Justine Lemeteyer, the interview

12/08/2025

Although she specialises in foiling, Justine Lemeteyer brilliantly defended her title as SUP X world vice-champion at the Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam last week in Sotavento. Speaking to Windsurfjournal.com, she looks back on this difficult and hard-fought event...

Windsurfjournal.com: First of all, congratulations on becoming vice-world champion! How are you feeling after such an intense week?
Justine Lemeteyer: Thank you! I'm pretty tired. It was very physically demanding on the water, and by the second day, I could really feel the aches and pains setting in. Mentally, I'm pretty exhausted too. I've been going hard for the last few months, and with the stakes so high at this event in Fuerteventura, it hasn't been easy.

WJ: The event was extremely close. Can you tell us about the strategy you adopted to stay in the race until the last day?
JL: My priority was always to do the best I could with what I had. I focused only on myself without worrying about my opponents. I prioritised the starts and tried to stay upright on the board. I really took it week by week without looking at the points. It's great to have such a tight fleet where anything is possible. It makes the race really exciting.

WJ: The conditions were particularly difficult. How did you adapt your technique to cope with these challenges?
JL: It took me a while to adapt my jibe to the conditions. On the first two days, I fell too much when jibing, with the board bouncing all over the place. When I finally accepted that I needed to brake hard before jibing, I started to round the buoys cleanly. It's a truly unique spot. I arrived a few days before the competition to get settled and adapt, but the stakes of the race made sailing even more complex.

WJ: You mentioned on social media that you only sailed once with your Patrik board before the event. What were the challenges and successes in adapting to your equipment?
JL: I received the boards about a month before the event, at a time when I was preparing for the iQFOiL World Championships. So sailing with a fin wasn't my priority. I took advantage of a good wind in Brest harbour to sail once on the small board just to get the straps adjusted, and that was it. For the rest, I worked in the days leading up to the event, mainly on rigging adjustments. I adapted quite well during the race in the first few days. After that, we were lucky to have Patrik Diethelm with us in Fuerteventura. We did some testing and adjustments at the end of the day before the last day, and the next day I finally won a race. I'm curious to see how it will go next year now that I know the equipment better!

WJ: Slalom X is a very demanding format with little time to prepare. How did you manage the pressure throughout the competition?
JL: I wasn't in great shape when I arrived at the event. I had withdrawn from the iQFOiL World Championships a few days earlier because I was extremely tired. So I came into the event really doubting what I would be able to offer. Race after race, I felt that I was in contention with the top four, and that helped me regain my energy and motivation as the week progressed. On the last day, I knew that the battle for the title of vice-world champion was going to be intense, but I continued to take it race by race and it worked out well. We've worked a lot with Antho over the last two years on mental preparation, and it's paid off. Since the start of the season, I've been better at mental management with the tools we've built. I have more confidence than before, and that helps in high-stakes races.

WJ: What do you take away from this competition in terms of personal performance and progress?
JL: In terms of performance, I'm happy to defend my title as Slalom X world vice-champion and bring home another PWA trophy. Fin is the discipline I practise the least in training, so coming up against specialists with new equipment was a good challenge. At every competition, we learn a lot about ourselves, and I know that the confidence I had on the last day to go for the title could be important at the end of the season.

WJ: After such an intense competition, what do you do to relax and recharge your batteries before the rest of the season?
JL: This competition marks the end of the first block of my season. I've spent 80% of the last six months travelling to train and compete. I'm going to start by taking two weeks' holiday to have a good rest. The plan is to spend time with family and friends. I had a little sporting challenge on the bike at the beginning of August, and then we've already arranged to start training again with the fitness coach to prepare for the end of the season.

Source: Justine Lemeteyer
Photos: Carter/Pwaworldtour.com