Breakout Rippers of 2025 | Leander Halm

At just 16 years old, Leander Halm (Starboard / Severne) has already been circling the freestyle spotlight for a while. Since making his tour debut at FPT Bonaire in 2023, Leander has been a constant presence on the Freestyle Pro Tour, steadily sharpening his sailing and visibly growing from event to event.

The season kicked off indoors at Boot Düsseldorf, where Leander finished 14th at the Tow-In World Cup against a hand-picked lineup of the world’s best freestylers. While the result itself might not jump off the page, the performance did. Holding his own in a pressure-heavy tow-in environment at such a young age was a teaser at the Tow-In progression that was to come later in the season.

FPT Sardinia was the first major proof of that Foilstyle leap. Entering a stacked Mixed Foilstyle Super Session alongside Maaike Huvermann, Yentel Caers, and Steven Van Broeckhoven, Leander finished an impressive 3rd. Not an easy crowd by any means. What set him apart was the depth of his Foilstyle bag, acquired in such a short period of time. Most notably his Shove-it Spocks on the foil, a move none of the other riders presented in that session, and one that made his sailing immediately stand out.

In the Pro Men’s fleet, Sardinia saw Leander finish joint-5th after a Round 2 exit in the single elimination, followed by a heat win in the limited double elimination that conditions allowed. In the Juniors fleet, he once again put on a strong showing, eventually stopped by event winner Cosmo Pezetti in the single. After just narrowly missing out in his loser’s final against local Ercole Rosso-Chioso, Leander claimed 4th place in the Youth and Juniors fleet, rounding out a seriously solid event across multiple categories.

Then came Geneva, the event where Leander arguably showed the most raw progression of any rider present. Foilstyle unfortunately never ran due to conditions, but Tow-In more than made up for it. Geneva 2025 marked a major milestone: Halm began landing his very first Double Air Rotations; the Burner 360/Pasko-style rotation that’s essential at the highest level of tow-in. What shocked everyone wasn’t just the move, but the consistency. Attempt after attempt, Leander was stomping doubles as if they’d been in his bag for years.

That consistency carried straight into the Tow-In Super Session ran during the Foilstyle block on Day 2. With no wind on the water, the tow-in show went ahead, and Leander proved his come-up was very real. Clean, stomped Double Air Rotations in both qualifiers and finals earned him a 3rd place finish, sitting just behind Lennart Neubauer and Yentel Caers.

An unlucky pair of crashes in the main event qualifiers kept him out of the finals, leaving him on the sidelines cheering on close friend and idol Lennart Neubauer, who went on to take the win.

Still, Geneva was a statement event. Leander had arrived. Naxos, however, was where he truly came alive

In the days leading up to the event, Leander was one of the standout riders in the light-wind warm-up sessions. Years of Bonaire training showed. He was consistently one of the last riders off the water, often sailing until full darkness, pushing harder and longer than most.

While Naxos didn’t deliver traditional freestyle wind, another Tow-In qualification was set, and Leander was ready. In a field of over 30 riders stacked with some of the best freestylers in the world, he went all the way to 4th place, narrowly missing out on a Top 3 Superfinal spot. In a fleet of that size and strength, finishing ahead of riders like Jacopo Testa or Lennart Neubauer is nothing to overlook.

The conditions were trickier than Geneva, with a smaller, less steep kicker, but Leander adapted fast. Double Air Rotations were once again on lock, some even thrown one-handed, landed cleaner than ever. Paired with consistent Double Funnels on his flatwater runs, the result was fully deserved.

At just 16 years old, Leander Halm is already one of the most diverse riders on tour. A deep and consistent trick bag, the ability to compete across all three disciplines, and an obvious obsession with freestyle that keeps him on the water at every possible moment. This season didn’t just show promise, it showed that Leander Halm is a name we’ll be hearing for a long time in the freestyle world.

A future FPT champion? We wouldn’t bet against it.