Matilda Roux

Tell us more about how you got started in kitesurfing.

I started kitesurfing with my family and was immediately hooked. We’d always go to countries where we could kite, and my parents would plan our days off depending on the wind. A bit later, I left everything behind, and moved to Leucate where I went to boarding school to be able to kite as much as possible. I even went to school wearing a poncho!

What do you do before getting in the water? 

I warm up and do some stretching exercises while listening to music to pump me up.

Tell us your best riding memory.

When I won the Tarifa leg of the Junior World Championship tour. There were 30 knots, it was very hard, I was overpowered with my 7 m² but at the end of my heat, I saw that my coach Nicolas Delmas was happy for me because I was first and I had landed all my tricks. I called my dad, who was watching the competition live, and he was crying tears of joy. That’s my best memory so far, because I shared my victory with all the people who were important to me. It was at that moment that I realized that with a lot of training, I could achieve a lot and above all succeed in the senior category too.

Worst wipeout? 

My worst moment was when I injured my knee. I felt like I was at my best and improving so much at the time. I found it really hard to get back on track, to watch others progress, travel and train when I couldn’t. I felt like I was losing everything. So I doubled down, went to the gym, went to my physio twice a day, did mental preparation. All I was waiting for was to get back in the water and make this ordeal a strength.

Who do you like to say thank you to? 

To my sponsors for supporting me, because I’m lucky to be part of a real family at F-ONE and MANERA. But above all to my family, who have always supported me in my choices to become a professional athlete, who has accompanied me and given me the strength to get there and never give up.

A few words on your F-ONE quiver.

I feel confident with my F-ONE equipment. I have no fears about how the kite will react, about the solidity of the lines… I trust my gear with my eyes closed. In fact, it’s what got me into Big Air in the first place. With the TRIGGER, it was immediately easier and much more comforting to send it!