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MARC PARÉ: DEFINING MOMENT!

For Marc Paré, the path to becoming the 2025 World Wave Champion has been anything but smooth sailing. The Spanish sailor has spent years grinding away on tour, weathering injuries, enduring sponsorship woes and working on his equipment with a relentless passion. This season, his persistence finally paid off. After clinching victory in the brutal, storm-lashed waters of Sylt and holding his nerve through the pressure-cooker showdown at Ho’okipa, Paré secured his first world title… a moment he describes as equal parts disbelief and relief. In this exclusive interview… the new world champion reflects on the emotions of that defining week, the years of sacrifice behind the scenes and why, at the end of it all, his greatest motivation remains simple: “I just love windsurfing!

Photos: Fish Bowl Diaries / PWA / World Wave Tour…John Carter / PWA / World Wave Tour

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WINDSURF: Congratulations on winning your first world title…How does it feel to be able to you are the 2025 world wave champion?

MARC PARÉ: “Thank you so much! It feels amazing and it’s a huge relief after working so hard towards this goal for so many years. At the same time, I don’t think I fully understand or believe the calibre of this accomplishment.”

WINDSURF: How was your mindset coming into and during the event?

MARC PARÉ: “I was just really focused and doing my thing and playing my game to try and do my best sailing and defend my first place the best way I could. We all know how good Braw’ is at sailing Ho’okipa, so I didn’t want to give him any slack and definitely didn’t want to leave it up to him. In the end I didn’t manage to defend it the way I wanted but at the same time super happy with my sailing throughout the event, to finish 5th at the Aloha and of course to clinch the World Title!”

WINDSURF: Did you get a few days sailing after Sylt to warm up and test gear before Hookipa?

MARC PARÉ: “I did, but only 4 days, which wasn’t much time to either adjust to the Jet-lag / journey nor to get 100% back to the Ho’okipa rhythm. In a way, I prefer like the previous years when we have a bit more time between the two events, as Ho’okipa is always a tricky place to get back in rhythm with.”

WINDSURF: Coming to Maui it was a very close battle…how did it feel when you went out in the first semi-final and then Marcilio made it through to the final?

MARC PARÉ: “As you say it was a close battle coming into Maui, as even if I was sitting ahead with a good advantage points-wise, the scenario that Braw needed for him to become World Champion, was totally possible. When I didn’t advance to the finals, I was really pissed and broken. I really took it like losing the title there. As I mentioned, my plan was to not leave it up to Braw to decide, I wanted to defend my place by getting into the top 3, so he didn’t have any options. So losing was really hard to take with the title being so close to achieve. But I was extremely happy it went my way in the end!”

WINDSURF: What did you do after the heat when you were eliminated…did you cry…Did you watch the other heats?

MARC PARÉ: “I think I hadn’t been this upset in a long time, even if my chances were still there. Yes, I cried and tried to take in the loss. Called my family and chilled in the car and watched F1 to not have a heart attack watching the event unfold… But before the final I called my dad and he told me to watch the final and whatever the outcome, to enjoy every moment. So that’s what I did, and can’t explain how amazing, nerve-racking and special that was. Sitting there with my friends cheering on and giving me company and having my parents on the phone was just insanely special. It’s a moment I will never forget. The nerves, the happiness, the relief, the love… was just a super intense and unique moment.”

WINDSURF: Did you have any words with Marcilio after the final?

MARC PARÉ: “I did, and he congratulated me. I think he was happy to see me win despite not winning it himself. He is a super amazing athlete but also a super nice and kind human being. On top of that he understands the effort and what it takes to get here.”

WINDSURF: What did you do to celebrate…who did you call etc?

MARC PARÉ: “We went with a few of my friends and grabbed some sushi after the contest was over. My other friends were waiting for me to go party, but I fell asleep on Ricardo’s couch ha ha. I think after all the stress I went through, as soon as my body had the chance to relax, everything caught up to me…”

WINDSURF: What were the conditions like this year at the Aloha and what gear were you riding?

MARC PARÉ: “It was some pretty fun conditions with logo to mast high waves from the NW and wind for 4.7m / 5.0m throughout the whole contest. So, I’d say we scored some pretty good Ho’okipa conditions!

WINDSURF: Before Maui, you won the final in gnarly bolt onshore Sylt…what was it like transitioning to riding Ho’okipa after going to battle in a storm in Sylt?

MARC PARÉ: “It’s a pretty big contrast. Even if I’ve spent a lot of time on Maui training over the years, it always takes around a week or so for me to get fully back in sync with the spot. It’s not that much about the moves or turns you can do on the wave, but more about the timing with the wave and in my case specially how to pick the right waves between all the competitors and sailors that are also looking to get the right waves.

WINDSURF: How satisfying was it to win in Sylt and what was it like to compete in bang onshore stormy conditions?

MARC PARÉ: “It was super nice! Especially revalidating my title from last year. I weirdly really enjoy the stormy tricky conditions the North Sea has to offer.

WINDSURF: Were you scared to even go out in the morning or did you want to compete come what may?

MARC PARÉ: “Everyone seemed concerned and a bit scared to go out, even my dad was scared for me. But I was in a state of mind where I was really excited to compete and go sail. I had been training a lot leading up to the event in those kind of conditions and even went early to Sylt on a similar forecast to train. So, I was actually feeling in a really confident in those kind of conditions and I felt like I could have a slight edge over the others. I also knew that it was my “chance” to take advantage over Braw in the World title Race, so I preferred to go out and compete than sitting on the beach and call it a day.”

WINDSURF: You have obviously put in a lot of hard work over the years to win the title…how satisfying does it feel to achieve your goal?

MARC PARÉ: “It feels like a huge relief, but I don’t think I fully comprehend the achievement, yet… But I’m more motivated than ever. And there’s one thing that I’ve learned from this World Title, and is that I f*** LOVE Windsurfing!!! And after all, the world title was just a goal and what really is driving me is just the sport itself and what gives me all the time!”

WINDSURF: Does it feel different when you rock up at the beach now knowing that you are a world champion?

MARC PARÉ: “Not for me, no… I still feel the same as before and I don’t really like or want to be famous. I just want to windsurf and do my thing!”

WINDSURF: How was the social media response when you won?

MARC PARÉ: “It was quite crazy actually. I felt a lot of support and love from the whole windsurfing community, which was a super nice feeling that people could see how hard I had worked for this and were happy for me!”

WINDSURF: Who would you like to thank?

MARC PARÉ: “I’d like to thank all my family, friends, current sponsors, old sponsors, physical trainers, doctors and my mental coach… Everyone that has been part of this to make this puzzle complete and has helped me in anyway get to where I am today. We are all part of this achievement! But, if I can give a special thank you is to firstly my parents, that have sacrificed SO much for me and helped me with everything they could; and secondly to Simmer Style that was the first brand to believe in me and support me when I was just a kid and that have now gone above and beyond offering me everything I needed and have provided me with gear that I could have only ever dreamed of having. Without all of you, this wouldn’t have been possible!”

WINDSURF: What are your plans for 2026?

MARC PARÉ: “My plan is to keep on training hard and focus on improving my sailing as much as I can and work tightly with Simmer Style to make the best windsurfing equipment ever!”