BBC Three men stand in a row with their arms around each other. One is wearing a bronze medal, one silver and one gold. The man on the left has brown hair and a beard, the man in the centre is wearing a light purple beanie hat, and the man on the right has brown hair. All three are wearing navy-coloured long sleeve tops. — Finn Hawkins (right), from Cornwall, started windsurfing aged 10

A windsurfer described his bronze medal as a “real breakthrough” after placing third at the iQFOiL European Championships in Italy.

Finn Hawkins, from St Austell, Cornwall, started windsurfing aged 10, after he spotted a windsurfer while out sailing a dinghy with his dad.

Despite having previous successes in youth, junior and under-23 competitions, 22-year-old Mr Hawkins said he had never “medaled or been close to a medal at a big senior competition”.

He said the venue in Sferracavallo, Palermo, had “massive cliffs surrounding the bay… and it caused a variety of conditions where it was really, really difficult.”

“I’ve had great support from British Sailing and the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) all the way through; I’ve been through their entire system since I was 11, so they’ve helped me to get where I am, and I am really grateful”, Mr Hawkins said.

“Once I got to that point where I was flying around, having a good time, it was like nothing else I’d done”, said Mr Hawkins.

Finn Hawkins has brown hair and is wearing a navy, button up fleece with a medal around his neck. He is holding out his hand with his thumb and pinky finger pointing outwards. He is smiling at the camera. — “Once I got to that point where I was flying around, having a good time, it was like nothing else I’d done”, said Mr Hawkins.

Mr Hawkins started windsurfing at Porthpean Beach 12 years ago after finding some old wind surf gear.

He said: “You spend a lot of time falling in and it’s not easy to even get to the stage where you’re going fast and having a good time.

“I think I just quite enjoyed the challenge, and how difficult it was to even get to the point where I saw the other windsurfer fly past me when I was in the dinghy. “

When asked about the iQFOiL World Championship in Weymouth, September 2026, he responded: “It’s massive.

“We very, very rarely get any sort of sailing class event in England… so that’s going to be super exciting and that’s the what I’m working towards now.”

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