races were almost five times the length of the normal Wingfoil races. So different but so important since the fleet is ranked based on these results going into the next stage of the competition on Thursday.

- No wind on the final day, so the medallists go for a Pikachu ride
- Mathis Ghio wins the men's fleet
- Nia Suardiz wins the women's fleet
- Kamil Manowiecki comes second, and the Pole predicts a brighter future in the light

- Not enough wind for Gold Fleet means competition cuts straight to Sunday's Medal Series
- But... any of the 113 riders can still win, thanks to the 'Golden Ticket'!
- Can Romain Ghio battle his way out of the long-distance race and beat his bro, Mathis?
- And will any of the women be able to topple Nia Suardiaz from the top of the tree

- Not enough wind, but that doesn't mean not enough fun!
- Who can topple Mathis Ghio as the top men's winger? Kamil thinks he can
- Armie Armstrong on the bright future of wingfoiling across the globe
- Saturday is the day for Gold Fleet finals

- Windy in the morning, lighter in the afternoon, makes for a wing-choice headache
- But another day of warm water and warm breeze still makes for a great day's racing
- Four men's and two women's qualifying groups for the opening series
- Perfect 5 from 5 for top women Nia Suardiaz (ESP) and Maddalena Spanu (ITA)
- Almost perfect for the top three men - Ghio, Manowiecki and Cappuzzo

- A fleet of 113 riders gather on Pingtan Island for first ever Wingfoil Racing World Cup in China
- Warm winds of 20 knots make for great long-distance racing
- Kamil Manowiecki of Poland is fastest out of the high-speed rabbit start
- Mathis Ghio (FRA) and Nia Suardiaz (ESP) are winners of the Marathon Race
- Bastien Escoffet (FRA) clocks up highest speed on the race track, 33 knots