Welcome back to Portimao for the 2019 Techno 293+ World Championships, and we really mean Portimao, because today’s racing was in the harbour of the town itself rather than far out at sea. [more]

It was a bit of everything: wind conditions, weather conditions, and the endless search to find ways of making the competition more interesting for everyone concerned. Whatever it was, the race committee decided that today was slalom day, rather than course racing, plenty of fast action and a discipline that is a great leveller, anything can happen.

The wind was well filled-in when the first races were started and the competitors duly delivered, no pumping today! Not everyone is used to slalom racing so the spills were there along with the thrills. Spare a thought for Enora Tanne and Nine Rault, looking at a possible French 1-2, only to crash into each other at the mark and ending up last and second to last.
Anything can happen in slalom, even Olympic superstar Alexandros Kalpogiannakis managed a total blank in one of the 3 races the committee ran today. But given the fact that there are 2 discards (get rid of your lowest scores) he’s still well in control of the men’s event, especially since he won the other two today.
Similar story in the women’s class, with Tanne still well in control, despite a blank, but Japan’s Kaneko Natsumi looking nailed-on for the silver medal … Germany’s Nadia Jablonski had a nasty crash in the first race but came back well to take second spot in the next one.
The day’s big mover was one of the people who’s come furthest, and therefore very interested in making it worth the trip, Australian Grae Morris, leaping up to silver medal spot in the men’s event, well in the hunt for the “chase for a place”.
But who knows what the conditions will deliver for the last three days of competition? As the Greek team would no doubt say, it’s all in the lap of the gods!
Don’t miss any of the action, stay on top of the results on the event website at: https://worlds2019.plus.techno293.org