PWA Youth & Junior Slalom World Cup Alaçati: Wind at the end - Mika Henning wins U15, Brendan Lorho is World Champion

Talents from all over the world gathered in Alaçati for the PWA Youth & Junior Slalom World Cup 2025 with over 100 registered participants. While the first three days were unusually windless, the fourth day finally brought enough wind for the foil slalom races. The final fifth day then offered optimal conditions for the fin slalom, in which the overall winners in all age groups were determined.

Foil slalom action on the fourth day

In the U21 boys' class, Kasper Nielsen and Thijs Hanemaaijer fought a thrilling duel with two victories each in the four eliminations. Due to a mistake by Nielsen in the last race, Hanemaaijer was able to take the lead thanks to the better scratch score. Matthijs Pos, who had started too early in the first semi-final, secured third place with three second places, while Benedikt Emser slipped to fourth place. The midfield was particularly close - there were only ten points between fourth and ninth place.

In the girls' category, all age groups competed together but were categorised separately. Zeynep Hacudi dominated the U21 class with five wins in five races, but was strongly challenged by U17 rider Damla Kurtdemir. Both were leading in their respective age groups. In the U15 category, Irem Metin impressed with exceptional speed and fighting spirit, challenging the older girls while dominating her own age group.

Gustav Permin put in a flawless performance in the U17 boys' class with five wins in five races. Behind him, Mika Henning and Adam Kelar fought an exciting duel for second place. Although the two were tied on points, Kelar came out on top due to the better strike rating. Kuzey Ziyal made a slow start to the event, but showed his potential as the wind increased and took two second places.

Dramatic final day with final slalom decisions

The races started quickly on the last day of the competition and the favourites came out on top first. In the U15 boys' category, Arxon Gomperts and in the U21 boys' category, Brendan Lorho took the victories in the first race, continuing their near-perfect winning streak of the season. The strength of the Turkish riders was also evident as they won the first races in all other age groups. Mario Bióekstegers ended up in eighth place.

During the second run, the wind dropped surprisingly, which initially dampened hopes for further races. The crucial question was whether the wind would return to finish the second run. Fortunately, the wind picked up again after an hour and the races were able to continue - with the knowledge that this would possibly be the last heat of the competition.

In the U15 boys' class, Arxon Gomperts and Victor Schulz-Jakobsen started too early, which cancelled out their successes from the first race. This gave Mika Henning the chance to win the heat and thus the overall victory. In the U13 boys' race, the lead changed hands several times in both races, but local hero Ahmet Demir Baştuğ ultimately came out on top.

Strong talents from Turkey

The U13 girls' class was also won by a local rider - Selin Dilber beat Selin Diaz in both races. Irem Metim proved to be a promising talent for the future by not only taking victory in the U15 girls foil class but also in the fin category. Her determination and fair play in every manoeuvre were impressive.

It could hardly have been more exciting in the U17 boys' class. Tycho Smits and Doruk Daniel Eder fought a neck-and-neck race. Doruk won the first race and was also in a promising position in the second race, while Smits had problems at the start in both races and had to fight his way back. With an outstanding final jibe, Smits pushed himself into the lead on the home straight, while Doruk dropped back to third place. As both were tied on points, Smits' victory in the final race decided the overall victory - his third event win of the season.

In the U17 girls' category, Damla Kurtdemir secured the title with convincing victories in both races, having already triumphed in the foil category. As a student of the Cagla Kubat Windsurf Academy, Kurtdemir will make her debut on the Pro World Tour in Japan next month and test her skills against the best women in the world.

Decisive duels in the U21 classes

The U21 girls' class offered intense competition throughout the field. Ahniia led at the first mark, but dropped back to third place after a mistake in a jibe in the first race. Louise van der Meulen had a bad start in the first race and was unable to fight her way to the front. Selin Aktas capitalised on this opportunity and took her first victory. However, her rivals showed a strong reaction in the second race.

Van der Meulen, who has undergone a remarkable development over the past two years, dominated the second race and won by a clear margin. However, she was left to rue her earlier mistake as Selin Aktas proved her consistency with a second place in the second race and took the overall victory.

In the U21 boys' class, Brendan Lorho secured a convincing victory in the first heat. In the second heat, 17-year-old Storm Nicolai from Bonaire surprisingly took the lead at the first mark, closely followed by Thijs Hanemaaijer. If Hanemaaijer had won this heat, he would have defended his title from last year and won both the Fin and Foil titles in Alaçati. However, Nicolai crashed at the second buoy, causing Hanemaaijer to fall into the water as well, while Lorho sailed through unhindered and took the win.

Brendan Lorho crowned world champion ahead of schedule

With this success, Lorho celebrated his fourth win in four events this season and - even more impressively - his 42nd win in 48 eliminations ridden on the Youth Tour 2025. He deservedly takes home the trophy of PWA Youth World Tour Champion, and did so with an event to spare in his final year as a youth athlete. After Hanemaaijer's crash, local rider Ibrahim Ali Donmez took second place in the second heat, pushing Hanemaaijer from second place overall to third place.

The conclusion of the Alaçati Windfest PWA Youth & Junior Slalom World Cup 2025 once again showcased the enormous talent of young windsurfers worldwide. The strong performances of the young Turkish athletes on their home turf were particularly impressive, while international stars such as Brendan Lorho proved their dominance. The future of windsurfing seems to be in good hands with this new generation of talent.

Results PWA Youth & Junior Slalom World Cup Alaçati 2025

U21 Boys Fin

1. Brendan Lorho
2. Ibrahim Ali Donmez
3. Thijs Hanemaaijer

U21 Boys Foil

1. Thijs Hanemaaijer
2. Kasper Nielsen
3. Matthijs Pos

U21 Girls Fin

1. Selin Aktas
2. Louise van der Meulen
3. Sinem Alper

U21 Girls Foil

1. Zeynep Hacudi
2. Louise van der Meulen
3. Ela Ozcan

U17 Boys Fin

1. Tycho Smits
2. Doruk Daniel Eder
3. Kuzey Ziyal

U17 Boys Foil

1. Gustav Permin
2. Adam Kelar
3. Mika Henning

U17 Girls Fin

1. Damla Kurtdemir
2. Alya Senturk
3. Yakmur Önkahraman

U17 Girls Foil

1. Damla Kurtdemir
2. Karla Mey Itkin
3. Azra Gül

U15 boys Fin

1. Mika Henning
2. Sarp Mitluel
3. Ali Demirci

U15 Boys Foil

1. Ali Demerci
2. Sarp Mutluel
3. Poyraz Yetimler

U15 Girls Fin

1. Irem Metin
2. Ilya Paksoylu
3. Beren Ülkümen

U15 Girls Foil

1. Irem Metin
2. Beren Ülkümen
3. Ilya Paksoylu

U13 boys Fin

1. Ahmet Demir Baştuğ
2. Alp Ege Earth
3. Demirhan Turhan

U13 Girls Fin

1. Selin Dilber
2. Selin Diaz
3. Nehir Yasar

All results under sailscores.com