October 16, 2024
The 2024 European Freestyle title is on the line this week at the FPT Naxos. With an incredible forecast and an equally stacked fleet the upcoming 5 days are shaping up to be going straight for the freestyle discipline history books. Want to know what to expect from this 7 star freestyle event at Flisvos Watersports? Make sure to read the full event preview below.
The final event of the 2024 season is taking place from the 16th to the 20th of October. With insufficient winds earlier this year in Vieste, the European Freestyle title is still wide open. The overall FPT title is currently led by Jacopo Testa (Point-7/WeOne), with Lennart Neubauer (Starboard/Severne/Maui Ultra Fins) in close second after a thrilling season opener in Cape Town. Neubauer will be one to watch this week as the competition is taking place on his home turf. The Greek just became World Champion 2 weeks ago, and will be eager to defend his European Championship title from 2023 as well in front of his home crowds.
The location of the event also brings a host of local Greek riders into competition. Having been spotted on the internet, training with Lennart and throwing down some big moves, these riders will surely shake up the ladder. Considering that the heat area is in a starboard tack jumping spot, a configuration not often found in competition, means that local experience will be hugely advantageous.
The usual suspects will also be contending for the top spots. Belgians Yentel Caers (JP/NeilPryde) and Steven Van Broeckhoven (Starboard/Gunsails) both have plenty of experience on starboard tack. Will we see the Double Air Culo from Yentel in a heat?
Someone who will surely be attempting the move will be Niclas Nebelung (Duotone/Maui Ultra Fins). After an excellent performance in Cape Town at the start of the season, where he won against Neubauer, the german rider will be looking to cement his position in the rankings. Joining him on that mission will be another german, Meiky Wieczorek (Severne/Starboard). Making his debut in Vieste where he couldn’t show off his potential, he will be eager to finally make his mark.
Fellow Severne teammates Takumi Moriya, Bodhi Kempen, Tim Gerdes, Jamie Howard and Dieter Van der Eyken are also present, and will be tough draws in the competition. Especially the Japanese Moriya is one to watch out for, with the youngster already possessing a fully rounded arsenal of freestyle moves.
The Caribbean contigent of the tour is equally wel represented, with riders like Kiri Thode (FutureFly/Gunsails), Rafael de Windt and Luka Stomp all bringing those loved island vibes. Thode’s competitive finesse is undisputed, but eyes will also be on de Windt and Stomp, both present in Vieste is as well but unable to fully show their potential yet.
Foivos Tsoupras, George Grisley and Eugenio Marconi complete the Duotone team with Nebelung. An incredibly strong and diverse line up, with none of the riders being an easy draw in competition. Grisley will be particularly in contention here, as the starboard tack jumping conditions suit the brit perfectly.
There are too many names to mention, but a special shoutout has to go to all the debut entries and comebacks. Italian Gianluca Sorentino, Australian Sam Green and brit Aaron Smith are among the few worth taking note of!
The new generation is here this week as well. Names like Leander Halm (Starboard/Severne/Maui Ultra Fins), Cosmo Pezzetti, Piero Rautnik and many more will be looking to impress and gain competition experience.
The women’s fleet is top notch in Naxos. With 8 women signed up, the usual suspects of Maaike Huvermann (Severne/Maui Ultra Fins) and Lisa Kloster (MB-Boards/Sailloft) will be heading up the fleet. However, joining them will be upcoming talents like Bijou Shahmirian (Starboard/Severne), Ziva Batis and Yvet van der Molen. Batis will be making her debut on the tour, along with Linda Mankova. Elena Dominick (Severne) and Melina Vingaard Schutt have both picked up some experience at previous events and are set to further their competitive campaign.
The plan for the first day is to have a skippers meetin at 10AM local time, with a first possible start at 11AM. The conditions look excellent all through the week, meaning that the first day will be reserved for the women’s single elimination and the qualifying rounds for the main men’s competition.
How to follow the action? Make sure to follow the Freestyle Pro Tour on social media for instant updates. Furthermore you can check out freestyleprotour.com for daily reports and highlight videos.
