The world's best windsurfers have come to Taiwan to compete in the third annual Penghu Pro-Am, the first of five stops on the professional Asian Windsurfing Tour (AWT). Racing begins today at Guan-yin-ting (觀音停), with finals taking place on Saturday.
Current world number one, Frenchman Antoine Albeau, and last year's AWT champ, Australian Robbie Radis, will lead the field of international pros. Hsin Jin-lung (幸金龍), Taiwan's windsurfing representative to the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, will head the sizable pack of savvy locals in the three day competition.
They'll be sailing for US$5,000 in cash prizes, down from US$18,500 last year, and Neil Pryde equipment.
Now entering its third year, the Penghu Pro-Am is gaining an international reputation as one of the windiest sailing spots on the planet.
Outsiders compare it to Maui and the Columbia River Gorge. Local regulars could care less. "I went to Maui, and it was like, 25 knots, you call this wind? I wasn't impressed," commented one Belgian, a Penghu veteran.
Locals, like Hsin Jin-lung, began windsurfing in Penghu around 20 years ago, but the site wasn't discovered by outsiders until around 1996 when Australian Alex Mowday stumbled upon it.
Mowday manufactures parts out of a Taiwan factory for one of the leading brands connected with windsurfing.
He turned Penghu into his own R&D playground and also began to rent equipment, hoping to lure visitors and further develop the sport.
Penghu's lure was extreme winds, which ravage the Taiwan Strait at least eight months of the year, from October through April.
The winds are generated seasonally by the Northeast Monsoon system, which creates massive air movements from high pressure centers in northern climes to equatorial lows.
As the winds pass through the trough of the Taiwan Strait and between the mountains of Taiwan and China, they accelerate.
What keeps the water flat enough to sail is the land barrier of a curved string of islands in the Penghu archipelago. They create a massive bay of 11km in length and about 5.5km in width.
Statistics kept by Mowday's outfit, Bump n' Jump, has shown winds are between 17 knots (31kph) and 40 knots (74kph) for 71% of the season and more than 40 knots for another 13%. Only 15% of the season is a boring, and what the locals consider unsailable. Local crazies will go out in winds of 55 knots (102kph).
Racing over the next three days will take place in four divisions, Formula One, Men's Open, Women's Open and Masters. Formula requires uniform boards and rigs, while other categories leave the decisions to the competitors.
The main event will be a downwind slalom, and there is also a 40km endurance race over a figure eight course. There will also be plenty of freestyling and big air jumps within view of the Guan-yin-ting harbor.
Badminton world No. 3 Anders Antonsen clinched his first Indonesia Open title yesterday after beating Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen, while South Korea’s An Se-young won her second championship in Jakarta. The 28-year-old Dane sank world No. 7 Chou at the Indonesian capital’s Istora Senayan arena, winning 22-20, 21-14 in a 60-minute match to secure the prestigious Super 1000 event. Antonsen came out on top in a tightly contested first game before cruising to victory in the second. In a more closely fought women’s singles final, South Korean ace and world No. 1 An fought back from one game down to beat China’s
Spain starlets Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams dazzled on Thursday as La Roja beat France 5-4 in a thriller in Stuttgart, Germany, to set up a UEFA Nations League final with Portugal. Yamal bagged a brace, while Williams scored and provided an assist as the two wingers cut France’s makeshift defense to ribbons. Mikel Merino and Pedri were also on the score sheet for the UEFA Euro 2024 champions. Kylian Mbappe netted a second-half penalty, but Spain were 5-1 up and cruising, before Les Bleus suddenly woke up as their opponents took their foot off the pedal. France’s three late goals — a
Italy crashed to a 3-0 loss away to Norway, as the four-time FIFA World Cup champions made a disastrous start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign on Friday, while Belgium had to settle for a draw in North Macedonia. Alexander Sorloth, Antonio Nusa and Erling Haaland all scored in the first half in pouring rain in Oslo as Norway made it a night to forget for Italy, who missed out on the past two World Cups. “I have no explanation. Our supporters don’t deserve this kind of match. We need to do some soul-searching. It’s unacceptable,” Italy captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi
The Crusaders yesterday produced a clinical performance in difficult conditions to beat the Queensland Reds 32-12 and claim home advantage in next week’s Super Rugby semi-finals. Lock Scott Barrett and prop Tamaiti Williams scored first-half tries to reward an outstanding performance from the Crusaders’ forwards in wet, slippery conditions and bitterly cold temperatures. Scrumhalf Noah Hotham defied the conditions in the second half to score a superb solo try and, after kicking a conversion and penalty to make the score 22-0 at the hour mark, flyhalf Rivez Reihana scored a try which took the game beyond the Reds. “Typical Christchurch weather, cold, wet
RSS