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First ever Formula Wing Worlds to take place in Sardinia

The inaugural Formula Wing World Championships marks another important step in the progress of the fast-developing sport of wingfoil racing. More than 80 riders from around the world are flying in to Cagliari in the south of Sardinia to take part in a piece of history. The regatta is set to take place from 23 to 28 September.

For the elite few, the battle out of Poetto Beach will be an opportunity to carve their name on what will doubtless become one of the most important trophies in the rapidly growing world of wingfoiling.

Mathis Ghio will start as one of the favourites in the men’s competition, the young Frenchman having been the dominant force over the past few years on the Wingfoil Racing World Cup circuit. This year however he finds himself in a fierce battle with Poland’s Kamil Manowiecki who has been making great strides over the past 12 months. Most recently at the start of this month the Pole came out on top at the WingFoil Racing World Cup China.

Italy’s Alessandro Tomasi and New Zealand’s Sean Herbert are two other of many established names who could threaten for the podium. As ever the French and Italian squads will be out in force and will be looking to dominate the top ten.

A dark horse who could threaten the pecking order is Australia’s Grae Morris. After surging to a silver medal on the iQFOiL windsurfer at last year’s Olympic Games, the 21-year-old has dominated the Olympic circuit this season wins in Cadiz, Palma and a second in Hyeres. Just last week he was crowned iQFOiL Under 23 World Champion in Portugal. Morris is well used to the short-course, sudden-death style of competition which should stand him in good stead for the nature of the racing at the Formula Wing Worlds, but will he have the raw speed and boathandling skills to compete with the wing specialists? It will be fascinating to follow the windsurfer’s progress.

Maddalena Spanu goes into the women’s competition as the rider on top form. The Italian teenager won the World Cup title in 2023 and continues to win events on the 2025 tour, including the recent regatta in China. Like her Polish compatriot Manowiecki, Karolina Kluszczynska carries through her experience from Olympic windsurfing into the wing scene and she finished runner-up to Spanu in China. She’ll be one to watch along with France’s Anais Mai Desjardins, Guadeloupe’s Vaïna Picot and Emilia Kosti from Greece.

There is 20,000 Euros of prize money up for grabs, but to earn that money the top riders will need to perform across a range of formats throughout the week. Starting with the long-distance races out of a high-speed rabbit start on day one, there’s a shift of focus towards the rapid-fire, short-course racing of subsequent days until the Golden Ticket long-distance race on the last day, culminating in the knock-out rounds that lead to the medal-deciding four-rider finals.

Poetto Beach should put on a spectacular display next week when the wingfoilers are fighting for world title glory. The final two days of competition will be livestreamed, bringing you blow-by-blow action from the water.

To follow the Formula Wing World Championships go to: https://wingfoilracing.org/2025worlds