Leon Glatzer was born to German parents on Maui, who after a stint in California, traveled to Costa Rica on a surf trip and never left. Glatzer grew up in the small fishing village of Pavones; home to one of Latin America’s longest and best left-handers.

While the wave is a mechanical point break, Glatzer was always known for his massive aerial moves. Standing well over six feet tall, he forged a name mainly as a freesurfer whose explosive unpredictability was his USP.

However, when surfing was included in the Olympics, the goofy footer knuckled down and applied his serious talents to the competitive zone. He won QS events in 2018 and 2019 showing he could grind heats when it mattered.

During the pandemic-induced break in competition in 2020, he stayed in the spotlight with a series of high-flying clips filmed at home in Pavones. The whole time though he was training with the German national team and remained incredibly focused on his dreams of representing Deutschland.

The focus came off when he claimed an Olympic spot at the 2021 ISA World Surfing Games, compiling the highest heat total of the entire event on the way. He headed to Tokyo as the sole German surfer and one of the lowest-ranked surfers in the field. Yet the last few years have shown that he is a serious competitor with serious talent.

Instagram: @leonglatzer