Congratulations Nia Suardiaz!

The Suardiaz/Muenzinger family lives in Tarifa, Southern Spain, just five minutes away from the water.

Nia's mother, Nicole, is German, and her father, Curro, is Spanish. As a result, Nia grew up with both languages and speaks both fluently. “Growing up by the sea and being able to go to the water almost every day is the best for me. Living in Tarifa, one of the world's most renowned water sports meccas, is a great fortune," says Nia.

At the age of four, she stood on a Windsurfing board, which she liked a lot, but was never really "hooked" on it. "I probably would still be Windsurfing today if I hadn't taken a Wing Foiling course with a friend."

CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN NIA!!! Four titles in 2023 – how does that feel? You are only 16 years young, it´s amazing to have that power and mindset at that young age.

It's an incredible feeling, and I am really thrilled about these results. Maintaining my performance across all the GWA events is a significant accomplishment for me.

The 2023 season was undoubtedly challenging. I faced considerable pressure, non-stop water action, and sometimes truly unpredictable conditions. That's why I'm especially happy that I could sustain my performance."

What is your approach or preparation routine for each event?

For slalom, the competitions are the best training ground, and I consistently learn a lot while competing. However, when it comes to freestyle, training with friends and coaches is more beneficial. During freestyle training, I spend a lot of time with other youngsters from Tarifa and my brother Leo. It's fantastic that my wing buddies Tom & Aleks Acherer from Austria are spending the winter here, we really get along very well and keep pushing each other. Michi Rossmeier is amazing with coaching tips and always motivates us greatly.

When I head to the water for my heat, I strive to stay 100% focused. Often, there's no time between competitions, making it challenging to squeeze in additional training.

Looks like you have a great team around you with your family and friends, anyone else special who helped you on your way?

There are really quite a lot of people who helped me from the start. In first place Tom (a friend of my mum) who motivated me to join his daughter in a Wing Foil beginner course – that´s where it all startet. And then Bernd from Adrenalin Kite Area, he let me use all the equipment from his school to practice and improve. That is when Jaime from WET stepped in and provided me with a set of Duotone wings and Fanatic boards and foils. That was a big step forward for me and I got even more motivated. The whole WET Team was always there to help and support me, even now that I am sponsored by International. Franco supported me training for a while and of course Michi Rossmeier, who is always there for me and we really enjoy to train together. Stefan Beat (aka Dr. Beat) is another important person supporting me on my way - he is a real ambassador for Wing Foiling. And of course my family and friends, I can always count on them.

What are your future plans?

For the next season I am fully motivated to continue making waves at the top of the Wing Foiling scene. I already started training in Brazil!

When I finish school, I would like to study Sports Marketing and enter the sports business. Being a Team Manager or something similar would be great at some point in the future. At least I already have a good understanding of what it's all about. But for now, I’ll focus on having maximum fun on the water and further improve my skills.

What’s your favorite gear right now?

Wing: Unit D/LAB 3.5
Board: Sky Style TE 55
Foil: Aero Carve D/LAB 650 & Backwing 180
Mast: Aero Slim D/LAB 82

Thxs Nia - stay the way you are and keep pushing. We are proud to have such a talent in our team!