Justin Chait wins Atlanta Foil Fest eFoil World Cup sprint

Justin Chait turned a tight, technical course at Lake Lanier Olympic Stadium into his stage, winning the Atlanta Foil Fest eFoil World Cup sprint after 14 international riders battled for $4,000 over June 13 and 14. The 12-buoy layout rewarded clean cornering, balance, and control more than raw speed, and it made the event feel less like a novelty showcase and more like a serious race stop for the Surf Foil World Tour. With speeds reportedly climbing past 25 mph, the field had to ride with precision from the opening lap.

The format added to that pressure. Riders opened with a relaxed 10-kilometer enduro before shifting into the main World Cup bracket, then used two timed laps to set seeding before head-to-head eliminations. That structure gave the tour a useful template for U.S. growth: accessible enough for spectators to follow, technical enough to separate the best riders, and competitive enough to attach real meaning to every start, turn, and restart.

Chait set the tone early by winning the opener, then carried that momentum into the final, where he met fellow Floridian Jacob Ranney in a sprint decided after a false start forced a restart. Once the race finally went clean, Chait held his line and stayed composed through the course’s tight demands to seal the victory. Ranney pushed him all the way, but Chait’s control in the corners and discipline under pressure proved decisive.

Behind the final, Colin Guinn delivered one of the day’s sharpest recoveries. After an earlier fall, Guinn regrouped to beat Brian Grubb in the mini-final and claim third, a result that underscored how unforgiving the format was and how quickly a rider could recover if the race stayed within reach. Grubb finished fourth, while Nicholas Leason took fifth and Andrew Schwarz was sixth.

The rest of the final classification reflected the depth of the field: Corey Marlat finished seventh, Corey Dallaire eighth, Robert Lewczuk ninth, Ben Miller 10th, Morgan Leason 11th, and Brady Hurley 12th. Morgan Leason stood out as the only female competitor, a reminder that the discipline is still working to broaden participation even as its competitive profile rises.

For U.S. eFoil racing, Atlanta Foil Fest delivered more than a clean winner. It showed that the Surf Foil World Tour can stage a marketable, spectator-friendly race with real prize money, international riders, and a course design that rewards mastery rather than spectacle alone. Chait’s win, and the quality of the duels around him, suggested that this format is beginning to look like a legitimate pathway sport.