2019 KONA WORLDS – GARDA


TOP MEN

1. Huig-Jan Tak (NED)
2. Tim Aagesen (DEN)
3. Alex Temko (USA)


TOP WOMEN

1. Johanna Hjertberg (SWE)
2. Andree Gauthier (CAN)
3. Lovisa Toft (SWE)

The 2019 Kona Worlds took place in beautiful Lake Garda, Italy. Organized by Circolo Surf Torbole, the event combined awesome conditions with Italian hospitality and was one for the memory books!

“I am very happy! I accomplished my goal for the championship,” said Huig-Jan Tak, the new World champion.

The event took place at Circolo Surf Torbole, on the northern shore of Lake Garda in Italy. The racing waters in Torbole are known the world over for having hosted many international sailing and windsurfing events over the years. It is a spot with a strong reputation for strong, predictable wind conditions, and it didn’t disappoint. Over the four days of competition, the wind ranged between 14-30 knots!

Huig-Jan Tak proved to master all conditions, but he was especially masterful in the strong breeze where he secured eight out to nine possible bullets. “It was quite tricky sailing, tactically and strategically, with conditions changing all the time and even some light wind sailing in the mix,” he noted. “The key to my victory was consistent sailing and particularly strong downwinds!”

The silver medalist, Tim Aagesen (DEN), is a racing veteran with World titles in Mistral, Kona One and Formula classes over a storied career. It’s great to see that the ‘old’ generation is still competitive in this class! Last year’s world champion Alex Temko (USA) was pushed all week by his teammates from Clearwater and came in third to confirm his standing as one of the top young windsurfers in the world.

Speaking of battling all week: Johanna Hjertberg (SWE) and Andree Gauthier (CAN) took it down to the wire, and Johanna squeezed ahead on the last day of competition to flip last year’s results and take the title this year! Lovisa Toft (SWE) represented the Varberg School well and took third. And in the Silver fleet, Anna Vasta (USA) led all the way, taking the crown ahead of Lucien Van Delst (NED) and Camilla Irenmark (SWE).

“It’s been a pleasure to see the Kona racers on the water here in Italy. The level of competition keeps climbing, but the camaraderie stays the same, and that’s what makes the class such a joy to be around. Huig-Jan Tak is a well-deserved champion,” said Michael Fox, president of the Class.

Click here for all the play by play and the full results!

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