Following her serious foot injury last year, Lina Erpenstein has fought her way back to form and finished second on Sylt in 2025. Now, a year later, Lina arrives on Sylt as the leader of the wave rankings, having secured an outstanding second place in Tenerife in August – her best result so far in 2026. Chris Yates from the PWA asked her a few questions ahead of the event.
Hey Lina, you’re top of the Wave rankings roughly halfway through the season and achieved your best result of 2026 with a second place in Tenerife – how has the season gone for you so far?
To be honest, it was really exciting to be back in the thick of things on the tour. This time, I started the year differently – in Maui, then in Pozo and finally in Tenerife. I was particularly delighted with the last World Cup in Tenerife. We had fantastic conditions, and I’m really pleased that I was able to put in some of my best performances. Especially after last year, I’m absolutely thrilled to be competing at the highest level again.
Last year, you suffered a severe Lisfranc fracture in Chile. Do you now feel that you have made a full recovery – both mentally and physically?
To be honest, I still feel it during every single session, with every single turn, and it’s definitely the injury that’s affected me the most so far. It really has been a long road to recover from it, both physically and mentally. I seriously underestimated the impact an injury can have on your confidence in your own body. I’d say I’m almost back to my old self now. That’s why Tenerife meant so much to me – to show the world.
It all kicks off on Sylt in a few days’ time – do you enjoy competing there, or does it put a bit of extra pressure on you? How would you describe the challenge of competing on Sylt?
I think that, in all the years I’ve been competing, Sylt has been the biggest challenge for me, because you never know what to expect there. Over the years, I’ve realised that I also feel more pressure there when I’m higher up the rankings, as I get a lot of media attention, which in itself brings with it additional responsibility.
