iQFOiL INTERNATIONAL GAMES #3: THE MALOJA RETURNS TO DELIVER A PERFECT DAY OF RACING IN SILVAPLANA
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Class Manager Gonzalo Costa Hoevel dominates the Masters, while Baker, Inversin, Kie and Dale emerge as the early leaders
Silvaplana, Switzerland – August 19, 2026 – After an opening day without racing, the legendary Maloja returned to Lake Silvaplana, providing ideal conditions for the first races of the 2026 iQFOiL International Games #3, held as part of the Vanora Engadinwind Festival.
Under bright sunshine and the reliable thermal breeze that has made the Engadin one of the world's premier foiling venues, sailors finally hit the water for a full day of racing across all fleets.
The Masters fleet saw a commanding performance from Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (ARG), who won all five races to establish an early lead in the standings. Fellow Argentine Fernando Martínez del Cerro remained his closest challenger throughout the day, consistently finishing second, while Paweł Diettrich (POL) completed the provisional podium after five races.
In the U19 Men's fleet, Charlie Baker (GBR) takes the overnight lead after an impressive opening day. Hungary's Gyorváry brothers sit just behind him, keeping the pressure on as the championship begins to take shape.
The U19 Women's leaderboard is headed by Ernestine Inversin (SUI), who put together a strong and consistent performance to emerge as the early leader.
In the U17 Boys, spectators enjoyed one of the closest battles of the day, with Hau Sing Kie (HKG) and Tom Pringuer (FRA) exchanging blows throughout the racing. By the end of the day, it was the sailor from Hong Kong who held the advantage and claimed the top spot in the provisional standings.
The U17 Girls belonged to Marta Dale (ESP), who dominated her fleet with an outstanding display. The Spanish sailor was not only the class leader but also regularly finished ahead of many of the U17 Boys, underlining the quality of her performance.
With perfect Maloja conditions finally delivering the racing everyone had been waiting for, the International Games are now fully underway. More races are scheduled tomorrow as the battle for the podium continues on the spectacular waters of Lake Silvaplana.
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