Yesterday in Perna on the Pelješac Peninsula ended the Croatian leg of the windsurfing event European Freestyle Pro Tour.
The competition took place from August 4 until August 7, gathering the top windsurfers from as many as ten countries around the world.
The winner of this year’s championship was announced at the closing ceremony. The title went to the Belgian Steven Van Broeckhoven, who is now expected to fight for the title of the European champion. France’s Adrien Bosson was second, while Antoine Albert of New Caledonia came in third.
“This is my first time in Croatia and the very first thing I saw upon arrival was this beautiful landscape. I really liked the color of the sea and the beautiful mountains. I arrived here a day earlier than my rivals and the conditions were very good. Unfortunately, they weren’t perfect once the competition started but we were lucky the bora had been strong enough for us to compete and finish the championship. I am very happy I won and hopefully I’ll win the title of the European champion as well,” this year’s winner Steven Van Broeckhoven said.
Competing in the junior competition, Croatia’s hopeful Tvrtko Ljutić came in second and had this to say on the occasion:
‘I won second place and I am quite pleased with the result as I hadn’t trained a lot. This year, it was even more fun than last year. There were several cool new competitors and if I’m to come next year, I wish everything will be the same but with more wind.’
The winners and other competitors all expressed their satisfaction with the event and complimented it – event’s excellent location, its top-quality organization and a positive and relaxed atmosphere are all guarantees that they will be back to Pelješac in no time.
Perna has been the host to the elite of this attractive adrenaline sport for the second year now. Even though it is a European championship, the news of an excellent windsurfing destination has spread outside the European borders. Perfect conditions as well as its suitable climate and unique position have all contributed to Perna’s recognizability as the perfect location among the fans of this sport.’We’ve had competitors from around the world, including the far away Caribbean island of Curacao and the French territory in the South Pacific, New Caledonia. This year the competition was stronger than last year and the title race wasn’t easy at all. But stronger competition implies greater effort and better exhibitions by the competitors, guaranteeing the visitors will experience an unforgettable spectacle!’, event organizer Marko Mudrovčić added.
More information is available at the championship’s official website.
