Windsurfing
Meet Windsurfers Naish and Dunkerbeck, Red Bull's First Global Stars
Red Bull's sponsorship programme went global in 1994, when legendary watermen Robby Naish and Björn Dunkerbeck were signed as the company's first international sports stars.
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After supporting Austrian athletes for five years, Red Bull branched out into backing international sporting stars in 1994, and the first pair of athletes to join the roster were guaranteed to make a real splash — the two greatest windsurfers in history, Robby Naish and Björn Dunkerbeck.
Their signing represented a major breakthrough in watersport annals with California native Naish already seen as 'The Man', the finest windsurfer of them all, ever since he landed his first world title at the age of just 13. The half-Dutch, half-Danish superstar Dunkerbeck had then seamlessly taken on Naish's mantle as the best in the business.
They were to prove shrewd sponsorships as the pair continued to be the leading lights in their fields. Naish, the pioneer who'd won 24 world titles and who was his sport's greatest ambassador, enhanced his iconic status by reinventing himself as as a world champion kitesurfer and owner of a successful business, Naish Sails.
Björn Dunkerbeck and Robby Naish in action
© John Carter/Red Bull Content Pool
In the years that followed, the old rivals and great friends have continued their incredible success stories, with Naish, even now in his mid-50s, strengthening his reputation as the ultimate waterman, as he's moved effortlessly between sports and helped pioneer newer disciplines like stand up paddleboarding (SUP).
"I've been very lucky, very injury-free. I still love it, still have a variety I can choose. I windsurf, I kitesurf, I standup paddle, and I surf. There's no time to be bored. It's my playground, the place where I can express myself," Naish said.
Dunkerbeck? Well, even now he just keeps on winning, the ultimate champion of world champions. Nobody in any sport has won more than his 42 titles, the most recent of which he won in June 2016, when he was crowned Speed Windsurfing World Champion. Yes, he's still the fastest man on the water at the ripe old age of 46. "I've been working at this sport all my life," he said. "It's my passion, and I live for it every day. If I go without windsurfing for more than a day, I get itchy and can't wait to get out there."
Much like his pal, in fact. Naish and Dunkerbeck remain Red Bull's unsurpassed double act.
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