PWA Windsurf Grand Slam: Freestyle
(17th - 21st July 2026)

Sarah-Quita Offringa Wins Her 17th Freestyle World Championship Title

July 20, 2026 – Maaike Huvermann almost did it. After winning the single elimination on Saturday, all the Dutch rider needed today was a heat victory to claim the freestyle world championship title for the first time in her career. But things turned out differently...

First, there were battles for position among three German competitors. Helena Lale worked her way up to fifth place in the double elimination, but then fell to fourth-place finisher Sandra Schill. Schill, in turn, had her sights set on a podium spot today after posting a significantly better heat than she had on Saturday.

Lisa Kloster, who had been in third place up to that point, also stepped up her game and defended her spot on the podium. But that was as far as it went for the German freestyle surfer today, because only one rider truly handled the extremely strong winds and choppy waves well—Sarah-Quita Offringa from Aruba.

The 16-time freestyle and 5-time wave world champion was able to combine all her experience from both disciplines in these challenging conditions, leaving the competition simply no chance. Lisa Kloster was the first to feel the brunt of this and, despite a good heat, returned to the beach more than 10 points behind.

This set the stage for a rematch of the single-elimination duel between Maaike Huvermann and Sarah-Quita Offringa. Maaike fought hard, scoring a 23, but ultimately trailed her opponent by more than four and a half points.

The score was now 1–1, and a tiebreaker had to decide the outcome. In this super final, too, the freestyler from Aruba showed that she is simply the more well-rounded windsurfer. Right from the start of the heat, with a high front loop, Sarah-Quita Offringa’s determination to win was evident. After more powerful moves, it became clear that even in 2026, the time is not yet ripe for a successor.

The Freestyle World Championship title goes deservedly to Sarah-Quita Offringa for the 17th time. Since the freestyle competitions have already concluded, Tuesday is a rest day; starting Wednesday, the Slalom X competition continues for both men and women. The world championship titles in this racing discipline will be awarded on Fuerteventura.

Lennart Neubauer, a native of Bremen, Germany, wins the Freestyle World Cup on Fuerteventura in spectacular conditions. Reigning world champion Yentel Caers has to settle for second place. First podium finish for Balz Müller from Switzerland.

July 19, 2026 – Strong winds and high waves created conditions at Sotavento Beach that are rarely seen even there. Waves up to two meters high rolled onto the beach, all paired with a storm-force wind blowing cross offshore.

Right in the thick of it: the world’s current top freestylers. They were Lennart Neubauer, competing for Greece, reigning world champion Yentel Caers from Belgium, and Balz Müller from Switzerland.

In the battle for second place, however, Balz Müller met his match in Yentel Caers. The reigning world champion Caers worked his magic on, over, and between the waves, cementing his second-place finish. Balz Müller was nonetheless overjoyed with third place—it’s the first World Cup podium finish of his career.

Next, Yentel Caers challenged Lennart Neubauer for first place. The result: Two of the world’s best freestylers pulled off massive freestyle tricks and jumps amidst—for a freestyle contest—massive waves.

This spectacular duel made freestyle history, as both competitors and judges agreed that this final—in terms of both technique and conditions—was the best ever held in a freestyle contest.

In the end, Lennart won with an incredible score of 46.59 to 45.88 points, thereby also claiming victory in the men’s freestyle contest. This makes Neubauer the favorite heading into the decisive World Cup for men’s freestyle on Sylt.

The Women’s Freestyle World Championship is still being held on Fuerteventura through July 21. The world title is on the line here. Currently, Maaike Huvermann from the Netherlands is in the lead.

Starting July 22, the men’s and women’s world championship titles on the Slalom X course will be decided in windsurfing on Fuerteventura through July 26. After that, the sport will change. At the Wingfoil World Cup on Fuerteventura, the world championship titles in the Surf Freestyle and FreeFly Slalom disciplines will be up for grabs through August 1.

Favorites Under Pressure: Reigning freestyle world champions Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU) and Yentel Caers (BEL) are currently in second place, behind strong challengers Maaike Huvermann (NED) and Lennart Neubauer. Germany’s Lisa Kloster and Switzerland’s Balz Müller are currently in third place.

July 18, 2026 – Wow—it’s wavy! Even early in the morning, the view of the spot promised an exciting day of competition, as waves over 1 meter high were breaking on the offshore sandbars off Sotavento Beach during low tide. Big Air Freestyle? Definitely, as the ramps were put to good use throughout the competition. Riding toward the beach wasn’t for everyone either, as instead of flat water, the moves were executed while sliding down the wave face. This particularly benefited the experienced riders, and so in the men’s B final, veteran Balz Müller prevailed over the young Japanese rider Takumi Moriya. Third place thus went to Switzerland.

In the final, Freestyle World Champion Yentel Caers faced off against runner-up Lennart Neubauer. Both were determined to win and engaged in a heated duel, which Lennart ultimately won by a margin of just 0.1 points. The final score was 44.5 to 44.4, a victory Lennart secured in no small part thanks to a high Shifty and an Air Funnel Burner. Shifty Shaka and Air Funnel Burner were Yentel’s best moves.

However, Balz Müller achieved the highest score of the day, putting on a mega-heat in the quarterfinals and defeating Jacopo Testa 45.4 to 40.6 points.

In the women’s division, Maaike Huvermann had her big day. Finally, for the first time in her career, she won a final against Sarah-Quita Offringa, thereby claiming victory in the single elimination. The Dutch rider defeated the 16-time freestyle world champion from Aruba by a margin of 0.6 points. Third place went to Lisa Kloster, and fourth to Sandra Schill—both German competitors.

With the conclusion of the single elimination, the first results are in, but the freestyle competition isn’t over yet, as every rider still has a chance to make it all the way to the top of the podium in the second round. In the men’s division, the first heats of the second round began on Saturday afternoon, and the final results are expected to be decided on Monday or Tuesday.

A Spectacular Start to the 38th Fuerteventura World Cup

July 17, 2026 – The 38th Fuerteventura World Cup kicked off on Friday just as everyone had hoped: with plenty of wind. The cross off-shore trade winds had already been tugging at the palm trees throughout the night and rattling doors and windows. But before the action on the water got underway around 1:30 p.m., the long-standing event was officially opened in proper style.

Local politicians welcomed the riders, photos were taken, and freestyle world champion Yentel Caers was thrilled with the successful start: “This is going to be awesome. The wind is blowing hard. I’m really excited to be back here and to see everyone giving it their all. So it’s going to be an exciting week for us freestylers and later on for the slalom riders, too.”

And then it was off to a flying start. The men kicked things off, and while Yentel Caers was allowed to rest at first and didn’t face George Grisley until the second round, Lennart Neubauer posted the day’s highest score: the judges awarded him 41.8 points. Balz Müller also advanced to the next round. With 37.7 points, he posted the second-highest score of the day in this first round. Steven van Broeckhoven finished third in the round based on points. Like all the other top contenders, he also advanced to the next round. There were no unexpected surprises.

The elimination round continued immediately afterward. Caers defeated Grisley, and Neubauer eliminated Davy Scheffers. Once again, Lennart Neubauer was the only one to achieve a score above 40 points. Yentel Caers came very close to the 40-point mark but still finished behind Neubauer. Is this an omen, or can Caers step it up?

And so—hopefully tomorrow—Dieter Van der Eyken and Lennart Neubauer will face off in the quarterfinals; Balz Müller will take on Jacopo Testa; Takumi Moriya will face Steven van Broeckhoven; and Bodhi Kempen will have the pleasure of challenging Yentel Caers.

The eight registered women had the day off today. Like the men, they are expected to earn their first result on Saturday as part of the single elimination. Based on the weather forecast, the double elimination will follow. And here, the women will be competing for nothing less than the world championship title, while the men will compete in one more event on Sylt (Germany).