Aruba Junior World Cup: Storm Nicolai and Mathijs Pos dominate - Boekstegers finish third in tiebreak

The Aruba Hi-Winds Youth Slalom World Cup 2026 came to an end after four days with 100 per cent wind conditions. On the final day of competition, both fin and foil races were on the programme, which decided the overall rankings. The trade winds of Aruba once again delivered strong conditions that demanded everything from the athletes. There was a thrilling duel between Storm Nicolai and Matthijs Pos in the U21 category, while Arxon Gomperts confirmed his dominance from last year's U15 in the U17 category. The U15 classification turned out to be the closest decision of the week, with six different riders in the top three positions across the competition days.

Mario Boekstegers and Storm Nicolai in the tiebreak

Storm Nicolai put in a flawless performance in the U21 category on the final day. The Bonaire local won all five eliminations held and thus secured overall victory. The starting position before the final day had been extremely tight, but Nicolai delivered a flawless performance under pressure. Behind him, a close duel developed between Matthijs Pos and the German Mario Boekstegers. The two alternated places several times in the individual heats. Only the final elimination brought the decision: Pos' second place in the last race meant equal points with Boekstegers, but the tie-breaker went in favour of the Dutchman

Arxon Gomperts impressively proved that his move from the U15 to the U17 was no obstacle. The young Bonairean, who dominated the U15 category last year, also prevailed against his older rivals. In a combined field with the U21 riders, Gomperts had to hold his own against more experienced athletes, which further enhanced his performance. Thomas Michael from Curaçao proved to be a strong challenger and collected second places in almost every heat. Faber Korevaar completed the podium and provided a surprise: he has only been surfing for nine months and was competing in his first ever event in Aruba. Trevor Anthony challenged Korevaar in several heats, but was ultimately beaten.

Blom prevails in U15

The U15 category provided the most exciting decision of the week. Six different riders had achieved top-three finishes over the course of the event, making the final day an open race. Julien Blom was under pressure, as Kenny Abrahamsz was within striking distance. Blom won three of the five final races and thus secured the overall victory with aplomb. The day was a challenge for Abrahamsz: he had damaged his smallest sail the day before, which was a problem in the strong wind conditions. Nevertheless, it was enough for second place. Gaspar Cascon Schwarzenlander from Austria benefited from the powerful conditions and improved continuously throughout the week. Third place was the reward for his development. The team from Curaçao also showed progress and improved from race to race.

In addition to second place in the final, Matthijs Pos also took victory in the U21 foil classification. The first race ended in a photo finish between Pos and Elias Wallden Jespersen, which Pos won by a wafer-thin margin. In the second race, Pos broke the mast, which opened the door for Wallden Jespersen to make a comeback. But Pos was not to be deterred and won the three subsequent eliminations, thus securing overall victory. The battle for third place was also exciting: Jack Drulard led after the penultimate day, but his compatriot Pedro Grubbish fought back. In the stronger winds of the final day, his smaller sail gave him the necessary control. Grubbish thus secured his first podium in the U21 division. Jessica Roman deserves a special mention: despite the extreme conditions, the twelve-year-old racer managed the entire course.

Young talent defies extreme conditions

The U15 girls Jessica Roman and Vanessa Roman faced a special challenge. Both come from the Techno293 class and were sailing in the strongest conditions of their careers to date in Aruba. To make matters worse, they were using larger sails than most of the male competitors in their age group. The pair had come to Aruba to learn and take on a new challenge. The conditions far exceeded their expectations, but they both completed the competitions and gained valuable experience for their further development.

All results under sailscores.com