Kiel Pumpfoil Festival 2023

Pumpfoil Race like we had always imagined. Now it became reality in Kiel thanks to the work of 1001Grad.

Kiel, July 22 – In partly bright sunshine and against the urban backdrop of Kiel’s boat harbor, the first Pumpfoil Festival in Germany took place last Saturday. Organized by 1001grad Events (known from Winger of the Sea and Racer of the Sea), the festival attracted water sports enthusiasts from all over Germany and Switzerland and offered an exciting day full of action and excitement.

The Pumpfoil Festival was all about the new trend sport Pumpfoiling and was held as a contest in the three disciplines Sprint, Freestyle and Boardercross. A total of 14 talented participants competed against each other in this challenging competition. From daring overtaking maneuvers to breathtaking tricks, the athletes showed their skills and impressed the audience equally.

It started with the sprint duel, in which two athletes competed against each other in the knockout system, until Linus Pünder was determined as the fastest Pumpfoiler in the end. The competition continued with the freestyle contest, where the aim was to convince the jury with tricks, balancing acts and a varied show. In the end, Michael Näf, who came from Switzerland, won this competition with 27 out of 30 possible points.

The third and last discipline was the boardercross parkour, in which the participants had to perform various tasks on a marked course. They had to put on a belt with a ball, grab a beach ball from a boom and throw it into a floating tire, and then foil under a limbo pole just before the finish line. In the end, Lucas Matthes had the fastest time with the fewest penalty seconds, and with constant top 3 placements he also won the overall ranking and is now the Pumpfoil Champion 2023.

What made this festival special was not only the high level of sportsmanship, but also the strong community that developed. With the generous support of Kiel Marketing and renowned exhibitors and sponsors such as Ensis, AK Durable Supply Co, Sabfoil, Vayu, Unifoil, Decathlon, Ecobono, Love-My.Earth and Mio Boards, the Pumpfoil Festival became a unique experience for everyone involved.

In addition to the exciting competitions, the spectators had the opportunity to get to know the latest products and innovations of the exhibitors and to try them out themselves after the official competitions under the guidance of the experts from Surfing California. Decathlon Kiel also provided various water sports equipment for the spectators.

The age range of the participants also showed the diversity of this still quite new sport. The youngest athlete, just 11 years old, proved his talent and set an impressive example for the future of pump-foiling. A female competitor also showed her impressive skills in the male-dominated field, underscoring the importance of equality in water sports.
Despite changeable weather with occasional rain showers, the participants and the audience were not deterred and enjoyed the day to the fullest. The numerous spectators at the boat harbor created an energetic atmosphere and enthusiastically cheered on the athletes.

The Pumpfoil Festival was undoubtedly a great success and the organizer 1001Grad would like to sincerely thank all participants for their support and enthusiasm. “With such positive feedback and interest, we are already looking forward to next year and making the Pumpfoil Festival a permanent fixture in Kiel’s boat harbor,” said the two initiators Oliver Tom Schliemann and Leon Delle.

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In this video we talk about how Pumpfoiling is evolving right now. We at Stand Up Magazine see a great future in it.