Vincent Valkenaers nearly set a new windsurfing speed world record at the 2019 Luderitz Speed Challenge in Namibia.
Four years and 15 days later, Antoine Albeau's long-lasting world record of 53.27 knots was nearly broken.
This time, the Belgian windsurfer reached 53.25 knots, which means he fell short of a historical record by 0.03 knots.
Initially, the organization thought the record had been broken - 53.33 knots (61.37 miles per hour or 98.76 kilometers per hour) - but the video timing controller had other numbers.
Despite the disappointment, Valkenaers set a new national speed windsurfing record.
Nuclear Winds
The conditions on the famous canal were excellent, with winds gusting to 60 knots. On his 12th run, Vincent Valkenaers was able to scratch Albeau's legendary attempt.
In fact, the Belgian was already racing fast down the 500-meter speed strip.
Before hitting the 53.25 knots, he sailed above 50 knots for no less than four times. It was only a matter of time before he raised the bar.
Vincent Valkenaers was born on March 1, 1994, in Mechelen, Belgium.
The windsurfers achievements need to be ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) before being added to the list of speed sailing world records.