The Fuerteventura Wave Classic kicks off tomorrow after tonight’s opening ceremony, and to mark the occasion the FWC have released this interview with Irish competitor Mikey Clancy…

Mikey Clancy (IR-253) from Ireland, who is a passionate wavesailor, is back on track after a heavy injury. He will compete at the Fuerteventura Wave Classic, which will be started on Tuesday.

FWC: Hi Mikey, how are you doing? Could you fully recover from your foot injury?

Mikey: I am doing well had a nice Christmas at home in Ireland with family and a few cold windsurfing sessions. My ankle injury is fully recovered now. I have no pain when windsurfing with it and have sailed in some big swells this winter with it so I am pretty confident about competing in Fuerteventura.

FWC: Since when are you back in the waves again and how many percent are still missing, or are you 100% recovered again?

Mikey: Well since a couple of weeks after I got the cage off I was back on the water already, but back then I was still doing intensive rehab on my ankle to strengthen it up so I was only sailing back and forth. By the end of summer my ankle was already feeling stronger and almost better but I decided not to push myself and take the autumn winter season in Ireland to get back into wave sailing and jumping. I would say I’m 100% recovered but I have lost a lot of flexibility in the ankle itself as it is now fused but what the good thing is that my ankle just feels like my ankle as if its always been that way.

FWC: You will compete at the Fuerteventura Wave Classic 2011, which will start in the second week of February. Are you excited about this comeback in the competition after almost a 15 months long break without any competitions and less windsurfing?

Mikey: I am so excited to be back and doing what I love best, Its been a long journey but one that I feel has thought me some great lessons about life and how amazing it is to be doing what were doing. I can remember tuning into last year’s event watching every day the live updates whilst learning how to walk with the cage on my foot. So I am so pleased to be able to make it to this one this year.

FWC: What do you expect from the event? You did some Wave Classics already, perhaps the hardest one on La Reunion!

Mikey: Since the first Fuerte Wave Classic was on I wanted to do it. The event organisation looks really great along with the amazingly talented bunch of riders which will be on the Fuerte Wave Classic. The Wave Classic in Reunion was probably one of the standout trips of my life with sick conditions, loads of sailing, loads of fun, and some of the biggest stunts going down in the competition. I hope we get some nice swells and have another sick event and show to the world how good Europe can be and how great windsurfing is.

FWC: Do you know the North Shore of Fuerteventura?

Mikey: Well I have only been sailing on the south of the Island as a kid the young guns camp in Sotavento, so the spots up north are all completely new too me.

FWC: What gear will you bring on the island?

Mikey: I will take my S1s between 4.0 and 5.0 and few masts boom etc

74 Quad IQ and 86 Evo IQ for the light days.

FWC: What else will you bring for sure?

Mikey: My surfboard.

FWC: How did you prepare for the event?

Mikey: I’m training now doing some running, cycling gym work and windsurfing when I can. After my exams I took a flight out to Fuerteventura early around the 22nd of January and was lucky. I scored big at some really nice days. At the moment the wind is down.

FWC: Would you wish to get really big conditions like on the video event teaser?

Mikey: If we were to get a swell like that would be awesome. It will sort the men out from the boys for sure anyway.

Website: www.mikeyclancy.com