The Spaniard completes a historic run of three consecutive victories in El Médano, while the Aruban rider secures her second straight win in spectacular conditions
El Cabezo Beach witnessed one of those days that will go down in the history of the Wind&Waves Festival this Wednesday. With near-perfect wind and wave conditions, the world’s best riders delivered a spectacular display of high-level windsurfing as the winners of the 2026 PWA/WWT Open World Championship event were decided.
The standout performer of the day was Spain’s Marc Paré, who once again demonstrated why El Médano has become his territory. The Catalan rider claimed his third consecutive victory at the Tenerife event, following his wins in 2024 and 2025, completing a historic hat-trick and cementing his status as the dominant force on the waves of El Cabezo.
Paré’s performance was flawless throughout the competition. The Spaniard won all four heats he contested, producing a perfect run from the opening round through to the final and leaving no doubt about his dominance.
His route to victory began in the quarterfinals, where he came through an exciting all-Spanish battle against Liam Dunkerbeck and Víctor Fernández, advancing to the semifinals alongside Marino Gil. Paré once again delivered when it mattered, defeating Josep Pons and France’s Jules Denel to reach a high-level final alongside Austria’s Lennart Neubauer. On the other side of the draw, Marino Gil and world number one Philip Köster completed the final lineup.
In the decisive final, Marc Paré produced his best performance of the entire event. The Spaniard posted an outstanding 36.63 points, the highest score of the competition, to beat Philip Köster (30.28), Marino Gil (27.68) and Lennart Neubauer (9.62), closing out a historic performance at the Wind&Waves Festival.
The women’s category also had a clear dominant force. Aruban rider Sarah-Quita Offringa, one of the greatest legends in world windsurfing with 29 World Championship titles, successfully defended her victory from last year and once again proved that El Cabezo is one of her favourite venues.
Like Paré, Offringa dominated throughout the event, winning every heat she contested. In the semifinals, she defeated Switzerland’s Pauline Katz and France’s Marine Hunter to book her place in the final alongside Germany’s Lina Erpenstein, Gran Canaria’s Alexia Kiefer Quintana, the only Spanish rider in contention for the overall event victory, and Poland’s Justyna Sniady.
The defending winner once again showed all her experience in the final. With 25.32 points, Sarah-Quita Offringa secured her second consecutive victory in El Médano, finishing ahead of Lina Erpenstein (22.63), Alexia Kiefer Quintana (21.88) and Justyna Sniady (18.80).
With the Open event winners now decided, the Wind&Waves Festival moves into its final stages, with several categories still to be resolved. The Master, Pro Junior Girls and Junior Girls winners will be decided over the coming days, while the weekend will see the spotlight turn to Foil, bringing together some of the world’s leading specialists for another highlight of the sporting programme at El Cabezo.
The El Médano Wind&Waves Festival is organized by Blue Light Events and supported by institutions including the Government of the Canary Islands, through the Islas Canarias Latitud de Vida brand; the Tenerife Island Council, through its Tenerife Despierta Emociones brand; and the Granadilla de Abona Town Council. The festival is also sponsored by brands including Playa Surf CBbC Hotel, Balearia, Veinte 04, Future Fly Boards and Foil Drive.
