updated31. August 2022, 07:22
Elena HostageOlympic gold as a goal – Swiss windsurfer does not want to be a “surfer chick”.
A Swiss woman wants to go big in windsurfing. The Swiss championships should be the first step.
A Swiss windsurfer wants to stir up the surfing world.
20 minutes
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Windsurfer Elena Sandera wants to make a career out of foil surfing.
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Sport is her passion.
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She has only been in the windsurfing business for a short time.
Elena Sandera has big plans – it should be Olympic gold. This in windsurfing in the foil category, a subspecies of the sport that will celebrate its Olympic premiere in 2024 and is only confirmed for the next two Olympic Games. But the sport is not only new for the Olympics. She is, too, for 20-year-old Sandera.
Just over two years ago, the Zurich native stood on a foil board for the first time at Lake Garda. But following the first ride, it was clear to her: she wanted to practice this sport professionally. Only a short time following its premiere, it went to Tenerife with professional equipment. For three months she trained with the best athletes. The start went awry, as she says to 20 minutes: “I had to set up the sail, had no idea and it took an hour.”
Three women – one plan
But the passion and the will were greater than the shame. The will was also not broken by the first accident that Sandera experienced. “I was allowed to surf with a windsurfing idol, but then a wave came, I let myself fall and broke her sail,” says the athlete with a smile. A formative, but nevertheless funny experience for the young Swiss woman with Czech roots.
On Tenerife, Sandera met two other young windsurfers, Helle Oppedal and Sara Wennekes. The chemistry was right immediately and together they founded the «World of Windsurfgirls». Sandera explains: «We have teamed up. Normally you are in a national association. But since the sport is still very young, there are not many athletes there. I work with Swiss Sailing, but I don’t have a coach from there. We decide how we train, we pay our own bill.”
The 20-year-old is a professional windsurfer.
20min/Ela Celik
She tours the area in a van.
20min/Ela Celik
It is not always easy, especially financially, since windsurfing is a fringe sport. But the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, says the 20-year-old: “We have complete freedom. We’re also focusing on other things, like a podcast or mental health.”
For Sandera it is important that the group is not seen as “surfer chicks”. They want to do educational work, especially in the mental area, also because the young Swiss woman came into contact with these topics herself. “I had anorexia for four years. I got out through my family and friends, »explains the woman from Zurich. “I was angry at the norms that drew me into it and I want to counteract it. You have to talk regarding it so that others don’t end up in it.” Sandera continues: “I don’t want any attention that I wasn’t feeling well. I just want to show that it can happen.” You have no shame in talking regarding it. “I want to clarify,” said the Zurich woman.
There are no major social taboo topics for the 20-year-old. She is open regarding finances, sexuality, body and mental health on Instagram and podcasts. Also because it plays a major role in top-class sport: “You are often seen as a number in sport. You have to perform, because that’s the only way you’ll make money.”
Swiss championship title should come
She is not afraid that such topics will also deter sponsors. «We want to find companies that share our values and work with them, and that we also do things for them like windsurfing events for employees or topic talks. We want to give something back,” says the young woman from Zurich. Finding sponsors is hard work, but extremely important, because this is how Sandera finances her career.
The Swiss championships take place in Silvaplana at the beginning of September. Sandera wants to deliver. Last year she was classified in third place. Now it should be the win: «I know that my performance is so much better than last year. That’s why I think I can win it.” There will probably not be a medal for the Swiss at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The primary goal is qualification – the big triumph should then follow in 2028.
With the ambulance to the hospital
For this goal, Sandera is also holding back in her studies. Like her father, she wants to go into surgery and is therefore studying medicine. She has already completed her first year. However, she is currently on hold with her studies. “In the second year I would have to be at the university three or four times a week. This year I was in Switzerland for maybe three weeks. So it’s impossible.” However, she does not want to drop out of medical school. Sure: Medical training would be a clear advantage in windsurfing.
Because injuries are part of this extreme sport. Sandera also felt this in her young career. “If you fall at this speed and hit the water, it feels like concrete.” In fact: Sandera once injured his toe: “It was almost severed, it just hung down,” explains the young athlete. Luckily for her, she was spotted by a boatman and brought ashore. From there she was taken away by ambulance. In the hospital, the toe was reattached with seven stitches. The next day Sandera still took part in the competition.
This is how foil surfing works
Thanks to the hydrofoil under the board, the so-called foil, the board is completely out of the water even with little wind. You glide almost a meter above the water at great speed. The athletes are fast at up to 60 km/h. “It’s like flying,” explains Sandera.
Despite such horror stories, the passion for the sport prevails. “It’s something fantastic, like flying,” Sandera tries to explain. “It’s actually an addiction,” she says. She has completely changed her life and lives in a camper. “Everything I have in my life is in this van,” says Sandera. Her name and numerous pictures of her are shown in large letters on the wagon. Her personal pride: a coffee maker. “As a teenager, I worked as a barista in cafes. Once you’ve had good coffee, that’s all you can do.”
The 20-year-old also shares her so-called “Van Life” on Instagram – an important platform for marketing herself. She rarely gets hate messages or suggestive texts. However, there are always people who would like to get to know you better. However, Sandera currently has no time for a relationship: “For me it has no place in life.” But she says: “At some point the time will come once more for a relationship.” But this probably only following the great Olympic adventure.
