Nía Suardiaz Crowned Wingfoil Surf-Freestyle World Champion at Gran Canaria World Cup

Nía Suardiaz clinched the 2026 GWA Wingfoil World Cup Surf-Freestyle world championship on Saturday at Playa de El Burrero in Gran Canaria, finishing second in the event behind Austria’s Viola Lippitsch to mathematically secure the overall season title before the final stop of the circuit.

For Suardiaz, the runner-up finish on the water was enough to reclaim the world crown she surrendered during the previous season. The Tarifa-born rider built her championship campaign on consistent podium finishes across the global calendar, including a victory in Leucate alongside second-place results in Tarifa and Gran Canaria, according to tour standings.

Technical Progression Defines the Gran Canaria Finals

The women’s final at Playa de El Burrero highlighted the rapid technical advancement of wingfoil surf-freestyle. Lippitsch secured the event victory with a score of 22.30 points, outpacing Suardiaz’s 19.67. During her heats, Suardiaz deployed a technical repertoire featuring a backflip, a frontflip, and a combination linking a backflip directly into a Frontside 360.

Lippitsch introduced a competitive first during the event by successfully landing a Palau Frontside 360. Judges recognized the unprecedented maneuver with an official “Innovation” score, which will enter the sport’s official catalog of point-scoring tricks. Meanwhile, 12-year-old Sofía Ginzinger, also from Tarifa, claimed third place with 16.10 points, ahead of fourth-place finisher Bowien van der Linden of the Netherlands. Ginzinger’s podium finish underscores the emergence of a young generation challenging for elite titles in the women’s division.

MacDonald Outduels Castenskiold in Men’s Division

In the men’s competition, American rider Christopher MacDonald captured the event title with a score of 28.24 points, edging Denmark’s Benjamin Castenskiold, who finished with 27.67 points. France’s Axel Gerard and Austria’s Tomas Acherer rounded out the top four in third and fourth places, respectively.

Castenskiold attempted a Frontside 1800 during the final heat—a trick he had previously landed in practice—though he was unable to secure the landing in competition. High winds in El Burrero provided optimal conditions for the high-flying, powerful routines displayed by the fleet.

A Sweep of Gran Canaria Conditions

The world title caps a dominant week for Suardiaz in the Canary Islands. Alongside her freestyle championship-clinching performance, she also secured victories in the FreeFly-Slalom World Cup and the Open de Canarias Wingfoil Slalom.