Sean Herbert has put himself in prime position to claim a wingfoiling world title, and it took the New Zealander just one day of racing to do it.
Herbert won three of the four long-distance races at Poetto Beach on the opening day of the 2026 Wingfoil Racing World Cup, putting him at the top of the men's fleet as the fifth stop of the six-event series got underway on Sardinia's south-east coast.
His countryman Kosta Gladiadis is also in the mix, sitting 13th overall after day one, 14.5 points off Herbert's pace.
Conditions at Quartu Sant'Elena suited the discipline well. Around 12-14 knots of wind combined with a classic Sardinian autumn swell, whipped up by a steady sirocco, to produce what Herbert called some of the best racing conditions of the season.
"These have to be the best conditions we've raced in all season," he said.
Chasing hard was Italy's Alessandro Tomasi, who racked up a win, a second and a third across the four races. Tomasi arrived in Sardinia as World Cup series leader, having claimed the world title in Istanbul last month, and he's clearly not finished yet.
"I've won two of the four World Cup events so far this season and feel confident in these conditions," he said before racing began. "I've done a lot of training on Lake Garda recently and made some changes so hopefully it'll go well here."
The men's title race is a genuine scrap. France has 14 sailors in the fleet, headed by Mathis Ghio, who has won every World Cup series title since the competition began five years ago. Ghio wrapped up the 2025 crown with an event to spare, yet sits only second overall heading into Sardinia, with the top of the standings packed tight.
Italy fields the largest contingent, 21 sailors, with Francesco Cappuzzo currently level on points with Poland's Kamil Manowiecki, a two-time World Cup winner this season.
Several of the fleet know Poetto well already. The beach hosted last year's Formula Wing Worlds, where Ghio and Italy's Maddalena Spanu took the titles.
In the women's fleet, 16-year-old French sailor Vaina Picot was untouchable. Four races, four wins. Picot arrived as reigning world champion after her Istanbul victory last month, and the swell that troubled others seemed to suit her perfectly.
Spain's Iset Segura, third in the season rankings, found the sirocco swell tough going, with a fifth-place finish her best result of the day.
"I would leave Sardinia happy if I get a top four finish, but I'm going to push hard," she said beforehand.
Fifty-eight men from 13 countries and 17 women from nine nations are competing at Poetto for a share of the €10,000 ($20,000) prize pot. Three days of qualifying remain before the medal series settles the champions on Sunday, with the points still tight and little decided.
