Reach for the Stars

Together with his parents Simone and Bernd, Finn Flügel is laser-focused on one goal: winning as many world championship titles as possible, as fast as possible. This plan has been meticulously developed, almost as if engineered on a drawing board.

Finn started using a trainer kite at the age of three. His father, who ran a water sports center in El Gouna, Egypt, and is now the man behind water sports brand F2, claims Finn‘s dedication is unparalleled: “There is probably no one in the world who has spent more time learning to use a kite on the beach than Finn.”

The family’s plan included hiring a private school teacher who traveled with Finn to the world’s best kite spots. He also has his own kitesurfing coach, who accompanies him for a week every six weeks and gives him specific “homework”. Finn is dreaming big and aims to become the most successful pro in the sport. He currently competes in three disciplines – freestyle, Big Air and hydrofoil Big Air – and is shaking up the Freestyle World Cup by using straps instead of boots…

Finn: Becoming world champion is my absolute dream. Ever since I started kiting, I’ve been working towards this. I compete in all disciplines except strapless and would love to become world champion in every discipline in the future! I’ve already been Freestyle world champion several times at the Youth World Championships and this year I won my very first U19 Big Air crown. The experience of winning in St. Peter-Ording, as a German rider in front of my home crowd, was really something special.

As Axel said above, I grew up with water sports. At just a few weeks old, my parents already took me to Sylt in our camper van. We were always on or in the water. I’ve been told that I always wanted to “help” with setting up the kite or laying out the bar. I probably thought that I was already a kiter. When I was three, I got my first trainer kite, which I still have by the way, and my dad taught me how to use it. I would fly it all the time, accompanied by our barking dog. Next, I really wanted to have my own board, so my dad’s production team built one for me. I then took my mum’s harness, far too big for me of course, and hooked myself up to a practice bar. I loved it and simply imitated what I saw others doing.