Podium finishes in the youth classification in the Wave World Cup, as well as on the slalom course at national level and in the iQFoiL national squad - they spent the winter in mast-high Maui waves. Leon and Marlon Maethner put the pedal to the metal. We spoke to the brothers from the windsurfing-enthusiastic Maethner family.
Hello you two! How are you doing? Have you settled back in well in Germany or do you miss Maui a lot?
Marlon: Good, good. Yes, slowly, but of course we do miss Maui - it was just a dream.
Leon: It's nice to see my friends here at school again. I'm settling in well again, but I already miss the perfect windsurfing conditions on Maui.
Have you already been able to experience a bit of the spring-like easterly wind conditions in northern Germany?
Leon: Yes, during foil training. I'm in the Schleswig-Holstein windsurfing squad with Vincent Langer as my coach. Marlon is no longer in the squad because he's too old for it at 19.
Marlon: I had to study for my medical test, which I wrote last weekend. I did my A-levels last year and want to start studying medicine this year, so I'm currently applying to universities. So unfortunately I haven't made it onto the water yet.
Which university is your favourite?
Marlon: Definitely Kiel! It would be great to stay here in the north on the coast. We live on the Kiel Fjord, quite close to the water, so it's easy to go windsurfing in between.
And you Leon, how are things with you? What class are you in?
Leon: I'm in my tenth year at grammar school. It doesn't count towards the Abitur yet. So the exchange to Maui over the winter term was a perfect fit. Going to school on Maui was a great experience.
Wasn't it hard for you that you had to go to school on Maui and Marlon didn't? Was he often on the water before you?
Leon: That was hard sometimes, yes (laughs). But you have to say, Marlon also did a lot of study preparation and learning in the mornings. We often didn't get out on the water together until the afternoon. It was only on the good days that he caught a few waves before me.
How did you manage to realise your stay on Maui? Were your parents with you?
Marlon: Our parents were there, yes. Both of them have been windsurfing since their youth and have always wanted to spend a longer period of time on Maui. This winter they were able to fit it in with their work, and it was also ideal for Leon and me. And our big brother Moritz came to visit us on his holiday.
You both surf at a considerable level at a young age, in the waves and also in the slalom. Have you been pushing each other since the beginning?
Marlon: Yes, we both started windsurfing at a very early age. My parents put me on the board for the first time when I was five, so Leon was only two years old (grins). That means he couldn't really push me at the very beginning (laughs). But when he joined in two or three years later at the age of five, that's when it all started. We're usually on the water together and are happy for each other when he does a new trick, wins a race or catches a good wave.
Were you hooked on windsurfing from the very first second or did it take a while for the spark to ignite?
Leon: I always wanted to get out on the water as often as possible. I remember when Marlon took part in Vincent Langer's Kids Camps, but I was still too young. I really wanted to take part too.
Marlon: (Grins and nods.)
Leon: We both really got into it when we were ten or eleven and surfed waves for the first time. After that, we always wanted more!
Where are your home spots?
Marlon: Around Kiel, depending on the wind direction. In Weißenhaus, for example, you can hit the waves when the wind blows from the west-north-west, otherwise you can slalom to Heidkate.
Leon: That's right, or to Schilksee for foil training. And when the conditions are good, we go with friends or family at the weekend to go waving, primarily up to Denmark.
Do you prioritise wave or slalom?
Marlon: Wave is the passion of our whole family. We were introduced to the discipline of slalom through Vincent Langer's Kids Camps. We've taken part every year since we were nine years old. It was always great fun and that's why we started taking part in the Racer of the Sea and DWC races. And Leon is also a member of the iQFoiL national squad.
Leon: I get to foil more often during the school day, but at the weekends and during the holidays we can usually be found in the waves.
Wave, slalom, iQFoiL ... the parents in the waves too. That's what I call a windsurfing family.
Marlon: Absolutely. On Maui, there were even days when the whole family of five of us were out on the water in Ho'okipa - and there were also the odd party wave or two. And let me put it this way: our house is pretty full ... with windsurfing equipment.
Good keyword. You have a sponsor: Duotone.
Leon: Yes, that basically came about through Vincent's Kids Camps. Axel Wallem from Duotone always exhibited the material there, which is how we came into contact with Duotone. We've been part of the team since 2019.
Marlon: The people at Duotone are really great - we really enjoy being part of the team there. Especially with the other Young Guns. We often have a lot of fun windsurfing together with Tobias Bjørnå, Carlos and Alexia Kiefer, Hannes Gobisch and co.
You really delivered at the Youth World Cup in Cold Hawaii last autumn. You were both on the podium there.
Leon: That's right, Marlon came third in the U20 classification and I came second U17.
Marlon: We've been regularly taking part in contests since we were twelve and 15 years old, so we've already gained some experience. That helps a lot. Things went really well in Denmark in the autumn.
What's on the cards for you this year in terms of contests? Do you want to compete in the World Cup again?
Marlon: Next up is the Youth World Cup in Pozo. I'm flying there in a fortnight' time.
Leon: Unfortunately, the World Cup starts two weeks before my summer holidays this year. Hopefully school will work out so that I can still take part in the World Cup.
Marlon: And then the Youth World Cup in Denmark is on the agenda again in autumn. In between, we want to take part in as many slalom events in Germany as possible. In general, the aim is to compete in many more events in the future, depending on how we can combine it with our studies - including on the IWT/PWT Wave Tour around the world.
That sounds like a plan. Would you like to become a windsurfing pro?
Leon: Of course, becoming a professional is the dream and, to a certain extent, the goal. But it's also a long way off. I'm going to do my A-levels first and then plan to go to university like Marlon. At the same time, I'm going to keep pushing myself in windsurfing and see where that takes me.
Marlon: That's also my plan and goal: to study first and at the same time tackle windsurfing as professionally as possible.
Do you actually meet a lot of like-minded young windsurfers your age? What was it like on Maui in particular?
Leon: On Maui, most of my classmates were surfers. Nevertheless, you are not an outsider as a windsurfer. In Ho'okipa, you can always meet the odd like-minded young windsurfer.
Marlon: Yes, but in the Canary Islands we meet more young people, or rather most windsurfers our age. There are the locals Carlos and Alexia Kiefer, Liam Dunkerbeck and many other young windsurfers on the water. And with the Richter boys, the Gobisch siblings and us, there's already a whole bunch of youngsters from Kiel in the youth starting field. I would say that there is generally a lot of young talent there. It's great fun to push yourself with your peers there every summer.
Maui and Pozo - wave conditions could hardly be more different. You can do both. Why are you, as North and Baltic Sea surfers, so good in winds from the right?
Leon: We got used to the "new" wind direction relatively quickly on Maui. However, it has to be said that we had already spent a few weeks on Maui two years ago - so wind from the right was nothing new for us.
Marlon: Yes, getting used to it went quicker than expected, especially when riding the waves - jumping still feels strange. We occasionally surf in Denmark when the wind blows from the right, but not often.
What is your goal for Pozo 2024?
Marlon: Podium!
Leon: (Looks at his brother, grins and nods.)
In the U18 juniors, Leon already took second place behind Carlos Kiefer Quintana on the opening day. Marlon has not yet competed in the U21 group, with Liam Dunkerbeck and others waiting in his first heat.
Facts Marlon Maethner
- Age: 19 years
- Born: 03.11.2004
- Place of residence: Keel
- Profession: Windsurfing, study preparation
- Size/weight: 181 cm/76 kilos
- Sail number: G-31
- Surfs: since the age of 5
- Regatta debut: At the age of 15 at the Youth World Cup Denmark, at 16 in the DWC
- Disciplines: Wave and slalom
- Successes: 3rd place U20 PWA/IWT Cold Hawaii 2023, 1st place U19 DWC Sylt (Wave) 2022
- Favourite spots: Ho'okipa, Hanstholm, Klitmøller, Pozo
- Hobbies: Windsurfing, wingsurfing, surfing, football, golf, tennis, snowboarding, skiing
- Sponsors/supporters: Parents, Duotone, ION, Chiemsee
Facts Leon Maethner
- Age: 16 years
- Born: 28.11.2007
- Place of residence: Keel
- Profession: Pupils
- Size/weight: 180 cm/66 kilos
- Sail number: G-34
- Surfs: since the age of 5
- Regatta debut: At the age of 12 at the Youth World Cup Denmark, at 13 in the DWC
- Disciplines: Wave, Slalom, iQFOiL
- Successes: 2nd place U17 PWA/IWT Cold Hawaii 2023, 2nd place U17 DWC Sylt (Wave) 2022
- Favourite spots: Ho'okipa, Hanstholm, Klitmøller, Pozo
- Hobbies: Windsurfing, wingsurfing, surfing, football, golf, tennis, snowboarding, skiing
- Sponsors/supporters: Parents, Duotone, ION, Chiemsee
