World Cup Sylt: The best pictures and highlights from the Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt 2024

In the end, only the freestylers have a reason to be a little sad. The wind was not enough for them to achieve a result in ten days of the World Cup Sylt. But with the single elimination in wave riding on the first weekend and a total of seven slalom eliminations for the men and 13 races for the women, there was still something to see on the water on many days. And the sunny late summer weather on the final weekend not only made the crowds of spectators happy, but also the partners and exhibitors on the promenade in Westerland.

The new world champion: Lennart Neubauer

Because the freestyle on Sylt could not be completed, Lennart Neubauer is freestyle world champion for the first time thanks to his victory on Fuerteventura. However, the fact that he won the title here on Sylt without a fight was absolutely not his desired scenario: "I would like to win two events, not just one," he said over the course of the week. As soon as there was enough wind, Neubauer was often one of the first on the water to show "Look, it's possible, we can go!" At the tow-in on Saturday, he was at least able to win a fun contest - and practise celebrating for the big party on Sunday.

The strongest: Bruno Martini and his neck muscles

The fact that foil racing is not entirely without danger is clear from the helmets and impact protection waistcoats alone. Bruno Martini and Pierre Mortefon had an encounter on the race course at the Sylt World Cup that could easily have ended fatally. On the start line, Martini touched Mortefon, who was sailing upwind, with his back in the sail. The long foil harness lines on the leeward side of the Frenchman dangled around Bruno Martini's head in a fraction of a second. As they parted again, Martini's head was jerked backwards and he lost his helmet, which was still dangling briefly from Mortefon's harness lines. Miraculously, neither of them crashed and Martini escaped with a scratch on his face. Nico Prien filmed the scene with his helmet camera:

The most annoying: algae slow down foilers

Marion Mortefon described the feeling on the water as "like travelling through pudding". Particularly on days with offshore winds, large fields of reddish-brown algae threads a few centimetres long floated on the surface of the water. Numerous riders despaired, including Michele Becker: "The tough mass slowed the foils down by three to four knots, estimated Johan Søe. As a result, there was less lift and the balance was no longer right, so many riders had to adjust their set-up. On the last leg of the course in the first slalom days, on the other hand, the water was clear and the adjusted trim then had too much power. The fact that gusts of up to 30 knots hammered through the field didn't make things any better. Even a few freestylers who tested the conditions in between reported a noticeable brake, even with their small stubby fins.

The most dominant: Justine Lemeteyer

Eleven wins from 13 races: Justine Lemeteyer was in a class of her own in the women's foil slalom. The Frenchwoman coped best with the initially difficult wind conditions and the algae in the water. "We were here a week before and immediately realised that there was something in the water," she said. "We then spent two days adjusting our setup so that the foil still had enough buoyancy!" You can read a detailed interview with the world championship leader here on surf-magazin.de soon!

The most unlucky: Alexia Kiefer-Quintana

She was the German terror in the women's wave riding: Alexia Kiefer-Quintana rode very strongly and consistently in the difficult conditions on the first Saturday. The 19-year-old, who has been competing with a Spanish sail number since this season, knocked out Steffi Wahl, Maria Behrens and then even Lina Erpenstein one after the other. This put her in the final against the great Sarah-Quita Offringa. Would she manage the sensation? But Alexia despaired at the shorebreak and the current, drifted several times in the white water towards Hörnum and didn't make it out in the most important heat of her career to date. "Even though I was a little sad, I had to realise that I had come 2nd in the single elimination here for the first time!" she wrote afterwards.

The youngest: Bobbi-Lynn de Jong

At just 14 years old, Bobbi-Lynn de Jong is competing in almost all the World Cups this year. Fierce conditions like those in the first few days of the slalom here on Sylt suit her, and it's no coincidence that she was also strong in the Slalom X. Born in the Netherlands, she lives on Bonaire and her twin sisters, who are a year younger, are also keen to compete. Here on Sylt, she achieved her best result on the pro tour to date: fourth place behind the "big three" Lemeteyer, Mortefon and Alabau! We will also be presenting them in detail here soon!

The one with the dream comeback: Marc Paré

Marc Paré has been regarded as a future world champion for years, but a metatarsal fracture stopped him at the beginning of the season. After surgery and rehab, he managed to do the double straight away: Paré not only won the four-star event on Tenerife, but also the wave riding here on Sylt. Due to his long break, the World Championship title is unlikely this year, but the Spaniard has impressively shown that he is back!

The oldest: World Cup Sylt in the Hall of Fame

The Windsurf World Cup on Sylt celebrated its 40th anniversary, and the biggest heroes from the history of the world's oldest windsurfing event could be seen on the "Walk Of Fame" in the party tent. Cliff Webb, who controls the PWA livestream and also promotes the "Windsurfing Hall Of Fame", honoured the long-standing organisers Matthias Neumann and Birgit Ballhause together with other jury members in a ceremony on the event stage. Other members of the Hall of Fame were also presented with their certificates in person: Björn Dunkerbeck, John Carter and surf editor-in-chief Andreas Erbe.

The most disappointed: Julian Salmonn and Lina Erpenstein

The wave riding on the opening Saturday was rather disappointing for the German riders: Lina Erpenstein, who came to Sylt as the World Championship leader and was therefore in the spotlight, only won one heat and finished fourth. Due to her practical year and back problems, she had hardly been able to train, meaning that her World Championship dream will now probably have to be postponed for a year. Julian Salmonn was also unable to build on his performances in Pozo and Tenerife, dropping out in round one.

The hungriest: Johan Søe

The Dane couldn't get enough of his impressive dominance: "I want more!" he proclaimed after each of his three victories here on Sylt. He was never worse than third place and was incredibly dominant in almost all of his runs. Last year, he was almost world champion until he was disqualified due to an illegal sail. After 14th place at the Olympic Games in the summer, Søe won all the foil competitions in which he competed this autumn: The IFCA European Championships in Alacati and the EPFT in Ebeltoft, he also came second at the Finn World Championships in Hvide Sande. Can anyone stop him next year?

Click through the gallery above to see the best images from PWA photographer John Carter!