The One Who Plays with the Wind - Lennart Neubauer

Windsurfer Lennart Neubauer on Injuries, Mental Strength, and His Path to the Top of the World

He’s the rising star of the windsurfing scene: Lennart Neubauer. Half German, half Greek, 100% surfer. He started competing in pro contests at just 15, then was set back by an injury; last year, he became the runner-up in the freestyle windsurfing world championships ,and now, at 20, he’s aiming for his first world title. Andmany more are expected to follow in the coming years.

Long, curly hair peeks out from under his cap, framing his ears.

His face is tanned, his shoulders broad, and his smile just as wide.

Around his neck, he wears a leather cord with a small shark tooth attached to it. Lennart Neubauer looks exactly how everyone imagines a surfer to look. And he cultivates that image a little bit, too. And why not!

The days when windsurfers were global superstars and one in every three households in Europe had windsurfing gear hanging in the garage are long gone. Back when Robby Nash and Bjørn Dunkerbeck dominated the windsurfing scene in the ’80s and ’90s, Lennart wasn’t even born yet. He was born in Bremen in 2004. His mother is German, his father Greek. And Lennart is growing up in Greece—on Naxos, to be precise. Fewer than 20,000 people live on this Aegean island, which is known for its many sandy beaches, picturesque villages, and windsurfers.

Lennart began watching the windsurfers at an early age. And he wants to become one himself.

Weighed and Found Too Light

At the age of ten, he makes his first attempt. But during summer break, the surf schools are fully booked, and according to the surf instructor, he’s too light. A few months and a few extra plates later, Lennart is accepted into the surf school. His success story begins. World championship titles follow European championship titles—and so on.

Lennart is too good for his age groups and, at 15, is already competing with the pros.

Suddenly, he was competing against his childhood heroes, like nine-time world champion Gollito Estredo from Venezuela or the 2013 freestyle world champion Kiri Thode. “Competing against those guys—that was really special to experience. Back when I was little Lennart,” the still-young pro reflects on his first freestyle windsurfing competitions.

Free in the Water

Lennart credits his first coach for introducing him to freestyle windsurfing. But he also attributes it to the fact that windsurfing is a sport for individualists. “I didn’t have too many friends at the time and wasn’t really a team player.

In windsurfing, you’re responsible for yourself—if a trick doesn’t work out, you can’t blame anyone else. It was the perfect sport for me,” says Lennart.

And that passion continues to this day. “Actually, I still feel like I’m 13. I just want to surf. I’m free on the water, and whenever I’m feeling down, I know where I need to go to get back in a better mood. For me, windsurfing is the best sport ever,” Lennart enthuses.

A whole, whole, whole lot of self-confidence

Mental strength is something Lennart values highly. He says that in freestyle windsurfing, 90 percent of it takes place in your head. “Physically, a lot, a lot, a lot of people could do what I do. But in windsurfing, it comes down to whether you can pull it off in the heat. In a heat, you might ride 50% worse than you actually can—or 50% better. It’s all about adrenaline, preparation, and a whole lot of self-confidence. That’s where a lot of people fall short. And in the end, when two athletes of roughly the same level face off, the mental aspect is definitely the deciding factor,” Lennart explains.

To build that self-confidence , Lennart practices his tricks over and over again, gets himself in top shape at the gym and on the bike, and places great emphasis on recovery between training sessions.

Another very important factor for him is working with a mental coach.

The coach also helped him stay strong after a protracted knee injury and quickly return to the world’s elite. And he worked with Lennart on his mindset .

On the Way to the Top

Although the rising star finished second at the World Championships and is ranked second in the world, he says—without coming across as arrogant—“As far as I’m concerned, I’m currently the best in the world at freestyle. Of course, I’m ranked second in the world, but I’ve been training so damn hard lately that I know it’ll pay off. At this level, part of being an athlete is believing that you’re the best. I don’t think there’s any athlete—not even the Greatest of All Time—who didn’t believe in themselves,” says Lennart.

Lennart’s mindset is inspiring and contagious.

And so we, too, are firmly convinced that Lennart will celebrate many world championship titles in the coming years, and we want to support him as best we can on this journey.