• 20-year-old from Bremen wins Freestyle World Championship title for the first time
• Justine Lemeteyer and Johan Søe dominate in Slalom
• Offringa and Paré remain the winners in Wave
• Official award ceremony and positive feedback from organizers
• Date for 2025 confirmed – 26.09.–05.10.2025
• Special honor – induction into the Hall of Fame

Sylt. Freestyle has a new PWA World Champion – 20-year-old Lennart Neubauer from Bremen sensationally secures his first world title on Sylt! The German-Greek rising star arrived on the North Sea island as the tour leader, having already won the only other World Cup event in Fuerteventura. Unfortunately, wind conditions during the world’s largest windsurfing event on Sylt only allowed the Freestyle competition to reach the round of 16. Even on Sunday, the contest couldn’t resume due to insufficient wind. As a result, the standings remained unchanged – giving Lennart Neubauer the world title.
“It feels incredible, it was a long week of waiting. The wind really tested our patience. To win my first title here on Sylt is unbelievable. I’m just super happy,” said the new World Champion, who was celebrated by fellow athletes on the beach seconds after the announcement. Adrien Bosson (France) took second, and 2023 World Champion Yentel Caers (Belgium) finished third.

Slalom races concluded on Sunday. Athletes delivered spectacular performances on the challenging North Sea course. In the women’s foil slalom, Frenchwoman Justine Lemeteyer dominated, winning 11 of 13 races. Fellow Frenchwoman Marion Mortefon took second, and Spain’s Blanca Alabau came third. Among the men, 21-year-old Danish rider Johan Søe, nicknamed “The Beast”, claimed victory with three wins out of seven races and consistent top finishes. Pierre Mortefon (France) and Bruno Martini (Italy) completed the podium. Germans Nico Prien and Fabian Wolf had standout performances, with Prien placing 10th overall and Wolf 14th.

The Wave competition was decided during the first weekend under difficult conditions. The winner was 24-time world champion Sarah-Quita Offringa (Aruba), who remarked, “On Sylt, you never know what you’ll get.” Lina Erpenstein (Germany), the current world ranking leader, finished fourth but retains the top spot overall. Alexia Kiefer Quintana (Spain) and 14-year-old Sol Degrieck (Belgium) placed second and third, respectively. Maria Behrens (Germany) came in fifth. On the men’s side, Marc Paré (Spain) took his first win on Sylt, followed by Marcilio Browne (Brazil) and Victor Fernandez (Spain). Five-time world champion Philip Köster was eliminated in the quarterfinals and placed fifth.

The winners were honored on Sunday in a celebratory ceremony on the Brandenburger beach. In front of a large crowd, sailors received their trophies. Organizers were highly satisfied with the 40th edition of the World Cup. “A very successful week,” said Jörg Elias, event director at Insel Sylt Tourismus-Service GmbH. Christian Okon, CEO of MMP Event, thanked all partners and sponsors, especially title sponsor Citroën. Approximately 200,000 visitors attended over the ten days, enjoying pop-up stores, food stands, and brand activations.

Looking ahead: Next year’s event is set for September 26 – October 5, 2025.

A unique moment occurred on Friday: the Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt became the first event ever inducted into the Windsurfing Hall of Fame, honoring 40 years of successful tournaments and major contributions to the sport. This marks the launch of a new Hall of Fame category – the “Windsurfing Events’ Hall.” Big names like Robby Naish and Björn Dunkerbeck are already in the Riders’ Hall; Dunkerbeck was also officially honored again on stage.