MARIA SHINES ON MAUI

Duotone: What a result in Maui! Goal achieved?

Maria: 'yes, absolutely! I’m really happy with how everything came together in the Quatro Maui Pro. Coming into the event, my goal was to trust my training, push my level in every heat and enjoy every moment to the fullest! As a girl living in northern Germany it makes me really proud to have come so far in Maui Pacific conditions and it shows me that I have achieved all those goals.

Finishing second at the first World Cup of the 2026 season makes me really happy and gives me even more motivation and excitement for the rest of the season.'

Duotone: How did you enjoy the conditions? spring on Maui is known for stronger winds, but thats not really what you got?

Maria: 'Yeah, it was definitely a bit unusual for Maui. Before the event, we actually had very little wind and a lot of rain, so I didn’t get much time on the water - I think I only went windsurfing about five times and I was only using my Super Hero D/LAB 4.2 and 4.5. That’s not really what you expect coming here 2 weeks before the event. Fortunately during the 3 day competition window, Ho’okipa delivered very nice conditions, from mast high waves on day one to logo high waves on day two, which I enjoyed the most. The waves were opening up for 3 to 4 turns and I think I have never felt that much fun and flow in a competition before! That day everyone was sailing really well and the level in the women’s fleet was very high. It’s amazing to be part of such a cool women’s windsurfing community!'

Duotone: What is coming up next?
Maria: 'Next up is the World Cup in Gran Canaria in July, which I’m really excited about. It actually starts on my birthday, so that makes it extra special for me XD.

Gran Canaria is known for its strong winds and challenging conditions, so it’s going to be a very different setup compared to Maui. I’m looking forward to spending more time on the water beforehand, preparing properly, and pushing my level even further. Hopefully, I can carry this momentum into the next event and fight for another top result!'

Duotone: Aloha classic win at the end of the year?Maria: 'Winning the Aloha Classic would mean a lot to me. It’s such an iconic event in our sport, especially here on Maui, and it has so much history behind it.

Of course, it’s a big goal, but I try not to only focus on the result itself. For me, it’s also about performing at my best, heat by heat, and enjoying the moment on the water. If I can put everything together like this time, then sure I’ll have a chance to fight for the win again!!!'

Duotone: What a way to start the year—happy?

Leon: 'Of course I’m very happy. I was hoping to reach the podium, but to actually win the Pro Juniors on Maui means a lot to me and makes me very happy.'

Duotone: We saw you spend more time on Maui this year, did that make the difference ?

Leon: 'Last year, I unfortunately missed the Aloha Classic due to illness. As everything had already been booked, we rescheduled our flights and accommodation for Christmas instead. That gave me the opportunity to spend my Christmas holidays on Maui with some good windsurfing conditions three months ago, not long before the Maui Pro.

In addition I guess it was helpful for me to cope with the quite tricky conditions during the Maui Pro because I could spend in 2023-2024 almost 6 month on Maui as an international student. During that time I experienced many different conditions in Ho’okipa. I’m incredibly grateful to my parents for making that possible. It certainly also helped me that I spend much of my holidays windsurfing, because my whole family shares the same passion for windsurfing. So when we are on Maui and whenever there are wind and waves everyone from our family wants to go sailing at Ho‘okipa—even my mum.

This year’s Maui Pro was unfortunately the first time my older brother Marlon couldn’t come to Maui with us because he had important exams for his medical studies in Germany. Otherwise, he would have loved to compete in the Challenger division for the Pro Men.'

Duotone: What else is on your calendar this year?
Leon: ' Looking ahead, I’m really excited about the upcoming PWA/WWT World Cups in the Canary Islands. I’ll be competing in Pozo and Tenerife this summer, which fits perfectly with my school holidays. I also hope that I will be able to attend the Youth World Cup in Denmark, as well as the Aloha Classic in the autumn of course.

But therefore I’ll need to check my upcoming schedule for my examens. After the summer, I enter my final year of school with exams that will count towards my overall results. Although my school is very supportive of sport—and I’m part of a sports class that allows us to attend competitions during term time, it still will be hard to miss time in school during my final year and to retake exams. So I have to see.'

Duotone: Is the Junior Pro title the goal for this year?
Leon: ' For now I’m very happy with my result here on Maui.

My goal is to reach the podium overall this year. But that’s going to be tough!'