Please select your home edition
Edition
Palm Beach Motor Yachts

Freestyle Pro Tour Sardinia - Day 1 and 2

by Freestyle Pro Tour 7 Jun 18:22 UTC

Day 1 at the Freestyle Pro Tour (FPT) in Porto Pollo started slow, with the forecast showing light winds - riders completed registration and attended the initial skipper's meeting in the morning, followed by a detailed briefing from head judge Emilio Galindo covering the rules and regulations of competition for both new and returning competitors.

In the early afternoon, conditions improved slightly, allowing for the running of a Flowstyle Super Session in the Youth and Junior fleet. The format featured a 10-minute opening round with the full fleet, followed by a 10-minute final with the top four riders.

Pier Bongianni, Bijou Shahmirian (Starboard/Severne), Leander Halm (Starboard/Severne), and Fernando Sottile (WeOne) advanced to the finals after showing some sick low-wind tricks in the first round, including railrides and detached sail moves.

In the final, Bijou Shahmirian secured third place with a clutch performance in the closing moments, while Leander Halm came close to taking the win with. However, it was Pier Bongianni who came out with the strongest performance, delivering a nonstop stream of moves throughout the session to take the victory.

Following the flowstyle session a tow-in show was held, with standout moves including perfectly dry Double Air Culos from Yentel Caers (JP / Neilpryde), a Pasko from Rossel Bertoldo and an amazing No-Handed Burner from Cosmo Pezzetti.

Watch the event highlights from the first day of the event:

Day 2 of the Freestyle Pro Tour stop in Porto Pollo, Sardinia once again started off slow. The conditions in the morning were light, with the plan to run a Foilstyle super session in the afternoon. Riders took to passing time by rigging their remaining gear, playing spikeball on the beach and pumpfoiling.

Around midday, the wind slowly began creeping in. Leander Halm (Starboard / Severne) was first on the water, quickly joined by Yentel Caers (JP/Neilpryde), both throwing down some light wind moves before the wind shortly dropped off again.

Once again the conditions weren't suitable to get back out on the water. Instead a beach volleyball tournament was held with the riders and the FPT crew taking part. As the tournament progressed however, the wind once again began to build, and the decision to greenlight the Foilstyle super session was made.

The four competitors participating in the 500 Euro prize money super session were Yentel Caers, Leander Halm, Steven van Broeckhoven (GunSails/ WeOne) and Maaike Huvermann (Severne). In the initial 10-minute round, all four competitors came out swinging. Despite the Shaka attempts from Huvermann as well as some floaty Shakas and a last-minute Shove-It Spock from Halm - a move he mentioned he wanted to try in a heat earlier during the day, they couldn't match the might of the two European champions going toe to toe.

The final round of the super session was ran in a surprise format - a 10 minute heat with the best move landed taking it all. Caers quickly placed the bar sky-high by stomping a One-Handed Burner right in front of the judges' booth. Van Broeckhoven threw Burners and Air Funnels Yentel's way, but none quite matched the might of Yentel's first move. After Caers landed a clean Pasko but was still unable to upgrade over his initial trick, it seemed as if the victory was decided.

But the 6-Time champ still had something to say, landing a massive Kono Diablo and snatching the victory from Caers with the last move of the heat.

With Van Broeckhoven victorious, the wind once again began to drop off and the conditions were deemed unsuitable to continue with any more competition for the rest of the afternoon.

The forecast for Day 3 looks to be the lightest so far - ideal conditions for a full tow-in elimination, including two qualifying rounds and a final.

Make sure to stay tuned to our social channels to stay updated and not miss any of the tow-in action to come !

Related Articles

Freestyle Pro Tour Sardinia day 3
Tow-in time in Porto Pollo Day 3 marked the start of the tow-in action at the 2025 Freestyle Pro Tour stop in Porto Pollo, with two qualification rounds splitting the 12 riders into two groups of six, each providing the top 3 riders with a ticket to the finals at sundown. Posted on 7 Jun
RYA Scotland Impact Award for Feri Szincsak
Dedicated Clyde Windsurfing Club volunteer celebrated Feri Szincsak, a dedicated volunteer at Clyde Windsurfing and SUP Club, has been recognised with an RYA Scotland Impact Award, celebrating his exceptional commitment and contribution to the Scottish windsurfing community. Posted on 13 May
PWA Windsurf Youth World Cup registration open
Join the future of windsurfing in Bonaire It's official: registration for the PWA Windsurf Youth World Cup Bonaire 2025 is now open! Posted on 4 May
MFC Maui Pro Am delivers
Heroes rise in stacked finals day at Ho'okipa The first springtime World Cup at Ho'okipa in over 20 years exploded back to life today as the 2025 MFC Maui Pro Am crowned two incredible champions in Marcilio Browne (BRA) and Marine Hunter (FRA). Posted on 15 Apr
2025 Chile World Cup Masters Overall
Masters finalists deliver explosive showdown The Masters division lit up the lineup today at the 5 Star World Cup, as four legends of wave riding battled it out in a fiercely contested final under the Chilean sun at the legendary Topocalma. Posted on 3 Apr
2025 Chile World Cup Overall
Emotions ran high as finalists were crowned in Chile The 2025 Chile World Cup concluded in spectacular fashion on Finals Day at Topocalma, where perfect lines, offshore wind, and high drama combined for one of the most memorable days in World Wave Tour history. Posted on 2 Apr
2025 Chile World Cup day 5
Emotions ran high as finalists were crowned in Chile The Chile World Cup saw emotional scenes on the beach as exhausted but elated riders returned to shore, having just secured their places in the finals of one of the most iconic events on the World Wave Tour calendar. Posted on 1 Apr
The most important job in sailing
How Nick Scott is delivering radical change to competitive sailing pathways in the UK I am putting forward that falls to Nick Scott and his team. Namely to secure its competitive future by addressing challenges and delivering radical change while bringing people on that journey with him. Posted on 31 Mar
2025 Chile World Cup day 4
Chile delivers again! Mast-high waves ignite champion rounds The Chile World Cup exploded into action today with mast-high surf and perfect down-the-line conditions, setting the stage for the opening rounds of the Champions Bracket in both the men's and women's divisions. Posted on 31 Mar
2025 Chile World Cup day 3
A forecast that couldn't be more exciting The wait is over. The 2025 World Wave Tour launches LIVE from the iconic Matanzas point break in Chile with a powerful new season of world-class battles, breakthrough stories, and a forecast that couldn't be more exciting. Posted on 30 Mar
Palm Beach Motor YachtsMaritimo 2023 S-Series FOOTER