Winning isn't everything in life. And despite having been in the top 3 of almost every contest he's entered in the last 12 months, Axel doesn't seem to care about being the best. He likes demos and competitions because he feels like he can really show his best skating there and finding a good line at the skatepark is a pleasant challenge for him. Making a little bit of money by doing what he likes is a nice side effect of being on the contest circuit.

Axel hails from Poperinge, a little town in the west of Belgium. He started skating at the tender age of 8 on a cheap board that he got from his grandmother. At first he terrorized the street in front of his house and then moved on to the local skatepark with his friends from Poperinge. After three years of steady progression, Axel was ready to unveil his talent to the European scene. His first big contest was the 2005 WSR competiton in Rotterdam, where the little guy who was not afraid to throw down on the big obstacles impressed everybody. Axel got hooked up by etnies on the spot and Volcom followed shortly after.

Once he fully taps into his potential on a skateboard and is able to travel full time, the skate world will see what this next "next generation" skateboarder is capable of on the raw streets. Then we will realize that his achievements so far have been a walk in the (skate)park for Axel.