Aruba's trade winds once again provided ideal conditions and thrilling racing on the third day of the Aruba Hi-Winds PWA Youth Slalom 2025. The focus was once again on 15-year-old Bobbi-Lynn De Jong, who further extended her dominance in both disciplines.
Foil competition with surprises
Danish rider Kasper Nielsen was the surprise of the day in the foil slalom. After a difficult start to the event, in which he damaged his foil in a collision with a turtle, Nielsen really turned up the heat on the third day of competition. With five wins in six possible races, he catapulted himself to the top of the men's U21 class. Benedikt Emser also made the most of his opportunity and secured a place on the podium with consistently good placings and an important victory in the third race of the day.
Bobbi-Lynn De Jong continues to dominate the girls' event. With an unblemished record of 13 wins in 13 races, she impressively demonstrates her superiority. However, the performance of her sister Kit De Jong, who is two years younger, is also remarkable. Although she is not quite on a par with Bobbi-Lynn in terms of speed, Kit is already showing an impressive competitive mentality that could make her a serious contender in the future.
Fin slalom with proven forces
Four more races were held in the fin slalom on the third day. Despite lighter winds at the beginning and some clouds that affected the wind, the conditions developed optimally over the course of the day for exciting competitions. Brendan Lorho secured three out of four possible victories and extended his lead in the overall standings. Storm Nicolai, who had won two races the day before, had to settle for second place this time. Tame Mondria showed a strong performance in the lighter wind conditions at the start of the day, but was unable to maintain this consistently over the entire course. Bobbi-Lynn De Jong continued her winning streak in the U21 girls' class, although she said she had focussed more on foil training in the run-up to the event. Behind her, there was a close battle for places, with Louise van der Meulen and Lone De Jong narrowing the gap to Kit De Jong ahead of the final day of competition today.
