Meet the 29er Fleet: Under 17 Men's World Champions 2022, Soma Kis-Szölgyémi and Sámuel Juhász
by International 29er Class 19 Jan 2023 06:17 PST
Soma Kis-Szölgyémi and Sámuel Juhász © International 29er Class
How long have you sailed the 29er?
We started sailing the 29er exactly a year ago.
What do you love about sailing the 29er and the racing?
Speed, adrenaline rush, the need to make quick decisions
What are your strengths as a team? Who does which jobs in the boat and what are you both good at?
We never give up, push each other, and fight for every single point. Soma, our skipper, has a really good feel for the boat. Samu, has a very good eye for downwind tactics.
Why do you think you've been so successful in the 29er?
We started to sail at a very young age. Thanks to our incredible coaches we both have developed a very good vision on the water. Soma became a very experienced and successful Optimist racer, while Samu has developed incredible speed and balance in his former other sport, alpine skiing. These skills combine very well in the 29er - being best friends with each other for 10 years does help too.
Who/what has inspired you and your successes?
Our Dads and our trainers, plus we inspire each other a lot.
What are your goals for the 2023 season?
In the coming season our goal is to defend our U17 World title, and get better in the overall rankings, for which we have to further develop our racing skills.
Do you have any top tips for people just starting in the 29er and those looking to improve their performance for next year?
For starters: have lots of fun, plenty of training, especially in big wind and big waves, that's the best part anyway. To develop, teams have to both believe in themselves and listen carefully to their coaches. And eat lots of chocolate cookies in the rib, like we do!