Yentel Caers entered the final event of the season in Sylt as the Freestyle World Tour leader and had his sights firmly set on a second world title. However, things didn't exactly go to plan with a surprise early exit in the single elimination leaving him with a mountain to climb and his world title hopes potentially in tatters. We caught up with Yentel to hear his side of a colossal comeback, both mentally and physically, which saw the Belgian maestro win eight consecutive heats to deservedly earn his second Freestyle world title.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
This is my second Freestyle world title and I think this one feels even better than the first. This year I won the event in Fuerteventura, which was a dream come true for me. The world title was not my main goal for the year, I really wanted to win in the Canary Islands and managing to achieve that put me in pole position for the title coming into Sylt, which is such a hard event to do well at. For my first world title I didn't actually win an event... I was just the most consistent sailor over the course of the season, which is also part of the game. This year we only had two events, so the pressure was really on to perform at your top level as there was basically no margin for error - especially if you wanted to challenge for the podium positions.
AN EARLY SETBACK
I lost against Lennart [Neubauer] in the second round of the single elimination, who eventually went on to win the entire event. I think he really deserved to win, but after an early exit in the single I was also stoked that I managed to fight all the way back in the double elimination to face him in the final.
DARK HORSE
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Issue 430 - January February 2024 من Windsurf.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Issue 430 - January February 2024 من Windsurf.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
New School
Slingshot’s windsurfing brand manager, Wyatt Miller, has noticed that kids are drawn to playing with wings and puts forward an interesting case as to why he thinks this could help entice them and others into windsurfing.
Changes
Wave sailor Flo Jung reflects on our changed world during his lockdown in Germany.
THE LAST WAVE
Lockdown stirred the creative juices of reader Björn Alfthan, who peers into the future to present a fictional story set in the wild waves of Norway, five years from now.
STILL IN THE GAME
After a horrific fracture in his leg from a crashed aerial in 2018, Alessio Stillrich is back! John Carter talks to the highflyer from Gran Canaria about his move to the Simmer team, recovering from injury and how he learned to windsurf in Gran Canaria!
MOVE ON UP - GET ON THE FRONT FOOT
This month we look at how our front foot weighting can affect and improve different aspects of our main windsurfing moves.
SOUTH' KIPA
Nik tweaking it over home waters.
A NEW NORMAL
On a trip to La Tranche-sur-Mer in France last year, Tris Best estimated over 80% of the windsurfers were foiling. This summer in Portland Harbour, foiling activity has increased dramatically too he reports. With the market offering plenty of choice to recreational windfoilers, our test team check out some of the latest foil offerings.
TACKING – THE SEQUEL
Having given you time to practice, Harty concludes his tacking series by critiquing various tacking options, including the carve tack, as well as offering solutions to common slip-ups.
‘NO VAPOUR TRAILS TO SCAR THE SKY' *
Realising we may be about to enter an extraordinary period in our lives, Harty decided to keep a windsurf-centric lockdown diary. Here are some of his choice excerpts.
REDEMPTION DAY!
Renowned for its windsurfing and variety of spots to sail at, Kimmerdige Bay is a wave sailing jewel on the south coast of England. Timo Mullen gives a guide to its shores while reflecting on why a recent session there was a reminder that there is no place like home!
