At the Summer Opening, the start of the DWC season, a new competitor for Langer, Asmussen and co suddenly appeared this spring. Malte Reuscher, who made it to the top of the world in slalom last year with a second place at the PWA World Cup in Alaçati, was suddenly competing under a new flag on Sylt. Instead of ITA-7777, his Pryde sail was suddenly emblazoned with GER-7777 and he won the first slalom of the season to mark his debut. At the first PWA slalom of 2016 in South Korea, he then went on to finish sixth, the first top ten result in a long time for a surfer competing under the German flag.
Malte, until now we only knew you as an up-and-coming slalom talent from Italy. Now you're suddenly competing for Germany. How did this come about? There are many reasons for this, to list them all now would be too long. First and foremost, I am half German. I was born in Hamburg. My mum is German and my dad is Italian, but I have a German passport. I've taken part in the PWA World Cup for the last five years and the race on Sylt has always fascinated me. And then there's the fact that I met my girlfriend on Sylt, which is reason enough.
What is your sudden motivation to compete on the German Windsurf Cup Tour? I got to know a lot of German surfers on Sylt who unfortunately don't take part in the World Cup. It has always been my dream to compete with them.
Where did you grow up? I grew up on the island of Elba. My parents have a surf school there and I learnt to surf at the age of five.
What connections do you have with Germany? Many - family, friends, sympathy and love.
Is your training area, like many other Italian racers and German hobby surfers, Lake Garda? No, I don't particularly love Lake Garda. My favourite place to surf is here at home on Elba - a dream place.
Have you ever surfed at spots in Germany other than Sylt? Unfortunately not. I've already heard about many good spots in northern Germany and I really want to try them out. However, I'm tied to fixed dates due to the World Cup and therefore couldn't finish the DWC either.
There are many good slalom racers in Italy who are also among the front runners in the World Cup. From Germany, only Sebastian Kördel has been a regular on the PWA tour in recent years. Why are there so many good racers in Italy? This is primarily due to the climate. Who can go surfing every day in Germany, even in winter? And of course the geographical location in Italy also helps. You can get to the coast pretty quickly from anywhere in Italy.
Last year, you finished 13th in the PWA annual rankings. Your second place in Alaçati was the outstanding result and showed your potential. What is your goal for 2016? Of course I want to win the World Cup, but to be in the top ten of the rankings would also be great.
PROFILE MALTE REUSCHER
Age: 26yearsBorn: 17 January 1990Place of residenceCapoliveri/ElbaSize/Weight: 190 cm/93 kilosSurfing since: 1996Greatest success: 2nd place PWA Slalom Alaçati 2015Favourite spots:Lido di Capoliveri on Elba and Alaçati in TurkeyFavourite discipline:SlalomHobbies:Mountain biking, drone flyingSponsors: JP-Australia, NeilPryde, NP Surf, Tce ElbaWebsite: facebook/malteReuscherGER7777
Manuel Vogel
Editor surf
