Freestyle Pro Tour Naxos: Lots of action despite lack of wind

The Freestyle Pro Tour Naxos 2025 started with a wind problem, but the organisers skilfully turned it into a spectacle. After an unofficial kick-off with lively sessions at Flisvos Sport Club, the season finale officially began with 44 registered participants. While a solid 4.8 wind ensured action in the lagoon the day before, the conditions on the first official competition day were completely windless. However, this is no longer a problem for the Freestyle Pro Tour - in calm conditions it's simply tow-in time! With a weather forecast that also promised little wind for the coming days, the competition organisers decided to start the qualifying rounds of the men's tow-in straight away. The relaxed atmosphere on the beach was nevertheless full of energy as the riders reunited after a long summer of events and passed the time with table tennis and coffee in the sun.

Newcomers set standards in Tow-in qualification

The tow-in qualification brought some serious action from the newcomers. Polish rookie Tomek Wyrzykowski took centre stage with the highest scoring move of the day - a huge double air funnel, which scored 7.33 points and proved that he is a force to be reckoned with in the future. Nicolo Ippindo, Kiril Kirilov, Jakub Felman, Pier Bongianni and Michi Chech also secured their tickets for the semi-finals after consistent performances. One of the most memorable moments of the day was French rider Julien Join, who took a leaf out of Balz "Radiculo" Müller's book and used a foil for his tow-in runs. His commitment to innovation was rewarded with massive cheers from the crowd and perfectly epitomised the freestyle spirit that defines the tour. At the end of the first day, the twelve qualifiers for the semi-finals were finalised, six from each qualifying round.

Neubauer dominates in foil style

Local hero Lennart Neubauer thrived in the difficult conditions, earning cheers from the beach as he strung together an air bob, burner and a smooth cana brava before finishing off his scoresheet with a pasko in a fleeting gust - an impressive performance considering he was mostly underpowered with a 5.2 sail. His technical variety and execution earned him 15.59 points, easily securing him a place in the final. Next to him, Dudu Levi qualified, further proving his fast learning curve on the foil. In only his second ever foil heat, the Israeli rider impressed with a clean burner, culo and a switch chachoo, scoring 11.62 points and moving into the final together with Lennart.

Women's show-in delights the audience

When it was time for the Foilstly final, the wind continued to drop, forcing the competition to take a break. With the foil style now postponed, all attention turned to the next spectacle in the lagoon - tow-in training and semi-finals. Before the men's semi-final showdowns, the women's fleet took to the water for their tow-in training session, giving the crowd a taste of what was to come in the main event. Maaike Huvermann looked razor sharp, confidently linking funnels and double funnels and even attempting a culo over the wave, showing that she is ready to push the women's level once again. Lisa Kloster brought huge energy to the session, attempting two new moves she had never tried before - a culo and a bob, both in regular stance, some of the trickiest moves in tow-in. Smiling on the beach later, she said the runs had given her confidence for the competition and that she was "born to be ready".

Dramatic tow-in semi-finals

After the women's heats and a short warm-up session for the men, it was time for the men's tow-in semi-finals, split into two high-calibre heats. The first semi-final brought plenty of drama - and a shocking surprise. Newly crowned Tow-In World Champion and local favourite Lennart Neubauer crashed on both attempts, failed to score and left the water visibly frustrated. Meanwhile, rookie sensation Tomek Wyrzykowski maintained his momentum and landed another perfectly executed double air funnel with 6.33 points, the highest score of the heat. Leander Halm, fresh from his breakthrough in Geneva, kept up the excitement - landing a clean burner before going one better with a burner 360 on his second run. "I want to go even higher," he said after his first attempt - and that's exactly what he did. Foivos Tsoupras showed off his unique style again with a perfectly executed flaka shaka before an unfortunate rail catch sent him crashing hard on his second run.

Caers delivers a world-class performance

The action exploded in the second semi-final. After a crash on his first attempt, Yentel Caers reminded everyone why he is the rider to beat. On his second run, he landed what witnesses - including Steven van Broeckhoven, Tigo Kort and Bodhi Kempen, who was watching from the shore due to injury - labelled the move of the day, scoring an incredible 9.33 points. Tigo Kort took his Geneva form to Naxos, landing a textbook burner 360 on his opening run and following it up with a regular-stance culo, while Jacopo Testa equalled his score with a burner 360 after recovering from a heavy fall earlier in the heat. Piero Rautnik pulled a fierce air funnel funnel out of his hat, a move that would have easily put him in the top three in the previous elimination, while Nicolo Ippindo secured the last spot in the final with a high one-handed burner.

Tow-In finalists have been announced

On the third windless day, all eyes were once again on the lagoon for the Tow-In Finals. After a jam-packed week of qualifications and semi-finals, it was time to decide who would secure a coveted spot in the Super Final - three spots for the men, three for the women. The day began with the women's final, where Maaike Huvermann, Lisa Kloster, Ziva Batis, Elena Dominick and Linda Mankova competed. Each rider had three runs, with their two best moves counting towards their final score. The atmosphere was electric as the riders cheered each other on. Maaike Huvermann proved once again why she is the rider to beat, confidently landing an air funnel and a burner off the wave to secure first place and book her place in Tuesday's Super Final. Hot on her heels, Lisa Kloster pulled out a clean funnel and even attempted a double pop on her second run, which was enough for second place. In third place, Ziva Batis, a newcomer to the tow-in discipline, impressed with her composure and consistency, landing two perfect funnels before attempting a spock to finish her session.

Kort shines in the men's final

The outstanding performance of the day came from Tigo Kort. The Dutch rider has been on a mission all season, steadily improving from event to event. After a strong start with a stylish burner 360, Tigo went all out on his second tow-in run and performed a one-handed burner - a move similar to the one Sam Esteve landed to win in Geneva last week. It was not only stylish but technically brilliant, especially given the smaller kicker size in Naxos. After completing the tow-in action, the riders came together for something a little different - a beach cleanup in celebration of World Beach Cleanup Day. Together with Flisvos Watersports Naxos, the crew collected bags of rubbish from the shore - a small but meaningful way for the riders to give something back to the ocean that fuels our sport.

Community beach cleanup and foil style semi-finals

After the tow-in action finished, the riders came together for something a little different - a beach cleanup to mark World Beach Cleanup Day. Together with Flisvos Watersports Naxos, the crew collected bags of rubbish from the shore - a small but meaningful way for the riders to give something back to the ocean that fuels our sport.

Just as the cleaning was completed, darker clouds rolled in and a light breeze began to fill the lagoon - the perfect setup for a fast foilstyle session. With Lennart Neubauer and Dudu Levi already qualified from the first heat earlier in the week, the second heat took to the water with Yentel Caers, Tigo Kort, Julien Join and Leander Halm. The conditions were light and tricky, with most riders on 5.2s and Leander even daring to take on a 4.8. It turned into a game of consistency, with riders focussing on landing clean, controlled moves rather than attempting high risk tricks. Yentel Caers sealed the deal with a burner, culo and air funnel, scoring 12.91 points and moving on to the final, along with Tigo Kort, who landed burners on both tack and a shaka on port to secure the final spot.

Foilstyle final: Neubauer's masterclass in foilstyle

A nice breeze in the afternoon set the stage for a foil style final between Lennart Neubauer, Dudu Levi, Yentel Caers and Tigo Kort - but before the heat could start, the wind disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, leading to the postponement of the heat. That should have been it for the day - but the wind had other plans. As the evening approached, the breeze returned once again and the foil style final was suddenly on the cards. The four riders - Lennart Neubauer, Dudu Levi, Yentel Caers and Tigo Kort - took to the water, all except Dudu, who was on 4.8, with 5.2 sails, and worked hard to get on the foil in the marginal conditions. With only three moves to count and an extended 18-minute heat, consistency and confidence were the name of the game when the horn sounded to herald the final heat of the day. Dudu Levi came out attacking, attempting backloops, burners, culos and air funnels and even adding a shove-it spock. Despite his solid efforts, he admitted after the heat that he "crashed a lot" - his consistency just wasn't there today. Lennart Neubauer, on the other hand, didn't hold back. After a disappointing early elimination in the tow-in, the Greek rider came out all guns blazing, determined to redeem himself. In what he later described as "one of the better foil heats of his life", Lennart delivered a masterclass in light wind foil freestyle. His heat sheet was packed: Burners, Funnels, Shove-It Spock, Cana Brava, Chachoo and more - but the highlights were undeniable. A clean air bob, a massive pasko and the move of the day - a shifty on a 5.2 in completely flat water. The beach exploded when he landed it, a fitting end to an unexpected session of world-class foil style. And with that, day three at the FPT on Naxos came to an end.

Outlook

The forecast for the next day shows little hope, hinting at a possible rest day unless the wind surprises again for Foilstyle. The Tow-In Super Final remains scheduled for 21 October, where the top 3 men and top 3 women will battle it out one last time for glory in Naxos.