Formula Kite World Championships, Kampman and Maeder lead in the opening day

Jessie Kampman leads the women and Max Maeder leads the men after a four-race opening day of the Formula Kite World Championships in Sardinia.

Taking place out of Poetto Beach in the district of Quartu Sant’Elena, the Worlds has attracted 96 riders, representing 29 countries and five continents. There was a nervous tension in the air as the riders got ready for the first day of competition. This is the first time the big names have all gathered in one place since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games more than a year ago.

It would be hard to predict who’s going to be fast out of the blocks, because some have trained hard while others have taken time away from kiteboarding to focus on other things in life since the Olympics.

TIME TO CHECK IN ON PROGRESS

The female Olympic gold and silver medallists have done limited training over the past year, but Ellie Aldridge from Great Britain and Lauriane Nolot from France would surely be able to rely on their past experience again. Jessie Kampman, who used to race for France, has now switched nationalities to the Netherlands and is keen to prove she’s as fast as ever.

In the men’s fleet, Olympic silver medallist, Toni Vodisek from Slovenia, and bronze medallist from Singapore, Max Maeder, are looking to continue their old rivalry. Maeder is the current World Champion but there are some up and coming talents to watch out for, notably Gian Stragiotti from Switzerland and Sam Dickinson from Great Britain.

The fleet left the beach with their biggest kites, looking to harness as much power as possible from the light to medium onshore breeze blowing from the south. 

PORT-TACK DAREDEVILS 

Some riders - like Karl Maeder from Switzerland and Jannis Maus from Germany - successfully executed some daring port tack starts across the front of the fleet as they started on starboard. It’s a high-risk move, because if you get your timing wrong it can lead to multiple pile-ups with the right-of-way starboard tackers. But get your timing right, and it can work wonders as you blast out into clear air, free to sail in your favourite, fastest mode. Both Maeder and Maus executed well, each finishing third in those particular port-tack-start races. Respectively they sit in seventh and eighth overall.

While Karl’s elder brother, Max Maeder, preferred to start more conventionally on starboard it did Singapore’s Olympic bronze medallist no harm at all. Not far behind are Slovenia’s Olympic silver medallist Toni Vodisekraw. Italy’s Riccardo Pianosi started poorly with an 18th but brushed that aside to score 2,1,1 and sits in second at the end of the day.

Switzerland’s young up-and-coming talent Gian Stragiotti has been very successful at youth level. Now sitting in third place on equal points with Pianosi, it looks like the Swiss rider has become world class at senior level. Not far behind are Slovenia’s Olympic silver medallist Toni Vodisek in fourth and Great Britain’s Sam Dickinson in fifth.