Glen Hills flowboarder wins world title
It was the 38-year-old's first world title win in eight years after announcing his retirement from the sport of flowriding.
GLEN Hills flowboarder Billy Tenant was one of the standouts at this year’s World FlowBarrel Championships in Chile, winning the pro men’s Prone Bodyboard division title.
It was the 38-year-old’s first world title win in eight years after announcing his retirement from the sport of flowriding.
Incredibly, he also placed second in the Drop Knee Division at the competition held at the La Ola Mall Sport in Santiago.
“When I announced my retirement after my eighth world title, I never thought I would be back competing at the highest level. However, when I got an invitation from the event organisers, I felt, ‘Why not go back one last time?’ I had meant to travel last year when they restarted the FlowRider tour, but the stars aligned for this event in Chile. My goal was to get on the podium, at least get into the top three and do the best I could while having fun.
“I’m a competitor at heart, though, and reuniting with some of the top flowboarders from around the world just brought out my competitive spirit. I think I also built momentum over the days leading up to the finals. Having not been on a FlowRider in years, I was able to get through qualifying, the quarter-finals and then the semis and final. I will say the local Chilean riders have gotten better, so the competition was incredibly tough,” he said.
With the closure of the FlowRider at the Wavehouse at Gateway several years ago, Tennant had to rely on muscle memory and incorporate functional fitness into his routine.
“I actually did CrossFit training with the Koshin Box in Durban North. The plan was to get my core right, and I feel arriving in Chile a week before the championships helped, as well. I was able to finesse my tricks and get the technical aspects of riding on the FlowRider. There was also a lot of muscle memory because your body doesn’t forget controlling the board under you – it’s like riding a bicycle – you never forget,” he said.
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