Danish kiteboarder James Jonson was crowned Champion at the IKA 2025 Masters World Championship, held at the Bilge Ozturk Kite Club on the shores of the Black Sea, as wild waves brought an early end to the final day of competition. 

With two-metre swells crashing onto Goga Beach just north of Istanbul, the Principal Race Officer deemed conditions unsafe, cancelling the final day’s racing. As a result, the overnight standings stood – handing 54-year-old Jonson his first overall IKA Masters title. 

Twenty-two kiteboarders from 13 countries and five continents had gathered for the annual event, where all competitors are aged over 35. Those aged 35 to 45 compete as “Masters,” while athletes over 45, like Jonson, proudly race as “Grand Masters.”

A bronze medallist in 2024 and a former Grand Masters champion, Jonson finally secured the top prize after years of persistence. “I’m very pleased to win the title,” he said after his triumph. “It was tough sometimes because we had big waves.” 

A social worker based in Aarhus, Jonson reflected on the mental escape that kitefoiling provides: “I do a pretty stressful job and hear about tough things, but on the water I can open my mind. You have to really concentrate when you foil – it’s difficult – so you forget everything and leave it all on shore.” Jonson praised the camaraderie among the riders, many of whom have raced together for years. .

“Obviously everybody wants to win, but off the water we are friends. We see each other and have a lot to talk about,” he said. “At our age, we’re not getting better – the challenge is maintaining our form.” 

He had previously tipped Argentina’s Federico Aguilar as one of his biggest rivals, but it was France’s Charles Hainneville who claimed second overall. At 35, Hainneville was the youngest rider in the fleet. His pace throughout the week pushed Jonson hard and marked him as one to watch in the years ahead.

Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the age spectrum, Turkey’s Mehmet Tekinel – the oldest competitor at 64 – made a celebrated return to competitive riding after a six-year hiatus. 

The Istanbul-based cancer surgeon even missed the first day’s racing as he was carrying out an emergency operation. “I don’t smoke or drink, and I work out in the gym three or four times a week,” he shared. “It’s not easy staying fit – it’s hard work.”