The French team took part in the first regatta of the Hempel World Cup Series 2022. The French made an impression with 6 medals, including 3 gold for Théo de Ramecourt in Kitefoil, Hélène Noesmoen in IQfoil and the duo Erwan Fischer / Clément Pequin in 49er. Benoit Gomez and Lauriane Nolot (Kitefoil) won silver and the 470 duo Kevin Peponnet and Aloïse Retornaz took bronze.
With 6 medals, 3 in gold, 2 in silver and one in bronze, France finished 1st nation in this World Cup stage. An international regatta which brought together the elite of Olympic sailing in varied conditions, sometimes even difficult with a lot of swell.
Sablaise Hélène Noesmoen, champion of IQfoil (new Olympic windsurfing equipped with foil), largely dominated her opponents by winning half of the races in the regatta. Reigning world champion, she climbs on the first step of the podium of this Word cup, ahead of the Spanish Pilar Lamadrid Trueba and the Polish Maja Dziarnowska. Among the men, Louis Giard finished 8th.
Hélène Noesmoen, Gold Medal: « Lhe week was quite rich with a lot of races, 19 in total. I made a lot of little mistakes, but overall it’s really great! With a very good first day, I was able to keep the yellow jersey all week. I know I’m not at my full potential, but it’s the consistency that has paid off. We all still have a lot of potential, our series is recent and is evolving a lot! »
One of the most beautiful surprises of the regatta was the superb performance of the 49er duo composed of Erwan Fischer and Clément Pequin who also won half of the races of the week. The Rochelais climb on the first step of the podium in front of the Americans and the Poles. The French team Lucas Rual and Emile Amoros finished 13th.
Erwan Fischer, Gold Medal: « This week took place in the continuity of the winter work. We arrived in Palma full of confidence. The week went by in fairly favorable conditions for us. We wore the yellow jersey almost every day, it’s a real success. Now the objective is to remain among the favorites at the next major international meetings, up to the World Cup! »
49er FX ladies Lara Granier and Amelie Riou finished in 14th place while the highly observed duo Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon finished 26th with 3 race wins. The champions are already showing great potential during this first international regatta on their new support.
In kitefoil, the tricolors also remained at the forefront, and without much surprise, Théo de Ramecourt won gold, followed very closely by Benoit Gomez (7 points separate them). Britain’s Connor Bainbridge completes the podium. Among the girls, Lauriane Nolot won silver behind the American Daniela Moroz. With no less than 6 race victories this week, the Normande shows that we can count on her. Poéma Newland, who had won the semi-final, missed out on her final race and only finished 9th.
Théo de Ramecourt, gold medalist: « It was cool! We had a wonderful week with strong wind conditions, it was very technical and therefore very interesting. I’m very happy to win this first regatta by winning all week. It’s really cool to be on top of the fleet and represent the tricolor like that. The atmosphere within the France team is great, I really enjoyed spending time with the other series and taking advantage of the recovery system put in place by the medical staff. Can’t wait for us all to meet in Hyères! »
Superb start also for the duo, now mixed, of 470, Aloïse Retornaz and Kevin Peponnet, who finished in 3rd place for their very first regatta together, behind the Spanish and Italian crews.
Aloïse Retornaz, bronze medal: « It was a surprise for us to gauge ourselves against the competition. We were put in difficulty from the first regatta in unforgiving conditions. But we also had very good races. The operation on board with Kevin is top notch and we are very happy with the speed of the boat. Finishing 3rd for a first regatta is great, we’re in the game! »
Disappointment on the other hand for ILCA 7 (new name of the Laser). The champion Jean-Baptiste Bernaz, then at the top of the classification, had to give up, weakened by the flu. Among the women, it is necessary to underline the good performance of the Carnacoise Louise Cervera (ILCA 6) finished at the foot of the podium.
In Nacra 17, only the duo made up of Tim Mourniac and Lou Berthomieu took part in the final race and finished 8th. Billy Besson and Noa Ancian are 14th.
Philippe Mourniac, director of the French team: ” It’s a great comeback. It was the first international regatta for a very long time and the French showed that they were present in all the series. With 6 medals including 3 in gold, France is the first nation! Winning a World Cup event is incredible and they did it in style. I want to underline the very good performance of Erwan and Clément who truly dominated in the 49er. We knew they had great potential but it must be said that their achievement this week is extraordinary. Hélène Noesmoen and Théo de Ramecourt were already reigning world champions. They have confirmed their leadership and it is also very strong to be able to remain at the highest level. All the crews in the 10 series have worked particularly well this winter. They show us here that we have a very big potential for medals in all the series.»
Results of the main French during the Trofeo Princess Sofia:
IQFoil Woman (new Olympic foil windsurfing board)
National coach: Pierre Loquet and Pierre Noesmoen
-Hélène NOESMOEN (SN Sablais) 1st
-Delphine COUSIN (Saint Barth YC): 14th
-Lucie BELBEOCH (French Stadium): abandonment
IQFoil Homme (new Olympic foil windsurfing board)
-Louis GIARD (La Pelle-Marseille): 8th
470 Mixed (women’s and men’s double dinghy)
National coach: Gildas Philippe
-Aloïse RETORNAZ (SN Sablais) and Kevin PEPONNET (La Rochelle Nautique): 3rd
49er Woman (women’s double dinghy)
National coach: to be announced
-Lara GRANIER (SR Antibes) and AMELIE Riou (the shovel): 14th
-Sarah STEYAERT (La Rochelle Nautique) and Charline PICON (La Rochelle Nautique): 26th
49er Male (male double dinghy)
National coach: Françoise Le Courtois
-Erwan FISCHER (CNBPP) and Clément PEQUIN (La Rochelle Nautique): 1st
-Lucas Rual (APCC) and Emile Amoros (CN Pornic) : 13e
ILCA 6 Woman (women’s solo dinghy – formerly Women’s Laser)
National coach: Pascal Rambeau
-Louise CERVERA (Veils of Lerins): 4th
-Marie BOLOU (SR Douarnenez): 19
ILCA 7 Male (male solo dinghy – formerly Male Laser)
National coach: Nicolas Le Berre
-Jean-Baptiste BERNAZ (CN Sainte-Maxime): retired (flu) when he was leading the general classification
Nacra 17 Mixte (mixed foiling catamaran for women and men)
National coach: Benjamin Bonnaud
-Tim MOURNIAC (ASN Quiberon) and Lou BERTHOMIEU (SNO Nantes): 8th
-Billy BESSON (YC La Grande Motte) and Noa ANCIAN (Catamaran C Noumea): 14th
KiteFoil Femme (Female Foil Kiteboard)
National coach: Ariane Imbert
Assistant coach: Bertrand Dumortier
-Lauriane NOLOT (HKA): 2e
-Poéma NEWLAND (KSL) : 9e
KiteFoil Homme (Male Foil Kiteboard)
National coach: Ariane Imbert
Assistant coach: Bertrand Dumortier
-Théo DE RAMECOURT (CHES Cayteux): 1
-Benoit GOMEZ (CV Arcachon): 2
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