Defi 2026: "Windsurfing on the Fin is experiencing a revival" - Defi winner Nico Prien in an interview

Nico, congratulations on winning the Defi. There were a lot of top racers there, did you expect in any way that you would win the thing?

I've seen the opportunity for years, including in the PWA. In this sport and this discipline, it simply takes a very long time for all the skills to come together. The most important thing is experience and the fact that you have experienced key situations over and over again and therefore automatically make the right decision. This brings consistency on the race course. Defi certainly requires different skills, tactical decisions are thrown onto a much larger playing field.

• Defi Wind 2026: Nico Prien and Jenna Gibson win on the Finn, Amado Vrieswijk and Justine Lemeteyer win overall

Can you give an example?

A solid start at the Defi is extremely important to avoid being covered by hundreds of windsurfers. But in a race in the PWA World Cup, every tenth of a second counts even more. It simply requires more repetition and racing experience. It also depends on catching the right week or the right day. In the PWA World Cup, I've occasionally caught these days. My speed has been good enough for a long time, so the possibility of catching these days a few times in a row has become more and more likely with increasing racing experience. Nevertheless, I always go in with a realistic idea. The French racers and locals traditionally always perform above average here at the Defi. That's why my clear objective was to finish in the top 5, and in the end I managed to finish every race in the top 5. I would say: goal achieved (laughs).

Many of the top drivers were in the fin only Class with it. Was that due to the conditions? Or do you feel the fin is experiencing a bit of a revival? What made you decide between fin and foil?

In my opinion, fin windsurfing in general is experiencing a revival, but the initial hype in foiling has now died down. A lot has certainly moved in the direction of wingfoiling. The brands, and therefore the most important partners of professional and semi-professional riders, have also realised this. You can't perform without support and the "masses" move accordingly. So I think the fact that so many people started on the fin at the Defi is a reflection of the windsurfing market as a whole. Personally, I had planned to start in the discipline where most of the top racers are competing. I wanted strong competition. This year I also have a very good foil, so that would also have been an option. But I'm also glad that it turned out to be the Finn. It's simply more physical and more action-packed, especially on long distances and flat water - I like that.

The fact that so many people started on the fin at the Defi is a reflection of the entire windsurfing market!"

You were also in charge of your camp at the same time as the Defi race. Did that tend to stress you out or were you able to combine the two?

The Surfcenter Defi Wind Experience takes place two days before the Defi race. We prepare the people in the best possible way. During the Defi, the coaches' focus is clearly on the races. Nevertheless, we met again and again and I gave my input as best I could. And, of course, I cheered them on, because you also want people to achieve their goals. On the whole, it's certainly a bit of a double burden and I wasn't able to set up the equipment again in advance, but the camp is worth it to me. The people had such a great experience and were also incredibly happy with me about my victory.

What was your tactic at the start and what material did you use?

At the start, I just wanted to stay in the front of the first line. It's a bit of a stop & go, but it's simply safer. You accelerate late, but you don't get caught up in the chaos. I usually started pretty much in the centre - so neither particularly close to the beach nor far out. I mostly rode the JP Slalom in a width of 62.5 centimetres with the Neilpryde RS Racing Evo in 5.6 and 6.5 square metres. At the last race I had to use the 72 centimetre wide slalom board again. I used my own NP7 Rockstar fins underneath. 32/33 and 37 centimetres.

Nico, thank you for the interview and good luck for the rest of the competition season!