A short summary of the European IQfoil with Malik Hoveling and Ethan Westera

The IQ Foil Europeans in Greece was one event that the weather gods played with for sure: the first days such extreme strong winds which was a huge challenge for what is possible on the foil. For the Aruban team, a lot of wind is always more pleasant than little wind, which also resulted in a 13th place for Ethan Westera. On Friday, however, the wind subsided and the wait for wind became very difficult for athletes. At the end of that day, the gold fleet was able to do a few more races but the conditions were not optimal. The silver fleet could no longer sail due to late hour. Saturday was the same conditions and it was still the day to try to climb some places in the rankings. Ethan Westera a nice 16th place in gold fleet and Malik Hoveling a 5th place in the silver fleet. How special it is that Aruba sails in the top 100 of this class could be heard on the live coverage during the Medal race: “the best athletes are together from all over the world from New Zealandto China to Brasil and even from Aruba!” The event was surprisingly won by Italy with a photo finish in the semifinals and an over early from Kiran Badloe in the final. This event was a good preparation for the coming months with the Worlds in Scheveningen and the Panam 2023 which will be the most important matches for the team. Follow the Aruban team on #iqdoilteamaruba