Langenfeld Open 2025: Rivers and Trent confirm their title
The Langenfeld Open 2025 presented by Liquid Force marked once again the perfect start to the wakeboard contest season–and not only for the two winners, Rivers Hedrick and Trent Stuckey.
LANGENFELD OPEN 2025 presented by Liquid Force–that was over 70 riders, full banks around the wakepark, 15,000 dollars in prize money and two names that are now as much a part of the setup as the hacks themselves: Rivers Hedrick and Trent Stuckey.
Rivers stays cool – Nike surprises
The most exciting pairing of the day was already in the semi-finals of the Pro Women’s event, when Rivers Hedrick met Claudia Pagnini. Both fell and had already thrown in the towel, but Rivers moved on.
Anne Freyer, the 2019 LAO winner, actually already had her place in the final in the bag, as Elena Bodi crashed on the last hit in the second run. But then Anne surprisingly fell even earlier in the second run and so Elena moved up to the super final. In addition to Rivers and Nike, Elena and Courtney Angus completed the final round.
Nike Hauser from Düren drew attention to herself at LAO 2025
Courtney showed strong, tactically clever runs throughout the weekend. Rivers ultimately took the win–with her very first run. When she tried to go one better later on, she crashed on her first hit. Courtney had a similar fate.
Nike Hauser from Düren provided the biggest surprise of the day. At just 16 years old, she surprisingly made it to the super final–as the only German in the top 4. “Making it to the super final was completely unexpected for me–the other three girls are among my role models, who I only knew from Instagram beforehand,” she said after the contest. “Riding the course and all the people at the lake–it was great fun. I am over the moon.”
Trent Stuckey wins his fourth LAO title in a row
Trent Stuckey continues to write history: The 20-year-old US-American wins the title at LANGENFELD OPEN for the fourth time in a row. With a well thought-out run, strong air tricks and precisely placed rail combos, he came out on top in the super final with 85 points – just ahead of Liam Peacock (83.33) and Luke Holmes (60.33).
Particularly exciting from a German perspective: Max Milde from Duisburg, the 2022 World Champion, put in another strong performance. He beat Kieran Owens in a direct duel in the quarter-finals, but then had to concede defeat to the eventual winner Stuckey in the semi-finals.
Liam Peacock was nevertheless satisfied after the final: “That was the best run I’ve put in for a long time.” The fact that even this performance was not enough for the top spot only underlines how consistently strong Trent currently is.
Luke Holmes also made an impression in Langenfeld. With his distinctive style and huge kicker hits, the local from Elevated Wake Park made his way into the memory of the spectators and for many pro riders it was also the first time they had seen him live.
The young Frenchman Valentino Chiche secured fourth place–and is likely to attract even more attention in the future. With a massive Crow Mobe 540 and a dose of youthful recklessness, he showed that the technical level is there. What he still lacks is routine in the contest. But that should only be a matter of time.
Full banks, great atmosphere
Over the course of the day, around 5,000 spectators came to the Wasserski Langenfeld–more than had been seen for decades. Johannes Süß, who has run the facility for 49 years, was reminded of the great water ski competitions of the 1980s: “There was a euphoria, a crackling excitement here on the lake that I haven’t felt for a long time.”
There was also a lot of interest online: almost 20,000 viewers tuned into the livestream. If you missed it, you can watch it all again re-live here.
The champagne shower for the men...
Ergebnisse Pro Men
| Platz | Name | Land | Punkte |
| 1 | Trent Stuckey | USA | 85.00 |
| 2 | Liam Peacock | GBR | 83.33 |
| 3 | Luke Holmes | USA | 60.33 |
| 4 | Valentino Ciche | FRA | 50.00 |
Ergebnisse Pro Ladies
| Platz | Name | Land | Punkte |
| 1 | Rivers Hedrick | USA | 86.00 |
| 2 | Courtney Angus | AUS | 73.33 |
| 3 | Elena Bodi | SPA | 60.00 |
| 4 | Nike Hauser | GER | 46.00 |
... and women was a must!
What a start to the hot phase of the contest season and finally the organizers in Langenfeld had the deserved luck with the weather. The best thing is when the sun is shining and you can make yourself comfortable in the warmth around the lake.
The question that remains is: How to top it all? We’re sure the local crew already have plans and ideas for 2026 and that’s a good thing, because the event is simply hugely important for wakeboarding culture in Germany and internationally!
All photos: Lehnert
