Foilwave 2026
Wing foiling and parawinging - Benjamin May claims a one-two finish
A week ago, the Foilwave took place in northwestern Denmark, and the conditions were pretty awesome. This contest features wing foiling, parawinging and prone foiling in the waves.
September 4–6 marked the first window in the waiting period, and since the forecast - calling for a storm from the west - looked promising, the go-ahead was given for that weekend in September.
The wind picked up as early as Friday afternoon. The 2027 gear from event sponsor Duotone was set up in Klitmøller Bay for testing, and by the evening session, the water was getting pretty crowded as the waves grew higher.
35 participants from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland had registered, and many of them took advantage of this training day.
The first day of the contest was Saturday. The storm had really done its job overnight and was already pushing huge waves toward the spot in front of the Hanstholm fish factory early in the morning. Wing foiling was on the agenda, and the U15 riders were the first to hit the water.
The 12 participants used 2-square-meter wings and the smallest foils from their quivers. The scoring was based purely on riding the waves with the wing held in a neutral position. Aerials, frontside and backside turns - the more radical, the better.
Theo Buchwald won the junior final against Tebbe Voget. Jonte Boysen took third place in his matchup against Julian Furkmann.
Hubert Christahl went on to win the U19 division ahead of his brother Wilhelm, with Luca May finishing third ahead of Jarred Wegner.
Then it was the adults’ turn: 13 competitors took to the now-quite-rough surf to determine the wing foil champion. At times, it took a while for all the riders to make their way through the whitewater rollers of the surf zone and into the contest area.
The final was contested by Benjamin May, Benjamin Kohl and Linus Pünder, with winds at a good 7–8 Beaufort.
Just like last year, wing foil pro and regular-footer Benjamin May took the win, thanks in no small part to his aerial 360s in both directions. Without any air tricks, but with radical rides on big waves, goofy-footer and last year’s runner-up Benjamin Kohl secured second place again in 2026, while Linus Pünder finished third.
A day later, under much calmer conditions, it was the women’s turn. In smooth, rolling swells, Maria Behrens won the wing foil contest ahead of Paulina Herpel; Jennifer Schijf finished third, ahead of Cathrin Yde.
The conditions were also perfect for parawinging, so this discipline was chosen over prone foiling - marking the parawing debut at Foilwave. Twelve men competed, and in the end, Benjamin May won again.
Linus Pünder and Klaas Voget rounded out the podium. Among the three U15 parawingers, Julian Furkmann won ahead of Emil Schacht and Tebbe Voget.
On Sunday afternoon, the awards ceremony was held right at the fish factory spot. Here are the results:
Wing Foiling Women
1. Maria Behrens
2. Paulina Herpel
3. Jennifer Schijf
4. Cathrin Yde
Wing Foiling Men
1. Benjamin May
2. Benjamin Kohl
3. Linus Pünder
4. Tim Taudien
4. Klaas Voget
4. Moritz Schlicksbier
7. Thomas Michel
7. Jelle Stoop
7. Julius Manthei
7. Juha Sulkakoski
10. Bart Schift
10. Petr Zhitnikov
10. Jesper Helleskov
Wing Foiling U19
1. Hubert Christahl
2. Wilhelm Christahl
3. Luca May
4. Jarred Wegner
Wing Foiling U15
1. Theo Buchwald
2. Tebbe Voget
3. Jonte Boysen
4. Julian Furkmann
5. Anton Gobisch
5. Phillip Buchwald
5. Emil Schacht
5. Bent Eberlein
9. Josef Lippross
9. Tarje Boysen
9. Mads Michel
9. Bent Eberlein
Parawinging Men
1. Benjamin May
2. Linus Pünder
3. Klaas Voget
4. Jelle Stoop
5. Luca May
5. Moritz Schlicksbier
5. Tim Guyton
5. Sebastian Schacht
9. Bart Schilf
9. Morten Yde
9. Thomas Michel
9. Petr Zhitnikov
Parawinging U15
1. Julian Furkmann
2. Emil Schacht
3. Tebbe Voget
September 14, 2026 © WING DAILY | text: Jürgen Schall | photos/graphics: Jürgen Schall, Klaas Voget, Veranstalter | translation: DE
