Lars van Breemen (25) from Huijbergen has become European champion among the juniors. After thirteen flights he was best in Slovak Prievidza. Van Breemen is European Champion for the first time.
And he sounds quite sober, in the car on his way to the Netherlands, but certainly also enthusiastic. “I have just performed well and constantly in recent weeks,” he explains his success.
Van Breemen flew around 150 to 300 kilometers a day. Always with start and landing at the same airport. “Fortunately, I always worked well with my flights and was always able to get the airport again. If you have to land somewhere in a field, it will of course cost your classification.”
Lars van Breemen comes from a real family of gliders, because his grandfather and his father also flew in a glider. “I try to fly every week on my home base Woensdrecht and during competitions, such as this European Championship, I naturally fly a lot.”
The whole life of Lars consists of gliding. Together with his father and mother, he runs a webshop in all whirlwind supplies, from clothing to aircraft parts. They also have two gliders. However, his two brothers did not start gliding. “They became sick once and started doing something else,” says Lars with a laugh.
Van Breemen was already fourth at both the European Championship and the World Cup and now he became champion in his last European Championship as a junior. “With gliding you are up to and including your 25th junior. This is my last year. Next year I will fly to the seniors.”
Look below for an impression of the European Championship whirligig for juniors in Slovakia: