Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt 2026: German star set to compete in the freestyle event on Sylt – 5 questions for Arne Jörn

German freestyle debut on Sylt

Arne Jörn has only just made a name for himself with an impressive third place at the U21 Youth World Cup in Cold Hawaii. The crazy thing is: he competed in the wave discipline there on his freestyle board and showed what’s possible with a 20-centimetre single-fin. By then, at the very latest, it had become clear: Arne is a freestyler through and through – and can clearly handle any conditions on his board. Now the next highlight is already on the horizon: his first men’s Freestyle World Cup. No matter how choppy or wavy the conditions get off Sylt – Arne Jörn always has the right board anyway.

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For the German newcomer, competing at his home event will therefore be even more special: according to the latest entry list, Arne is the only German competitor in the freestyle event at the Sylt World Cup. A short journey, the semester break, a big stage – his debut in the Men’s World Cup could hardly have gone better. We asked Arne five questions ahead of his Sylt debut.

​Arne, wAnn, how did you decide to take part in the race on Sylt? Was it a spur-of-the-moment decision?

The idea of taking part in international competitions first came about a year ago. I’d actually planned to start by competing in one or two FPT events, but unfortunately, as the year went on, all the events apart from Podersdorf were cancelled. There, I was only able to complete one heat due to a lack of wind. With no other FPT events confirmed to go ahead, I thought to myself: why not just go for the World Cup on Sylt? It’s a short journey and falls right in the middle of the semester break – so it’s perfect.

If you could write your own perfect Sylt headline after the World Cup – what would it have to say for you to think: ‘That’s exactly why this first World Cup appearance felt so special’?

Phew, I can’t think of a perfect headline right now. But it would definitely have to be something about several days of southerly winds, epic conditions and a great atmosphere.

If Sylt were to provide you with exactly the conditions you’d like for an elimination round: what would have to happen?

We’d need a 22-knot southerly wind, nice slopes on the way out and smooth troughs on the way in.

Suppose someone happens to be on the beach under exactly these conditions, knows next to nothing about windsurfing, and sees you out on the water for the first time: what would that person say about Arne Jörn afterwards?

What they say about me wouldn’t really matter to me. I’d think it was cool if that person then said to themselves: “That looked brilliant – I’m going to learn to windsurf on my next holiday.”

What do you get up to on your days off or on windless days?

This is my first time on Sylt, so I’m definitely going to explore the island. I’ve also got a few of Sascha’s workouts lined up (Long, (Editor’s note) – these tend to be neglected on windy days.

Thank you, and good luck on Sylt!