The third day of competition at the 2026 PWA Grand Slam in Sotavento took freestyle windsurfing to a whole new level. A swell that had built up overnight transformed the spot into perfect competition conditions, with clean kickers on the way out and smooth water between the waves. The day culminated in one of the highest-scoring finals in the history of the tour. Lennart Neubauer secured victory ahead of Yentel Caers, whilst Balz Müller caused a surprise by claiming his first World Tour podium finish.
Yentel Caers paved the way for the final with a standout performance in the semi-final of the double-elimination tournament against Balz Müller. The Belgian showcased his full repertoire, from Shifty Shakas and Double Air Culos to a Double Forward – a manoeuvre he said he hadn’t attempted for about a year. With 44.02 points, Caers set his highest heat score of the event to date and qualified for the final against the winner of the single elimination, Lennart Neubauer. The conditions allowed the athletes to land tricks that would have been virtually impossible under normal circumstances.
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A historic final with record scores
The final between Neubauer and Caers reached a level never before seen on the Freestyle World Tour. Both surpassed their previous personal bests and set the two highest heat scores of the entire event, with 46.59 points for Neubauer and 45.88 points for Caers. Caers literally exploded out of the starting gate and had already racked up 44.43 points within the first three minutes. The Belgian was the only rider in the entire contest to land double air culos – and he did so several times. His repertoire also included double forwards, shifty shakas and a Spock into double Culo. The atmosphere on the beach was electric as the world’s best freestylers spurred each other on to peak performances.
Against most other riders worldwide, Caers’ performance would have been enough to secure victory after just three minutes. But Neubauer proved why he is regarded as one of the most complete freestylers on the tour. The 2024 world champion started with a Double Culo before countering with his own variations of the Shifty and Shifty Shaka. His decisive manoeuvre came late in the heat: a gliding Spock Double Culo earned him 8.14 points and secured the victory. The technical difficulty of this trick lies in maintaining speed throughout the entire rotation – a detail that makes the difference between a clean landing and a fall. Neubauer thus demonstrated not only technical skill, but also the mental strength to perform under extreme pressure.
Müller breaks through the podium barrier
The day before, Balz Müller had spoken openly about the pressure that often affected his performance in the later stages of tournaments. This time, however, the 32-year-old showed a different side to himself. In the battle for third place against Jacopo Testa, Müller put in a commanding performance and brought Testa’s remarkable comeback to an end. The Italian had previously won four heats in a row to fight his way back up to fourth place. Müller’s victory marked his first podium finish on the World Tour – a success he should long since have been hoping for, given his talent and creativity.
Müller does not rest on his laurels and is constantly on the lookout for new opportunities. In the heat against his good friend Caers, he landed the first-ever Double Air Kono in a contest. This first-ever feat underlines Müller’s approach: whilst most athletes in heats rely on tried-and-tested tricks that they are highly likely to land, Müller deliberately takes risks and pushes boundaries. Müller is one of the most creative minds in the sport and puts his ideas into practice. After his podium finish, he commented: “What a time to be alive.”
Jacopo Testa put in an impressive comeback performance with four consecutive wins in the double elimination, securing fourth place. Sam Esteve also won four consecutive heats before losing to Testa and finishing in sixth place. George Grisley achieved his first top-ten finish on the World Tour with a joint ninth-place finish.
A look ahead to the women’s final
The women’s double-elimination tournament has also begun, but has not yet been completed. Helena Lale will face Sandra Schill in the first heat. The organisers are expecting more strong winds and waves the following day, so conditions for the women’s final should be similarly good.
All heats and results can be found at pwaworldtour.com