A versatile and multipurpose board
The RS:X is a versatile windsurfer, allowing athletes to practice in a wide range of conditions. Designed in 2004 by Jean Bouldoires and Robert Stroj, it was selected to become Olympic class in Beijing in 2008 - replacing the Mistral One Design - and will make its last games in Tokyo in 2021, soon replaced by the iQFoil. Men's windsurfing was introduced at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and has seen several boards pass through the hands of its athletes: Winglider, Lechner A-390 and Mistral. The women's event was first introduced as an exhibition in 1984, before being officially included in the Barcelona Games in 1992.
This discipline has always been very physical and even more so since unlimited pumping was allowed in 1992. This movement, which is done with the arms or legs, consists in bringing the sail back towards the body to create an artificial wind and to accumulate power in the sail. This allows the sail to move even faster, but requires both strength and stamina, and the athletes must be in good physical shape.
The RS:X is composed of a 2.86 m long and 93 cm wide board, a fin, a mast, a sail, a daggerboard and a boom. Some sizes vary for men and women:
- Sail of 9.5 m2 of green-yellow color for men and 8.5 m2 of red-orange color for women
- 5.20 m mast for men and 4.90 m for women
- 66 cm fin for men and 60 cm for women
Numerous Olympic medallist titles
On the men's side, Britain's Nick Dempsey is the top Olympic medalist in windsurfing with three silver medals: Athens in 2004 in Mistral, London 2012 and Rio 2016 in RS: X. New Zealand's Bruce Kendall, American Mike Gebhardt, Greece's Nikolaos Kaklamanakis, Argentina's Carlos Espinola and Israel's Gal Fridman are all double Olympic medalists in windsurfing.
Finally, in the RS: X Men's category, Olympian Dorian van Rijsselberghe has the most medals, winning gold twice in a row in London in 2012 and Rio 2016. But the Dutchman did not qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Games.
It will be thus a new champion who will be revealed in Tokyo since none of the three sailors of the podium of Rio will be present on these new Games. Dempsey did not campaign for Tokyo, being replaced by Tom Squires this year to represent England. As for the Frenchman Pierre Le Coq who won bronze in Rio 2016, he will be replaced by Thomas Goyard.
Among women, the most titled windsurfer of the Games is the Italian Alessandra Sensini who won four Olympic medals in the discipline: bronze in Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004, Gold in Sydney all in Mistral and silver in Beijing in 2008 in RS: X.
New Zealand's Barbara Kendall became the first Olympic windsurfing champion, winning gold in the Lechner A-390 at Barcelona 1992. She won two more medals in the Mistral, silver in Atlanta in 1996 and bronze in Sydney in 2000.
In the three Olympic Games campaigns in which the RS:X Women's class has participated to date, no athlete has won more than one Olympic medal, unlike the men.
For example, China's Jian Yin won silver in Athens 2004 in the Mistral and then gold in RS/X in Beijing 2008. Spain's Marina Alabeau stood atop the podium in London 2012, while France's Charline Picon is the reigning Olympic champion. London 2012 silver and bronze medalists Tuuli Petäjä of Finland and Zofia Noceti-Klepacka of Poland have both qualified for Tokyo 2020.
If Charline Picon intends to keep her title, her two Chinese and Russian competitors will not be present on these new Games.
An Olympic champion to represent France
Among the 25 male and 27 female athletes, Charline Picon and Thomas Goyard will represent France.
Charline Picon has many titles in windsurfing: double European champion in 2013 and 2014, world champion in 2014, Olympic champion in 2016 after an 8th place in the world ranking place in London in 2012... After a break of a few months in 2017 to give birth to her daughter, she returns to the competition with a 2nd place at the 2018 Worlds. After a 3rd place at the 2021 World Championships and a first place at the European Championships the same year, Charline Picon aims for the top step of the podium at the Tokyo Games.
"Charline Picon is the reigning Olympic champion after her victory in Rio in 2016. Accomplished in her sporting and personal life, she carries her French team as a true spokesperson." explains Guillaume Chiellino, Director of the French Sailing Team.
As for Thomas Goyard, he will participate in his first Games. After a first world title in Cyprus in 2010 at the age of 18, he joined the National Center of Excellence. After a bronze medal at the World Championships at the end of February 2021, he qualified for Tokyo.
"Thomas Goyard is regularly at the forefront with 2 world podiums to his credit in 2014 and 2020" says Guillaume Chiellino.
