Adam Lewis started his 2017 PWA campaign with a serious ankle injury and ended it with a career best of 5th in the Men’s wave rankings. It may have been a surprise to some,but not to anyone who knows the dedication of the 29 year old Englishman to his sport and ambitions. Adam is testament to hard work brings results. From humble beginnings to a place on the Fanatic / North international team and a result that puts him amongst the world’s wavesailing elite, Finn Mullen sits down with Adam to talk about his stellar year and rise to the top.
Adam Lewis hails from Taunton, a town in South West England, inland from the coast. It’s not known for its windsurfing but that wasn’t going to stop Adam. His first steps were at Durleigh, a reservoir close to his home, where he progressed under the Royal Yachting Association’s Team 15 initiative. Success as a youth on the race course followed and along with his friends, Graham Woods and George Shillito, ‘Team AirBorn’ was formed to help channel their competitive skills. Branching out into wave and freestyle, a move to Tenerife as a young man saw Adam find his calling as a wave sailor. Entering his first PWA event in 2007 at Tiree he steadily climbed through the ranks through passion and devotion to his craft. In 2017 however, something changed, building all-important momentum in results and confidence in his ability he finished 5th in the world with the respect of his peers and congratulations from fans and friends on the back of a deserved result for years of tireless training.
FM: Let’s rewind to the start of 2017 – busted ankle as the competitive season is about to get underway. What was your mindset back then and how did you plan to overcome the injury?
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