Teenage twins, Alfie and Archie Luxton from Exmouth, are officially in the top five in the world for kitesurfing.
The acrobatic duo, who attend Exmouth Community College, took to the global stage in recent freestyle kitesurfing events staged in France and Spain, achieving fantastic results to be placed in the top five.
Alfie and Archie only took up the sport three years ago and finished in the top two at the British Freestyle Championships in 2021.
This love of the sea definitely runs in the family, with mum Ruthy a swimming teacher and dad Terry a former champion windsurfer.
“They have just returned from France with their dad Terry, who is their caddy, coach and mentor. They have been competing in the 2nd part of the Global Kitesurfing association youth world tour,” said Ruthy.
“The first part was in Spain back at the beginning of September, when Archie came 3rd and Alfie finished 5th.
“At the 2nd event In France this October, Archie came 2nd and Alfie was 5th again, meaning they have both done really well, accumulating points from both competitions, Alfie has finished 5th U16’s freestyle kitesurfer overall and Archie is vice world champion in the U16’s freestyle kitesurfer category.
“We, as parents, could not be prouder, they both work very hard at kitesurfing and at school. Alfie and Archie both said the competition in their age category was very high and they have made some amazing kitesurfing friends from all over the world, who we all hope to visit next year for them to train together.
“They were water babies from a young age and Exmouth is absolutely perfect for kitesurfing, we have the estuary and the sea to kitesurf at different tide and wind conditions.
“We are so grateful to their sponsors ‘Slingshot’ and ‘Edge Watersports’ for believing in them from when they only just started kitesurfing at the age of 11. This has helped them get to where they are today.
“Our boys still work really hard at school and we try to make sure they still take their education seriously. Their school, Exmouth Community College, have been amazingly supportive of both of them. Alfie and Archie were called in to the Principals’ office to be awarded an inspiration award.”
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