World Titles, Historic Firsts & Progress Across Water Sports, An Incredible Month for Gath Sports

What an incredible month for Gath Sports.

Across surfing, wing foiling, parawing, windsurfing and paddle sports, Gath athletes and partners have delivered an extraordinary run of World Titles, historic firsts, podium finishes and major milestones.

Morgan Cibilic represented Gath at the highest level of professional surfing. Benjamin Castenskiold became GWA Surf-Freestyle World Champion. Bastien Escofet became the first-ever Downwind Parawing World Champion. Chris MacDonald finished 3rd in the world. Matteo Iachino claimed the PWA Slalom-X World Championship. Blanca Alabau celebrated her first Slalom-X victory. And beyond competition, Gath strengthened its commitment to global water-sports safety through its new partnership with the International Canoe Federation.

Different disciplines. Different athletes. One shared passion for pushing the limits on the water.

 

Morgan Cibilic — Gath on the WSL Championship Tour

Shortly after officially joining the Gath Team, Australian Championship Tour surfer Morgan Cibilic delivered an incredible performance on the WSL Championship Tour, continuing his strong 2026 campaign and representing Gath at the highest level of professional surfing.

For Gath, Morgan represents an exciting new chapter. Surfing is where the Gath story began, and seeing a new generation of elite surfers choosing helmet protection shows how attitudes towards safety continue to evolve.

Before the latest WSL action, Morgan was also part of Surfing Australia’s High Performance mission to Cloudbreak, Fiji.

Led by coach Nathan Hedge, the mission brought together Ethan Ewing, Morgan Cibilic, Molly Picklum and Liam O’Brien for elite preparation in one of the world’s most powerful reef breaks.

Heavy barrels and incredible surfing made for some spectacular footage and a perfect training ground ahead of the WSL events.

Discover the Cloudbreak High Performance Mission

 

Benjamin Castenskiold — GWA Surf-Freestyle World Champion

What a season for Benjamin Castenskiold.

After another clinical performance and victory in Tarifa, Benjamin carried his momentum into Fuerteventura, where he produced some of the highest-scoring riding of the competition to secure the 2026 GWA Wingfoil Surf-Freestyle World Championship.

Another World Title and the continuation of an incredible two-year winning streak.

Benjamin isn’t only collecting trophies — he’s helping redefine what is possible in wing foiling.

Together with fellow Gath rider Chris MacDonald, the two have pushed Surf-Freestyle into new territory, including landing the incredible 1800 rotation, a world-first level of progression for the sport.

 

 

Bastien Escofet — History Made

Gath Team Rider Bastien Escofet made history by becoming the first-ever Downwind Parawing World Champion.

As parawing establishes itself as one of the newest disciplines in foiling, Bastien has written his name permanently into the history books.

Winning a World Championship is special. Becoming the first World Champion in the history of a new discipline can never be repeated.

Bastien also completed an incredible season with 2nd overall in the 2026 GWA FreeFly-Slalom World Championship.

 

Chris MacDonald — 3rd in the World

Chris MacDonald completed another outstanding season among the world’s best Surf-Freestyle riders.

A huge 1st place in Gran Canaria, 2nd place in Tarifa kept Chris in a three-way World Championship fight heading into the final event.

He ultimately finished the 2026 season 3rd in the world, just 20 points behind second place.

Chris and Benjamin may be competitors on the water, but their battles continue to push each other — and the entire sport — forward.

 

 

Matteo Iachino — PWA Slalom-X World Champion

Another World Championship came from Gath Team Rider Matteo Iachino.

Matteo delivered a dominant performance in Fuerteventura, winning five of the 11 eliminations and counting only first and second-place results in his overall score.

A difficult final day reopened the championship battle, but when the pressure was highest, Matteo delivered.

A second place in the final elimination secured the 2026 PWA Men’s Slalom-X World Championship and his maiden Slalom-X World Title.

For Matteo, the achievement was about far more than the trophy. Years of preparation, sacrifice and an obsession with competition came together for another incredible moment in his career.

As Matteo reflected after the event, athletes may race alone on the water, but nobody reaches the top alone.

Blanca Alabau — First Slalom-X Victory

It was also a milestone event for Blanca Alabau, who celebrated her first-ever Slalom-X elimination victory in Fuerteventura.

Another great achievement during an extremely demanding week of high-wind racing and another demonstration of the depth of talent across the Gath Team.

 

Gath Sports × International Canoe Federation

Away from the podium, Gath also reached an important milestone with its new official partnership with the International Canoe Federation (ICF).

Gath Sports has become an Official ICF Development Equipment Partner, supporting international development programmes and helping athletes from emerging canoe nations access high-quality protective equipment.

The partnership has already seen 20 Gath helmets supplied to athletes at the ICF Development Camp in Oklahoma City and builds on years of development behind Gath’s purpose-built Kayak Cross Helmet Kit.

It’s another important step in Gath’s mission to ensure that safety evolves alongside performance.

Discover the Gath Sports × ICF partnership

 

 

One Team. Many Sports. One Mission.

Morgan Cibilic — WSL Championship Tour.
Benjamin Castenskiold — GWA Surf-Freestyle World Champion.
Bastien Escofet — first-ever Downwind Parawing World Champion.
Chris MacDonald — 3rd in the Surf-Freestyle World Championship.
Matteo Iachino — PWA Slalom-X World Champion.
Blanca Alabau — first Slalom-X victory.
Gath Sports × ICF — advancing safety and development in global paddle sports.

Surfing. Wing foiling. Parawing. Windsurfing. Kayaking.

Different sports, but the same commitment to performance, progression and protection.

Since 1989, Gath has evolved alongside water sports and the athletes pushing them forward.

World Titles. Historic firsts. World-first tricks. Major partnerships.

What an incredible month for Gath Sports.

And the journey continues.