Glide, fly, surf the sky
by Dorian van Rijsselberghe 22 May 2018 18:00 BST
Dorian van Rijsselberghe windfoiling © Laurens Morel /
www.saltycolours.com
After the 2020 Games, everything in windsurfing will revolve around one thing, the foil, or as close a word we have for it in Dutch: 'draagvleugel'! But we're going to take to the sky people; windsurfing is literally going to take itself out of the water.... Yes!
The World Sailing decision, to keep both men's and women's windsurfing in 2024, is justified. Windsurfing is the most demanding of Olympic water sports, at least physically, which is reason enough to keep the class.
A 'foil' is wicked
That physical element remains, because if you don't go fast enough, the foil will not lift you. Next to that you'll still need your body to move forward. There will always be times with little to no wind. But when there's a decent breeze, a 'foil' is wicked; it opens up a whole new dimension in my sport.
And it's about time too. Foiling is the future. I've been practicing it for a while now. Sometimes I've been given a foil here and there to try out.... I'm a fan! And there are more positive changes to come. For example the course, the 'track', will be adapted to the weather conditions -sometimes shorter, sometimes longer - making it more dynamic and even greater fun to watch.
And it's likely there'll not be one sole manufacturer making the material, as is the case with the current RS: X-class. Due to competition, the gear will become cheaper, making it easier for the youth to get into it. So a little gutsy boy, or girl, could be flying over the water soon. Cool!
Kitesurfers welcome!
It's good that kitesurfing (which after previous attempts will be Olympic from 2024) isn't pushing my sport out, for there are as many countries where a sail on a board is as popular as a mattress in the sky. Soooo... maybe I think it's all so cool that I'll continue until 2024.
Ha ha, you never know.
Can you wait to see the future of windsurfing?
I can't!