Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam Slalom Day 4
by Chris Yates 26 Jul 09:07 UTC
Justine Lemeteyer dominates final day of Women’s racing to become Slalom X world champion for first time after superb four-timer | Matteo Iachino on verge of Slalom X world title
The 2026 Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam is proving to be a true war of attrition, with no pause to catch your breath from the relentless howling winds. The conditions are testing the mental and physical attributes of the world’s best sailors to their absolute limits. Today marked possibly the most hardcore conditions of the event thus far, with gusts exceeding 50 knots and a rise in swell overnight causing further havoc on the racecourse. A variety of courses were utilized today, including the infamous ‘Downwind of Death,’ leading to several huge wipeouts. Just making it to the end of the course was an achievement in itself.
It’s hard to put into words just how difficult the conditions were. When professionals, who would typically make 100 gybes out of 100 in normal conditions, are fighting for their lives just to stay on their boards, it gives you some context about the extremity of the situation.
Slalom X
Women’s
After the first day of racing, Justine Lemeteyer (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails) faced a mountain to climb. However, after a somewhat slow start, she steadily improved throughout the event. Heading into the final day, just 0.3 of a point separated Jenna Gibson (Duotone Windsurfing), Femke van der Veen (Starboard / Severne Sails), and Lemeteyer. By the end of Day 4, the 23-year-old had put 9.1 points between herself and her closest challenger, van der Veen, raising her level at the perfect time.
Lemeteyer already boasts two Foil Slalom world titles, but she had faltered under pressure in previous final days. Today, however, she rose to the occasion, seemingly drawing upon her past experiences to elevate her performance when it mattered most. Winning all four races today and seven of the last nine, she was deservedly crowned the 2026 Women’s Slalom X PWA world champion—her third world title at just 23 years old.
Justine Lemeteyer, moments after her victory, expressed her disbelief: “I’m a bit lost for words. I really wasn’t expecting it. When it came to the final day before, I always found a way to mess things up, but today I did the exact opposite. This one is perhaps my proudest [world title] as I came from such a long way back. I’m just super happy.”
Femke van der Veen (Starboard / Severne Sails) was the most consistent sailor over the last four days, finishing outside the top four only twice in the fifteen eliminations completed. Today, she claimed three second places and a third, finishing as the vice-world champion for the first time in her career.
Jenna Gibson (Duotone Windsurfing) had a rocky finish after winning the opening three eliminations. In such brutal conditions, if you’re not fully fit, your body simply won’t enable you to perform at 100%. Gibson demonstrated that she is the quickest woman in the world but ultimately settled for third place this time. Her moment to become Slalom X world champion will surely come.
At just 16 years old, Bobbi-Lynn De Jong (Starboard / NeilPryde) is already on the cusp of challenging for overall podiums, finishing ranked fourth in the world just ahead of Mae Davico (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails), who also achieved her best result to date on the Slalom X World Tour.
Men’s
Almost Home and Dry
For the first time at this event, Matteo Iachino (Starboard / NeilPryde / Z Fins) faltered slightly, recording a seventh-place finish in Elimination 9. However, the Italian remains in total control of the event and is on the cusp of becoming the Slalom X world champion for the first time. Heading into the final day, he holds a 6.9-point advantage, with the buffer that the worst result he can achieve in the first race tomorrow is a second place due to his high level of sailing.
Depending on the conditions, the plan is to complete two eliminations tomorrow. If Iachino secures a top-six finish in the opening race, he will be crowned world champion. The 36-year-old has produced arguably one of his best performances ever on the World Tour, and it now seems just a matter of time before he is officially crowned world champion for the fourth time in his career.
Pierre Mortefon (FMX Racing / North Sails) is the only sailor who can possibly deny Iachino at this point. The defending world champion will give it his all tomorrow, but it’s an outside chance. Mortefon must win both races and hope that Iachino finishes outside the top six in both to have any chance of denying his rival.
Doing Things The Hard Way
For fans of Maciek Rutkowski (JP / NeilPryde), this week has been a rollercoaster. After a horrific start, he managed to recover yesterday, only to jump the gun in the quarterfinal of Elimination 8, seemingly undoing all his hard work. However, Rutkowski fought back by winning Elimination 9, keeping him in third place, though his position remains precarious; any further mistakes could have significant implications for his ranking.
The Fight For Third
The competition remains incredibly tight for the third to sixth places, with just 6.6 points separating them. Besides Rutkowski, Nico Prien (JP / NeilPryde), Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / North Sails / Z Fins), and Jimmy Thieme (FMX Racing / Point-7) are all firmly in the battle for the final podium spot.
The top ten is rounded out by Taty Frans (Future Fly / Point-7), Benoit Merceur (Starboard / Severne Sails), Bruno Martini (WeOne / S2Maui / Z Fins), and Jordy Vonk (Duotone Windsurfing).
The final day of the 2026 PWA Grand Slam is set to be another windy one. The Men’s fleet will meet for their last skippers’ meeting of the week at 11 am, with action commencing from 12 pm onwards.
Waterspeed – Global Windsurfer Quest
From June until December, every kilometer logged on the Waterspeed app adds to your position on a global leaderboard. The Global Windsurfer Quest, developed between Waterspeed and the PWA, aims to unite the entire windsurfing community. Sign up via the app now here and record one session before the Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam for your chance to win a signed lycra from the winners.
Stay updated with all the latest developments from Fuerteventura—including live streams, elimination ladders, entry lists, images, and live tickers here and scroll to the bottom of the page.
Result 2026 PWA World Tour – Women’s Slalom X
1st Justine Lemeteyer (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails)
2nd Femke van der Veen (NED | Starboard / Severne Sails)
3rd Jenna Gibson (UK | Duotone Windsurfing)
4th Bobbi-Lynn De Jong (NB | Starboard / NeilPryde)
5th Mae Davico (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails)
Result 2026 Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam – Women’s Slalom X
1st Justine Lemeteyer (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails)
2nd Femke van der Veen (NED | Starboard / Severne Sails)
3rd Jenna Gibson (UK | Duotone Windsurfing)
4th Bobbi-Lynn De Jong (NB | Starboard / NeilPryde)
5th Mae Davico (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails)
Current Ranking 2026 PWA World Tour – Men’s Slalom X
*After Nine Eliminations (2 Discards)
1st Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / NeilPryde / Z Fins)
2nd Pierre Mortefon (FRA | FMX Racing / North Sails)
3rd Maciek Rutkowski (POL | JP / NeilPryde)
4th Nico Prien (GER | JP / NeilPryde)
5th Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly / North Sails / Z Fins)
6th Jimmy Thieme (FRA | FMX Racing / Point-7)
7th Taty Frans (NB | Future Fly / Point-7)
7th Benoit Merceur (FRA | Starboard / Severne Sails)
7th Bruno Martini (ITA | WeOne / S2Maui / Z Fins)
10th Jordy Vonk (NED | Duotone Windsurfing)
