iQFoil-EM: Only one race costs Kördel gold after European Championship gala

Stormy winds of 28, 29 knots and even more in gusts had to be mastered by the best iQFoil sailors in the final at the European Championships in the Greek harbour of Patras. The Italian Nicolò Renna managed this best in the final sprint. The European champion in the new Olympic windsurfing discipline of sailing, who was crowned on Sunday, had previously finished the main round of the European Championships in tenth place. That was just enough to reach the quarter-finals. The Italian made the most of this on the final Sunday: he marched through the semi-finals into the final. He then also defeated the reigning German windsurfing world champion Sebastian Kördel in the all-important race.

Olympic champion Badloe disqualified after early start in the final

From Sebastian Kördel's point of view, the European Championship week went the other way round: he was the outstanding performer for five days before the last race on day six cost him the title. However, the runner-up title also brought the Olympic hopeful of the national sailing team the positive realisation that he can continue to operate safely among the world's best. After his gala performance in the main round, the 32-year-old from the Norddeutscher Regattaverein had started the final of the best three European Championship windsurfers as the top favourite.

The all-important race began with a costly early start, as a result of which the Dutch Olympic champion Kiran Badloe was disqualified. This turned the planned three-way battle for the title into a duel. The Italian got off to the better start. Although Kördel fought his way closer in the meantime, he was unable to stop Nicolò Renna on this day.

Kördel only stopped in the final after a dominant main round

Silver instead of gold did not change the fact that the 1.91 metre tall exceptional windsurfer in the German Sailing Team had taken six victories in 18 races up to the final day. A look at the net points of all the players in the European title fights up to the last race shows how outstanding Kördel's surfing was: With just 42 net points after the five-day main round, he had confidently paved his direct route to the final.

The next best windsurfer before the start of the final was Kiran Badloe with 62 points. The eventual European champion Nicolò Renna had even collected more than 100 points in the main round before making the final day his own. Because, unlike the sailors, the Olympic windsurfers do not take their results from the main round into the final day, Renna only needed one final race after a successful quarter and semi-final to knock the German world champion off his throne after his magnificent series in the European Championship final.

DSV coach Dom Tidey: "Sebastian is a strong all-round surfer"

Sebastian Kördel's British DSV coach Dom Tidey was pleased with his protégé's silver medal: "Sebastian had a great series. Our main mission was to make it to the final in the yellow jersey. That went well. We are definitely on course for the 2024 Olympic Games." When asked about "Basti" Kördel's strengths, Dom Tidey said: "He's simply a very strong all-round surfer and can win slalom and course races."

Kördel himself said that he was travelling with the "wrong set-up" in the final. "I was the best over the week. The Italian was the best today. He hit the right day. It gave us new input that we can continue to work with in a focussed way." Kördel rated his renewed medal-winning performance as a positive: "That's good, of course." After a flying visit to Lake Constance at home, Kördel will return to Kiel, where he will start the Kiel Week in June as the top favourite.

Theresa Steinlein was the best German player at the European Championships

The best DSV athlete among the 89 IQFoilers from 35 nations, where young talents from the German Sailing Team are working intensively on their rise to the top of the world, was 21-year-old Theresa Steinlein in 22nd place. In 2022, the sports soldier from the North German Regatta Club had already attracted attention with third place at the U21 World Championships.

Windsurfing action and drama: Watch the replay of the live broadcast of the final day of the iQFoil European Windsurfing Championships in Greece:

Click here for the final ranking of the iQFoil European Championships in Greece.