Antxón Otaegui, ex-professional windsurfer, owner of the windsurfing school ProCenter Lanzarote, and organizer of the EFPT- European Freestyle ProTour, the European Windsurfing Championship
Antxon was 6 years old when a neighbour gave him a windsurf board as a present; that was the start of his long relationship with the sport. Costa Teguise, which was close to his home, was his favourite place to go for his first sea outings during Lanzarote’s hot summers. He was entirely self-taught, but little by little he got to know the secrets of a sport that went on to become his life’s passion.
I started my relationship with windsurfing when I was 6 years old; my neighbour gave me a board and a windsurfing sail and that summer I was in the water all summer
He went to Madrid to study physiotherapy, but soon realised that it was not his place, and the following year he gave up his degree to focus on windsurfing. In 2003 he won a camp in Fuerteventura and earned a place to participate in his first Windsurfing World Championship.
My best results competing were obviously in the World Championship I won in Germany, the third place in Fuerteventura, in the World Championship, another third place here in Lanzarote when it was World Championship
He went on many trips and participated in many competitions over the course of more than 10 years of professional windsurfing. During his professional career, he won first place in the World Championship in Germany and third place in the World Championships in Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. He was ranked in the world top 10 for several years.
In the end I stopped competing, but I still love the sport
An ankle injury in 2012 put an end to his competitive career, and he decided to settle down on the island to start a family, having realised that this is one of the best places in the world to live. His relationship with windsurfing continued after he founded Pro Center Lanzarote, a windsurfing school located in Costa Teguise, which is perhaps his way of providing what he had to do without during his childhood.
After his return he was clear that Lanzarote’s windsurfing competitions should be kept alive, as the island offers ideal conditions for them. Along with his wife, Mar Boronat, and Eric Yoldjoglou, he is in charge of organising the European Freestyle Pro Tour championship in Lanzarote. In just a few years they have made it one of the most highly valued events by the competitors, and they have a project in place to make it a Windsurfing World Championship event once again in the next few years.
After everything I’d seen while travelling to windsurf, I finally realized that Lanzarote, and the Canary Islands in general, is one of the best places in the world to live.
