Valentin Bontus and Ellie Aldridge soared to victory in the first ever Formula Kite races hosted at an Olympics. Austria’s Bontus won the opening race in the Men’s Kite and he followed that up with second in race two, which was enough to rank him second after the first four races. Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek also started strongly, placing second in the inaugural race, and he followed that up with a win in race three.
Former world champion Vodisek enjoyed the best day of all the sailors and sits top of the standings, right above Bontus.
Tennage sensation Max Maeder won the second race of the day, but a DNF in the last race means he sits third overall, tied on points with Bontus.
Great Britain’s Aldridge made history by winning the Women’s Kite curtain raiser, and followed that performance with back-to-back second place finishes.
France’s Lauriane Nolot narrowly edged in front of Aldridge in the overall rankings, carried by a win in race two, though the French and British athletes are level on points.
USA’s Daniela Moroz got in on the action at the end of the day, winning race four, to take third in the standings.
Bontus said: “Crossing that finish line of the first race in the lead, it was an amazing feeling. I tried to stay calm, because it’s just one race of many that I want to win here.”
Aldridge said: “Winning the first race of a new Olympic discipline was cool. My coach always says the first race of the day is the easiest to win. I’m glad I could just get a good start and get out in front. It was really cool.”
Nolot said: “It’s quite a good feeling to be leading after day one, although it’s not properly leading because I’m on equal points with Ellie. “I have been waiting for this moment for so long, and it’s a bit horrible to be starting last because all my friends are racing or they have finished already. I am sharing a room with Charline [Picon] so it’s pretty good to have someone who brings good vibes. She’s giving me energy, so it’s pretty sick.”
Moroz said: “It’s almost like first day of school jitters, but this time it’s first day at the Olympics, you know. So I got those jitters out of the way in the first couple races and I felt like I had a really solid couple of races. It’s good just to put some solid scores on the board.”
Vodisek said: “It’s really exciting to get a bullet on the Olympic stage. I didn’t know that I’m in first place until I found out from reporters. That’s pretty cool I guess. “I’m going home to play a video game, League of Legends. I hope I can win that too.”
HOW IT WORKS
Opening Series: On the first four days of the competition, riders compete in up to 16 races, with the objective to earn as high a ranking as possible. The top two at the end of this Opening Series qualify automatically for the Grand Final, while those ranked 3rd to 10th go into the Semi-Finals.
Semi Finals: Those 8 remaining riders are split into two equal strength semi-finals. The goal is to pick up three race wins, with the higher ranked in each semi-final carrying over two race wins, while the second in each semi-final carries over one race win. One rider from each semi-final, qualifies to make up a final four in the Grand Final.
Grand Final: The leader from the opening series starts with two race wins, and the second ranked has one. The goal is to secure three race wins, with competition ending as soon as someone achieves this. That means that the Grand Final can last from a single race to as many as six.