Teen Phenom Benjamin Castenskiold: Crowned 2025 GWA Surf-Freestyle World Champ at Gran Canaria
In the electrifying realm of wing foiling, where young guns defy gravity with audacious airs and razor-sharp rotations, 14-year-old Danish prodigy Benjamin Castenskiold has just rewritten the script. At the 2025 GWA Wingfoil World Cup in El Burrero, Gran Canaria, Benjamin didn't just win the event—he clinched the men's Surf-Freestyle World Title in his rookie full season on tour, dethroning defending champ Chris MacDonald in a nail-biting finale. Fresh off the victory, Benjamin joins the Foil Life Podcast team for Episode #13: Wing Foil World Tour (GWA) Show – Gran Canaria with World Champ Benjamin Castenskiold, hosted by Luc Moore alongside GWA Tour Manager Tom Hartmann. As Benjamin puts it in the episode, "I started wing foiling in 2022... I was hooked from the first moment I lifted on the foil." The chat dives deep into his meteoric rise, the epic conditions at El Burrero, and the mindset that turns fear into flawless landings.
From La Ventana Grom to Global Dominator
Shredding in La Ventana, Baja California Sur, Mexico—a wind-swept paradise with a tight-knit foiling community—Benjamin's path to the podium was paved with relentless sessions alongside top-tier talents like MacDonald. "I've been training for various years now with Chris... Without him being there every day, showing me new tricks, I wouldn't be where I am today," Benjamin shares on the pod, crediting the daily grind of high-speed jumps, towering airs, and inevitable wipeouts for building his unbreakable consistency.
Tom Hartmann, who's steered the GWA Tour through its explosive growth, watched Benjamin's progression unfold like a perfectly timed swell. "Everybody was already really impressed about his level... But what Benji did was unusual—claiming the world title in his rookie year," Tom reflects. Benjamin's season was a masterclass in adaptation: a solid fourth in Leucate, a breakthrough win in Tarifa, and then the crowning glory in Gran Canaria, where he edged out France's Axel Gerard in the men's final through sheer reliability—higher individual scores from Gerard, but Benjamin's unerring heat after heat sealed the deal. As Luc notes after tagging along on a La Ventana downwinder, "The speed you guys go to get your jumps, how high you were going, and how many crashes... You put it into another gear."
El Burrero: Gran Canaria's Game-Changing Kicker Kingdom
The 2025 GWA stop marked a bold shift for Gran Canaria, swapping the familiar Pozo Izquierdo for El Burrero in Ingenio—a cross-onshore gem with 30-35 knot blasts and pristine kickers that turned the beach into a launchpad for legends. "It's the first time we went to this spot... It has this consistent strong wind, but not as crazy as Pozo, and nice kickers," Tom enthuses, zooming in on the east coast setup south of the airport, where riders hurled toward a spectator-packed pier. "The competition area was just on the south side of the pier... Spectators were even closer to the action than the judges."
In those howling conditions, Benjamin unleashed his arsenal: massive Palau front flips soaring up to 10 meters, stomped with textbook precision. "My secret trick... it was the Palau front flip because I can do it pretty high and pretty consistent... I think I got like a 10," he reveals. Tom breaks it down: "What really stood out is how big he's going and how clean he's landing... Huge and so smooth, making it look very easy." With 80% of the tricks leaning into Palau combos—from 720s to backflips—the judging favored height and power over low-tech spins. "Landing the tricks high and clean is just all about not being scared. You just full send it and hope for the best," Benjamin laughs, admitting even double forwards still make him close his eyes mid-rotation.
The women's side exploded too, with 16-year-old German Marie Schlittenbauer storming to the title in her debut season—dominating from Tarifa onward despite lake-based training in central Europe. "The level has been going crazy... We're now getting nearly as many competitors on the women's side, and that's awesome," Tom says, shouting out podium finishers like Spain's Mar de Arce and Nia Suardiaz.
Gear That Lifts Legends and Eyes on Back-to-Back Glory
Benjamin's switch to Gong gear was a pivotal plot twist. "Gear is the most important thing... The Gong gear is phenomenal. It has so much hang time," he credits, tipping his hat to the Hyperloop FSP Pro board and Ypra Surf-Freestyle foil that amplified his hang time. Tom sees the sport surging forward: "The end is still not there... We're pushing more towards height and power... I don't say a triple is impossible."
With the title defended? Benjamin's got dynasty dreams. "To make myself happy, I have to get at least 10," he declares, eyeing repeats amid Morocco and Abu Dhabi stops, plus a La Ventana return in November. "It's always a different situation when you are the reigning champ... But you have the right confidence level, Benji, to take another title," Tom encourages.
Tune into Foil Life Podcast Episode #13 on YouTube or your favorite pod platform for the full send—raw insights, spot breakdowns, and the inside scoop on what's next for wing foiling's boldest boundaries. As Benjamin sums it up, "It's worth the risk." The foil life? It's just getting airborne.
Tune into the episode: Listen or Watch
