Italian windsurfer Francesco Cappuzzo has a few strings to his boom. He competes on both the PWA freestyle and wave tours, no surprises there, plenty of sailors dabble in both, but how many do you also know compete on the Professional Kitesurfing GKA tour?
Francesco is currently the only member of that club and recently finished in fifth place at the opening stop of the 2019 GKA wave tour in epic surf at Cabo Verde. At home in flat water as much as he is in rolling swell, Francesco has a reputation for making the most of any conditions. John Skye profiles the affable Italian and helps us learn more about his many talents.
John Skye – When I first started windsurfing it was normal for everyone to do everything. Robby Naish, Bjorn Dunkerback and Nik Baker were masters of all disciplines, from racing on longboards, to ripping it up in the waves. By the time I turned pro however those days were already starting to disappear, and right now there is very little cross-discipline pollination. Breaking this mould however is a young rider from Italy, who takes crossdiscipline to another level. Francesco Cappuzzo is not only a world force in freestyle and wave windsurfing, but also in kitesurfing. At the age of 21 he already has multiple national titles across both sports and has ranked in the top 10 World Cup in both kite and windsurf. I caught up with him during the annual RRD distributor meeting on the island of Sardinia to find out how it all started.
FC: Since I was born I took my father as my idol, the perfect example to follow! So whatever things he was doing, I was always into. He introduced me to the whole range of watersports when I was three and from that moment I was hooked and never did anything else. I am from Palermo Sicily, so we have great conditions for everything. I started with a surfboard, until I was old enough to windsurf and then at the age of 13 I started to ride a kite as well. I was able to do all of this thanks to my parents, but also thanks to my home spot that is Puzziteddu. This is the best place to grow up and to try all kinds of watersports in a safe place.
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