Onwards & Upwards

Dedication Pays Off For Adrien Bosson as Frenchman Becomes Freestyle Vice-World Champion For First Time

Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) has established himself as one of the world’s top freestylers over the last few years after finishing 7th overall in 2015 and 6th in 2016. The Frenchman had already shown that he has the potential to mix it right at the top of the business after earning two podium finishes in that time, but the consistency to break above the top 6 wasn’t always there, yet. 

However, this season Bosson seems to have found a consistent winning formula as he consistently racked up some of the highest scoring heats of the year, which saw the 27-year-old finish 2nd in Fuerteventura. With just two Freestyle events this year though that meant that there was absolutely no room for error in Sylt with no safety net of a discard to protect his excellent second place.

Bosson’s new level of consistency was never clearer than during the single elimination in Sylt when he posted 3 consecutive heats of 155.4 points to win his first ever final on the world tour. Ultimately, Bosson couldn’t quite stop teammate Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / Duotone) from claiming a 9th world title, but the Frenchman walks away from 2018 as the vice-world champion - his best result yet - while also firmly establishing himself as a genuine world title contender for the coming years. After his best season to date with caught up with Adrien for an interview:

Hey Adrien, how’s it going?

Everything’s alright, just came back from La Torche where i took part in the Wave Games, an event mixing windsurfing, surfing, SUP and kitesurfing which is super fun to do! Now I'm at Six-Fours les plages at home relaxing between windsurfing lessons, surfing and family/friends.

Congratulations on a great season… how does it feel to be vice-world champion?

Feels really good! Happy i could achieve this after all the dedication it took to get there. It is my 7th year on the tour and I'm windsurfing since I'm a kid and it is has been a pretty long journey to be able to be part of the top 2 PWA Freestyle men rankings. With two events and no room for mistakes I'm stoked I could confirm my good result from Fuerteventura in Sylt.

The last couple of seasons you’ve been part of the overall top 10, and had a few podiums along the way, but this year it looks like you really stepped things up… did you do anything different or did something just click?

Since I had podiums in 2016 I knew it was possible to get to the top. I did train less on the water this year but did more workouts & physical prep with my coach. I have been training in February and March in the south of France, in hard conditions with the temperatures, and then didn't really sailed in May, June, August & September. But the few times I had wind and the time, I was 100% focused and having fun on the water. 

With 4 Freestyle events in total this year, I really wanted to enjoy the season and be happy with my sailing, doing the good moves I trained for without thinking too much about the results. 

You won the single elimination in Sylt and then were just 1 point away from winning the final in the Double Elimination… you must have been a little bit gutted to not quite win the event and take the title race to a deciding heat?

It was an exciting season fighting against Gollito for the title, that first heat of the double elimination in Sylt was so close and I'm of course a bit gutted that I couldn't do one more for the world title. Conditions didn't play on my side that day!

In the single elimination, it was a lot windier than the double… do you think that the conditions in the single suited you more and are strong winds your favourite?

Of course, strong winds are my favourite! This is what we get the most in my hometown and pretty much everywhere in the south of France. Lighter winds are good too, it is a different way of sailing and once I get used to it I really like. But with strong winds and chops or waves, all the freestyle moves are much bigger, longer airtime, landing planing and feeling the best.

Just before the first final of the double, the wind dropped and I was underpowered with my 4.4m - like that it becomes a lot harder to do a proper freestyle heat as it takes more time to get the speed, find the right place for each trick and go high. 

Favourite setup?

SKATE 93L & IDOL LTD 4.4m

Favourite location?

Home & Cape Town in the winter. But I guess I have many other favourites that I've just never been to yet.

Favourite move and why?

I'm doing a lot of shiftys. I think I really like this move right now. It can be scary, even if you know how to do them because they can go wrong at any time, the feeling is sick when you land flat and timing is everything ;). 

Why are you so passionate about windsurfing?

I started windsurfing when I was a kid, my father gave me his passion and I dreamed of travelling while windsurfing. Since I'm 20, I have able to travel to the some of the best windsurfing places in the world, the lifestyle is awesome and seeing friends and people, sharing the passion in different places is pretty fun!

If you weren’t a professional windsurfer what would you be?

I would be a windsurfing instructor but I am already actually… I guess I would be an orthoptist, this is the studies that I stopped when I decided to live off windsurfing only. 

If you could invite one person dead or alive for dinner, who would it be? And what would you eat?

I would eat meat with Pauline Tantot.

How did you celebrate your best year on tour yet?

Popping bottles of champagne and enjoying a few parties in Sylt, as well as in Holland and of course once back home!

How will you be spending the winter?

I'm flying tomorrow to Jericoacoara for two weeks, Cape Town in January and then home for February and March.

Thanks, Adrien. Congrats again on becoming vice-world champion and have a great winter.