Back-to-back World Champion. Full-time doctor. And still pushing what’s possible in Hydrofoil Big Air.
Andrea Zust has successfully defended her GKA Hydrofoil Big Air World Championship title, claiming the 2026 crown in Sylt — the same place where her GKA journey began just three years ago.
We caught up with Andrea to talk about defending her title, balancing life in the emergency department with competing at the highest level, the gear behind her performance, and where she wants to take Hydrofoil Big Air next.
Andrea, World Champion again! Has it sunk in yet, and how does this title compare to the ones before it?
Andrea: I still haven’t understood it yet no! It’s surreal. It feels extra special to have won the title in Sylt, Germany, as it was there three years ago that I competed in my first ever GKA competition. Back then we didn't have enough girls to get a female division going so I was competing against the men. This also meant I had heats against Peer and Lorenzo.
What was your mindset going into the event, knowing you were there to defend the title?
Andrea: As work was very demanding the past six months, I felt very unprepared for the event. This made me very nervous because on the one hand I told myself it would be ok not to win as I was focusing on work on the other hand I wanted so win so badly. So I guess I went into the competition with a very confusing mindset – I was focused yes, but more nervous than at the previous competitions.
Winning a World Title is one thing, but staying at the top is another. What keeps you hungry to keep progressing after already achieving so much?
Andrea: The fun of it is my main motivation. I love being on the water, the joy of landing new tricks and I’m very driven. So having a competition as a goal to train towards is exciting and helps me progress faster and learn new tricks with intent.
DOCTOR ON LAND, WORLD CHAMPION ON THE WATER
You’re not only competing at the highest level, you’re doing it while working as a full-time doctor. What does a normal week actually look like when you’re trying to balance medicine, training and competition?
Andrea: I don’t really have “normal” weeks at the moment. I work in a 4 shift-model including late- and night shifts in the emergency department so I have very irregular hours and working days – every week is different. I try to get on the water at least twice a week. On days where there’s no wind and I can find the energy before or after work, I go to the gym where I balance strength and cardio training. Also, I spend all my holidays on kite training trips.
Medicine and Hydrofoil Big Air seem like two completely different worlds. Do you think being a doctor has shaped the way you approach training, pressure or risk on the water?
Andrea: For sure I’ve become less risk-ready since I know how some injuries can change your life for ever. I would say I’m more calculating and strategic about my training and competitions. I’ve also learned to keep it more balanced – just training on the water alone isn’t enough.
When life gets busy and water time is limited, how do you make sure the sessions you do get really count?
Andrea: I usually set myself specific session goals – I spend the first half of the session repeating the tricks I know and the second half trying new ones. I keep a trick list with all tricks I know, think about how I can improve those and have a list of tricks I want to learn next. I’m realistic about what new tricks I want to learn and don’t skip steps in between (like learning a one-foot before a bord-off).
THE GEAR
What have you been riding on the competition and what makes it the perfect set-up for the challenging conditions?
Andrea: For the heats with lighter wind I went for the Thrive V2 – for airstyle tricks it feels more intuitive to me, I like the balance between power, bar pressure and hangtime. The new version of the Thrive also has better hangtime than the previous one, this gave me a little more time to do my tricks. Then for the stronger wind heats I took the Peak. I like it especially for looping as it generates more forward pull but also catches me faster, this way landings are soft, which is especially important on the hydrofoil where you need to take the speed out of the landing before actually landing (you can’t land with the same speed as with a twintip).
Hydrofoil Big Air puts very specific demands on a kite. What are you looking for from your gear when you’re pushing at World Championship level?
Andrea: For me, a kite needs to be light on the bar so that I don’t get pulled over the board when it’s gusty and so I can hold my edge longer without being overpowered. This way I can also kite longer without losing energy in my arms. But then it’s also important that the kite still has good power, hangtime and is fast despite the low bar pressure and that I still feel where it is in the wind window without having to look up. Harlem did an amazing job with this with all kite models, even with the Peak – I never felt comfortable foiling on a five-strut kite before because I was constantly overpowered – now I prefer the Peak in strong winds even.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE TITLE
Peer has been such a big part of your foiling journey, and you’re both still competing and travelling together.
Andrea: What does having your partner alongside you bring to your riding? Peer is my biggest hydrofoil idol as it’s thanks to him I even started foiling in the first place. He is always so motivated and driven when he is on the water and rarely gets frustrated when he has troubles learning a new trick. He is also my biggest fan, hyping everything I do. Training with him inspires me to learn new tricks and be more “aggressive” in my riding style in order to get better height on jumps and be more extreme. He gets me out of my comfort zone from time to time which I need to progress.
WHAT'S NEXT
You’ve already reached the top of your discipline, but what can Andrea Zust still do better?
Andrea: What are you working on right now? Definitely rotations! I can do multiple rotations but am still scared to do them when I jump higher. And I need to do them higher to do more rotations. It’s a dilemma. I really want to be able to do a nice tornado spin as high as possible.
Hydrofoil Big Air is still evolving incredibly quickly. Where do you think the discipline can go next — and what would you personally love to bring to it?
Andrea: I’m not sure what the trend will be the next years. In foiling in general there are a lot of new innovations and sport – just look at how winging and pumpfoiling has suddenly appeared and grown. We do however see that more and more people are competing in hydrofoil big air each year and that suddenly riders from other disciplines (strapless and twintip) are now also competing against us. I personally think I’m doing my part in motivating other girls to start jumping with the foil and to start competing, as I’m one of the few female riders training in strong winds doing different loop tricks. I was so happy to see how many girls we had in this year’s competition – even more than in the strapless division!
Finally: another World Title, a medical career and plenty more still ahead. What’s the next dream?
Andrea: The last three years have been very turbulent with many challenges, lots of studying, training, competing, one or two family crisis and work. For now, I haven’t set myself a next specific goal yet – I want to let things settle a little bit and just enjoy my win in Sylt. Let’s see what the competition future holds!
Follow Andrea Zust on Instagram here.
