Day 1 DM Freestyle 2026, Single Elimination Completed
The opening day of the 2026 DBO Danish Championships delivered a full round of freestyle action, with single eliminations completed across A-fleet, B-fleet and Juniors.
With Løgstør as the event base, the fleet stayed flexible and ready to move to the best available spot within an hour’s drive. After morning registration and skippers meeting at 12:00, the call for Day 1 became Feggesund North on the Thy side. The riders had to stay patient while waiting for the wind to fill in, but around 14:00 the spot started to deliver.
The conditions turned into classic Limfjord freestyle: relatively flat water, small rolling chop and gusty westerly wind, but with long enough gusts to give the riders plenty of chances to build proper heat scores.
Before the first heats, the format was explained. In the B-fleet, 2 moves counted in total, with no minimum requirement per tack. This opened the door for all kinds of expressions, from sharp jibes and chop hops to helitacks, hand drags and duck jibes. In the A-fleet, 5 moves counted in total, with a minimum of 2 moves on each tack. The Junior fleet also counted 5 moves, with a minimum of 1 move per tack.
The goal for the day was clear: complete the single elimination and give every rider the chance to show what they had been training for.
A-fleet gets underway
The A-fleet opened with Melina taking on Simon. Simon was the only unseeded rider and therefore had to go through the qualifier format. Coming back after a few years away from windsurfing, he had to shake off some rust, but still showed great commitment with attempts on both Spock and Flaka. His Flaka attempt looked close to perfect in the execution, with great pop and rotation, but he slipped out of the footstrap before being able to finish it.
Melina, on the other hand, showed just how much more consistent she has become since last season. With moves like Flaka 360, Spock and Funnel, she took the win and moved forward in the draw.
Next up was Anton against Kasper. Anton brought power to the heat with a Kono, but struggled to fill the full five-move scoresheet. Kasper used his experience well, landing several sliding moves and building a more complete heat with Flaka 360s, Spocks and Flakas. That was enough to send Kasper through.
Emil then faced Nicolai in a heat that showed the depth of Danish freestyle right now. Emil, who has recently been selected for DBO’s wave national team, proved that he is also a strong freestyle competitor. He landed moves like Flaka, Spock and Air Jibe, and then pushed hard to upgrade his Flaka, even showing that sometimes one hand is enough.
Unfortunately for Emil, Nicolai is known for his high Flakas himself. Combining those with Funnel, E-slider and Switch Chachoo, Nicolai put together a strong heat and advanced.
Bjørn and Asger then brought even more action to the water. Bjørn, newly announced as part of Severne’s international wave team, showed that he might also need some more freestyle gear sent his way. He threw a lot of moves within the heat and kept upgrading them: Loop, Flaka, Funnel and Spock.
Asger came into the heat with a strong set of moves on both tacks, including Kono and Switch Kono attempts that can score high when fully landed. He showed again that he has the level to push the top riders, but this time Bjørn managed to build the more complete scoresheet and took the win with strong overall execution.
The level steps up
One of the most exciting early matchups saw the two siblings Melina and Mathias meet in the next round. Melina continued her strong performance from the opening heat, landing Flaka, Spock, Switch Kono and Funnel. She also pushed for a Shaka, but the chop direction made it difficult and the attempts turned more into Shove-its.
Mathias came into the event with high expectations, and he delivered. Big power moves such as Kono, Spock Culo, Shove-it Spock, Air Funnel and Burner quickly filled his scoresheet. He also showed that with the right technique, even a high Shaka is possible in difficult chop direction. Mathias took the win and moved into the semifinals.
The first semifinal between Kasper and Nicolai had a lot of tension. The two good friends had already shared close heats at the previous event, and both were determined to take the win this time. Kasper opened well with Clew First Spock, Flaka, Forward and Shove-it, but found it harder to upgrade into bigger moves later in the heat.
Nicolai also started strongly and kept improving his score with Funnel 360, Switch Kono and Flaka 360. Both riders fought for Shakas in tricky conditions and both managed to land some small ones. The decisive moment came with the Double Spock. Kasper could not quite bring his one home, while Nicolai landed a convincing Double Spock to secure the heat.
The second semifinal had Mathias against Bjørn. Bjørn continued his strong form from the earlier rounds, working on upgrades to his Funnel and Forward. But Mathias was on fire, landing Air Funnel, Culo, Skopu, Burner and Kono. He also pushed for a Kabikuchi, which did not happen this time, but the heat was still a clear statement. Mathias advanced to the final.
Bjørn claims third after a tight loser’s final
The battle for third place between Bjørn and Kasper became one of the closest heats of the entire single elimination, with only 0.2 points separating the two riders in the end.
Kasper kept the pressure high throughout the heat. His best scoring move came on starboard tack with a strong Double Flaka scoring 3.8, backed up by a Forward, Flaka and Spock on port tack. He also kept pushing for higher scoring upgrades like Double Spock and Clew First Spock, showing that he was not just trying to play it safe.
Bjørn answered with a very solid port tack score, where his Forward, Funnel and Flaka gave him the foundation for the win. On starboard tack, he added a clean Spock and Flaka, giving him the more balanced scoresheet across both tacks.
In the end, Bjørn’s combination of a higher port tack score and strong overall execution was just enough to edge ahead, taking the heat 13.4 to 13.2 and claiming third place in the A-fleet single elimination.
Mathias and Nicolai meet in the final
The A-fleet final was a showdown between two good friends who know each other’s sailing very well. Nicolai knew he had to put together his strongest possible heat to challenge Mathias, and he did exactly that.
On starboard tack, Nicolai landed some of his best sliding moves of the day: E-slider, Funnel and Switch Chachoo, all with high scores. On port tack, he landed a Double Spock and opened with his iconic high Flaka before upgrading to Flaka 360. He even went for a Double Pop Flaka into Flaka, but could not quite bring it home. His final attempt was a no-handed Flaka, which ended in a heavy crash and a sore shoulder.
Mathias, however, was fully warmed up. He landed his signature Culo, Kono and Shove-it Spock, backed up by Air Funnel, Skopu and Shaka 360 the other way. He was still hunting the combinations, but even without them, his score was convincing. Mathias took the win with 26.9 points against Nicolai’s 17.6.
B-fleet: Where anything counts
The B-fleet showed exactly why this format is such an important part of the event. The idea is to lower the barrier for competition and make sure that all kinds of freestyle progression can be rewarded.
Henrik opened strongly with sharp jibes, chop hops and a super stylish and long hand drag, showing clean board control and good style throughout the heat. Phillip came into the heat with a sore back from a crash the week before, but still fought his way through. He attempted Air Jibes and Helitacks, and even though they did not fully come together, he still landed big chop hops and clean jibes to stay in the game.
Phillip advanced to the B-fleet final, where he met Jesper. Both riders showed Helitacks and Upwind 360s, and both pushed for Air Jibes without quite landing them. Jesper found the move that made the difference with a super clean Downwind 360 and took the single elimination win in the B-fleet.
Juniors bring the future of Danish freestyle
The Junior fleet also had a full battle on the water. Anton and Emil had a tricky first heat, with both riders needing several runs to land their first key moves: Flaka and Spock. Anton eventually got them on the board, but did not have time to bring out his dangerous Kono. Emil also landed the key tricks and advanced with slightly cleaner execution.
The Junior final saw Emil and Bjørn push hard to build their scores in the gusty conditions. Emil showed strong quality in his best moves, landing a clean Spock and Flaka, while also pushing for Flaka 360 upgrades.
Bjørn answered with the more complete heat, landing Flaka, Forward and Spock on starboard tack and adding a Flaka on port tack. He also started going for semi-Funnel attempts, showing that he was ready to push the level further.
In the end, Bjørn’s consistency across both tacks made the difference, taking the Junior single elimination win with 8.6 points against Emil’s 6.4.
Day 1 results
A-fleet Single Elimination
- Mathias Vingaard (GunSails/WeOne)
- Nicolai Boje Frandsen
- Bjørn Olesen (Severne/Severne)
- Kasper Gaj Nielsen (RRD/RRD)
- Anton Aalborg Stubberup (Severne/Starboard)
- Asger Fonnesbech
- Melina Schütt
- Emil Skov Nielsen (GA/Tabou)
- Simon Kristensen
B-fleet Single Elimination
- Jesper Skov Nielsen
- Phillip Hohwy
- Henrik Aalborg Nielsen
Junior Single Elimination (U21)
- Bjørn Olesen (Severne/Severne)
- Emil Skov Nielsen (GA/Tabou)
- Anton Aalborg Stubberup (Severne/Starboard)
With single eliminations completed across all fleets, Day 1 gave the 2026 Spring Danish Championships a strong opening result. The conditions were not always easy, but the riders made the most of every gust, and the level across A-fleet, B-fleet and Juniors showed exactly why Danish freestyle is moving in the right direction.
The focus for Day 2 will be the double elimination, where riders get the chance to defend their positions, fight their way back up the rankings and push the level even higher.
Stay tuned for more action, highlights and pictures from the 2026 DBO Spring Danish Championships.
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