The Olympic Debut of Nacho Baltasar and the iQFOiL Class

Windsurfing became part of the Olympic family at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, with its name evolving over the years from Windglider to iQFOiL, including the Lechner, Mistral, and RS, depending on the board model. In the RSWomen's category, Spanish windsurfer Marina Alabau won the gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics.

For Nacho Baltasar from Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita and Pilar Lamadrid, our male and female representatives respectively, these will be their first Olympic Games.

Nacho Baltasar, the youngest member of the Spanish team, will compete in his first Olympic Games at the age of 19. His rapid rise through the ranks has been remarkable. After securing a fifth place at the Marseille Test Event last year, he qualified the country with an eleventh place at the World Championships in The Hague, became the U23 world runner-up, and won a bronze medal at the recent French Olympic Week, the last international regatta for the class before the Paris 2024 Olympics. This bronze medal has propelled him to the second position in the world rankings.

With the current iQFOiL, Olympic windsurfing has taken flight, becoming almost a new class due to the way it sails and the skills required of its athletes.

The introduction of the foil allows the boards to lift off even in light winds, reaching high speeds. “Some have reached 60 km/h (32.4 knots), though I haven't yet; I've hit 58 km/h (31.3 knots),” says Nacho Baltasar.

For Paris 2024, the organization provides all the class equipment, which includes, as Pilar Lamadrid explains, “four complete foil sets, four masts, and three sails, along with the board and the boom. We have already chosen the equipment we will compete with at the Olympic Games, plus a spare.” For Nacho Baltasar, this is a significant advantage: “We will all compete with the same equipment, and I think it's the best for us; we don't have to worry.”

As in Formula Kite, weight is crucial in iQFOiL, and our athletes have had to adapt not only to the sailing but also to the necessary anthropometric characteristics, gaining weight and strength. Nacho Baltasar has increased his weight from 68 kg to 92 kg, a gradual process to ensure the weight gain wasn't fat. Our athletes' tough routine includes daily hours on the water and up to three hours in the gym.