Alessio Stillrich (Fanatic / NorthSails) has been on most people’s radars since making his debut in 2009 with his trademark super tweaked pushloops really catching the eye. Since then Stillrich has become much more of a finished article and has seen his progressive approach to sailing rewarded with progressive results - making him one of the most dangerous wave sailors in the world tour when he’s on song. Stillrich is still just 22-years-old continues to improve year-on-year, so the real question is how far can he go? Time will tell.

Stillrich in Numbers -  Improvement over the last few years:

2014 - Ranked 20th2015 - Ranked 16th2016 - Ranked 12th2017 - Ranked 9th

And after an excellent comeback in the double elimination in Sylt - where Stillrich could’ve buckled under the pressure - he showed an extra level of maturity and ability to perform when it really matters to win 3 heats on the bounce to fight back into joint 9th, which then deservedly saw him finally reach his goal of breaking into the overall top 10 - Ranked 9th for 2017. After reaching one of his main goals we caught up with Alessio for an interview.

Hey Alessio, in August we caught up with you and you said you wanted to break into the overall top 10 for the first time in your career…. After Sylt you’ve managed to do just that - how does it feel and how was the season overall for you?

I am very happy that the season ended that well and to break into the overall top 10. This has been my goal over the last three years and I feel great now I have achieved it. Also, now I have the motivation to climb even higher next year! Thankfully, the season still ended well even though I had that bad result in the first event. [17th in Pozo]

You came into Sylt in joint 10th place and on course for your goal - but then in the single elimination disaster struck and you were knocked out in the first round after a jump was missed for Josep Pons and the result was later overturned…. what was going through your head at that point?

I was a bit sad because I think that the conditions in our heat were not really suitable and I felt that the heat should have been cancelled. After the heat I actually thought I had won it but the next day I was told that in the end I did not pass because of that forward from Pons that they had not scored. Anyways, I just tried to focus on the double and to come back as strong as possible to still reach my goal.

After the disappointment of the single elimination you were then drawn against your teammate and 8-time freestyle world champ - Gollito Estredo - who qualified into the main draw with almost perfect scores in the Qualification Round - how much pressure did you feel under against him?

I felt a lot of pressure in every heat as I knew how important it was to win every single one and Gollito´s masterclass in the trials heat did not help to relieve that pressure at all. Gollito has a lot of talent and he learns so fast! Anyways, the level of everybody on the tour is amazing and I think no matter who you face, you always have to give 100% and that’s what I tried to do against him too. 

You managed to sail well under extreme pressure to advance and then you continued your fight back by defeating Dany Bruch and Josh Angulo… do you feel like you are developing more as a competitor now and do you think you are better equipped to sail close to your best when under pressure now compared to a few seasons ago?

I think that experience is a very important factor. It takes a long time to figure out how to sail your heats. You have to learn how the judges score the jumps and especially the waves. You also have to know when to ride, when to jump or when to wait for the set wave, when to stop riding or when to stop jumping. If you start risking a lot in the beginning of the heat or if you leave it until the end... you can end up placing yourself under even more pressure and eventually that will catch up with you. 

So I think yes, with every heat I sail and every event that gets finished I learn more and more for the next one. The pressure also feels like it reduces with the experience you acquire as you feel more confident about yourself, especially if you win big heats and see that anything is possible if you do everything right. 

After achieving your goal of breaking into the overall top 10 - have you thought about your next goal already? Or are you taking a bit of time to enjoy your achievement?

Yes of course. I am vey happy with my 9th place and it felt great to be in the top 10 finally. As I have bettered up my ranking year-by-year I would say the goal for next season is to try and continue that upward trend by trying to better my 9th place from this year.

What would you say the highlight of your year was?

I think the highlight of this year was definitely the event in Tenerife where I finished 6th. This gave me a lot of motivation back after the disappointment of Pozo.

Were there any low moments that standout?

There were not too many bad moments, but if I had to try and choose one that stands out it would definitely be that 14 minute heat against Jules Denel in the double elimination in Pozo.

The close season has just begun - how will you be spending it?

I am back on Gran Canaria now and will try to search for wind all over the island. Also, if there is a good forecast for Fuerteventura or Lanzarote I will take the ferry to score it and sail in different spots. 

Thanks, Alessio. Congrats on breaking into the overall top 10. Have a good winter and see you next year.

You can stay up to date with all of Alessio Stillrich’s latest news and adventures via his Social Media Channels:

Facebook: @AlessioStillrich 

Instagram: @alessiostillrich