Danish Open 2026: Vingaard defends Danish Crown in Cold Hawaii

20 riders battling it out across two competition days leading up to a title battle that went down to the wire, The Danish Open Freestyle finale of 2026 brought the heat to Cold Hawaii.

With Competitors coming from Denmark and Germany for two days of action at Krik Vig and Sennels, the competition saw a classic Danish Open format, with both a “Freestyle A” and “Freestyle B” fleet, with the latter giving developing riders a chance to gain competition experience and test their skills in a supportive competitive environment. With six juniors also entering the event, the young talent in Danish and German freestyle was also on full display here.

Day 1: Matthias Vingaard and Arne Jörn Set the Stage

A strong southerly breeze and tricky, choppy waters welcomed competitors to Krik Vig. In the A-fleet, defending champion Mathias Vingaard and last year’s runner-up Arne Jörn quickly established themselves as the riders to beat, both dominantly fighting their way through the fleet and into the single-elimination final.

“AJ” showed his full arsenal of power moves that we saw on display during his impressive run at the FPT Brouwersdam not too long ago, while FPT veteran and reigning Danish champion Matthias Vingaard returned to competition after a serious hip injury had threatened his participation just weeks earlier. Back on the water and firing, the defending champion pulled out all the big single moves, with Culos, Burners, Skopus and his signature Shove-It Spocks as he tore his way through the field.

The final showdown saw Arne start putting together a strong heat, but he struggled to fill out his scoresheet towards the latter half of the heat in the tricky conditions allowing Vingaard’s consistency and move variety to take the win. Local rider Kasper Gaj claimed third after an impressive performance against Danish vice-champion Nicolai Frandsen, finishing up a strong opening day for the home crowd.

The competition was far from over however, as the forecast for the next days looked good; meaning a Double Elimination was very much anticipated, giving the riders who fell in the earlier rounds of the single a chance to fight back for a spot on the podium.

Day 3: Big Comebacks and a Title Decider

After a lay-day, the action moved to Sennels for the double elimination. In the double, the FPT Media Crew’s very own Ben Behrendt delivered one of the day’s standout comeback performances, winning five consecutive heats before meeting Kasper Gaj in a nail-biting battle. With just 0.68 points separating them, Gaj’s Shaka in the dying moments of the heat ended up being just enough to advance.

Another standout moment was when, Simon Præbel landed his first-ever flaka in a competition heat. At the end of the Double Bracket, Arne Jörn won his heat against Kasper Gaj to once again make it to the end of the bracket and earn another shot at Vingaard. The rematch would decide the Danish title, and this time the defending champion left little room for doubt.

Vingaard scored 26.28 points against Jörn’s 18.20 to secure the A-fleet title. The highlight was an outstanding spock culo late in the heat, so strong that it didn’t even make his five highest-scoring tricks. After arriving in Cold Hawaii uncertain whether he could compete at all, Matthias had completed an impressive comeback to defend his crown.

Women’s Fleet Battle and The Next Generation Makes Its Mark

The event’s growing junior fleet provided another highlight, with six young riders demonstrating the depth of emerging freestyle talent. Fourteen-year-old Mattis Haug who made his Freestyle Pro Tour debut in Naxos 2025 impressed showing a wide variety of moves including Ponches, Switch Konos, Spocks and Flakas, while Arne Jörn took the junior title ahead of Behrendt and Jasper Debbert. With the junior final unable to be completed as the wind faded, the single-elimination results determined the final standings.

The women’s competition saw experienced FPT competitor Melina Schütt take the title ahead of Pia Paschvoss, who also enjoyed a breakthrough event. Competing in her first freestyle competition, the German rider won both B-fleet eliminations with a stylish mix of Airjibes, Duck Jibes and Hand Drags. Philip Hohwy also made a strong comeback in the B-fleet double elimination, climbing from fourth in the single elimination to second overall. Bruno Jörn completed the podium.

From the DBO Organisers: A huge congratulations to all competitors, and a huge thank you to the organisers, judges, volunteers and supporters who made the Danish Open Freestyle 2026 possible. See you next season!