2024 KiteFoil World Series Italy – Day 1
by International Kiteboarding Association 3 Oct 01:06 PDT
2-5 October 2024
2024 KiteFoil World Series Italy – Max Maeder – not as fierce as he appears © IKA Media / Robert Hajduk
The French athletes excelled after five challenging races on a difficult first day of the KiteFoil World Series Sardinia.
Axel Mazella, a three-time winner of the Kitefoil World Series, leads the standings, with the Frenchman just one point ahead of Singapore’s Max Maeder. In the women’s category, a solid finish for France’s Jessie Kampman has placed her ahead of Israel’s Gal Zukerman.
Vibrant Colors on Display
Today’s racing showcased the most vibrant assortment of colors the KiteFoil World Series has seen in over two years. After a period dominated by the uniform green and grey of Flysurfer kites, a new generation of kites designed for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle is now brightening the racecourse with a dazzling array of colors.
Mazella and his fellow test pilot Connor Bainbridge from Great Britain are excited to be using their preferred Ozone kites. Benoit Gomez claimed two race victories out of the five heats with his uniquely designed Element kites featuring a nature-inspired ‘wave edge’ profile, which is gaining traction among many in the fleet. Meanwhile, established competitors like Kampman and Maeder remain loyal to Flysurfer, whose kites are also seeing a color refresh.
Are They Fast?
Aside from their new colors, a critical question regarding the new kite designs remains: are they fast? Mazella finds this time of innovation and exploration within the fleet invigorating after the intense summer leading up to the Paris 2024 Games.
“We’re all thrilled to race with the new equipment, and you can tell that everyone’s discussing it after each race,” he remarks. “They’re saying things like, ‘oh this one is better, or finally, this one is superior.’ Or ‘this foil surpasses the others,’ but viewpoints are constantly shifting.
“We’ve put significant effort into the design of the new Ozone kites, transitioning from four lines to two for reduced wind resistance, yet every modification involves trade-offs. We strive to optimize all parameters, but it’s challenging to excel in every condition. With the Ozone, we’ve worked to enhance the upwind characteristics without sacrificing our downwind performance. It’s all new technology, requiring extensive hard work to create these cutting-edge kites.”
An Unconventional Finish
Beyond the technical side, the human aspect of kitefoil racing is always evident, particularly highlighted at the conclusion of race two. Mazella and Maeder were engaged in a tight contest throughout the racecourse, well ahead of Croatia’s Martin Dolenc in third place, who was significantly ahead of the remaining competitors.
In the last 200 meters to the finish, however, Mazella and Maeder decided to deliberately slow down as Dolenc approached from behind. The trio crossed the finish line in close succession, marking the slowest finish imaginable in a Kitefoil World Series race. Maeder later shared, “I slowed down to allow others [the rest of the fleet] an opportunity to finish,” he explained.
“As soon as the first racer crosses, the timer begins and once it expires, all others receive a DNF [Did Not Finish] in their scores. We managed to seize the right wind shifts during that chaotic wind, but the fleet was really spread out, so it felt right to support the others in getting a finishing score, resulting in our collective decision to slow down.”
Maeder recounted that this idea came from his Italian friend and rival Riccardo Pianosi during the Italian Championships a week prior. “Ricky’s suggestion was brilliant, and we’re here to have a good time, right? We’re all aiming to learn and improve, and it would be unfortunate to be excluded from the results for no good reason.”
New Champions Emerging in Women’s Category? Absolutely
The competition remains tight among the women’s participants after today’s five races, with Kampman leading Zukerman by only a few points. A new name must grace the women’s trophy this year because USA’s Daniela Moroz is taking a break after the Paris 2024 Games, and last year’s champion Lauriane Nolot is recovering from a trampoline injury sustained shortly after winning Olympic silver for France.
In addition to Kampman and Zukerman, Italy’s Maggie Pescetto and Switzerland’s Elena Lengwiler are also strong contenders for women’s victory in Cagliari. With three more days of racing ahead in the Kitefoil World Series Italy, various competitors have thus far taken wins, which is exactly how it should be.
The forthcoming final two days of races—this Friday and Saturday—will be streamed live on YouTube and Facebook.
Results Men
1. Axel Mazella FRA 9.0p
2. Max Maeder SGP 10.0p
3. Benoit Gomez FRA 12.0p
Results Women
1. Jessie Kampman FRA 95.0p
2. Gal Zukerman ISR 100.0p
3. Maggie Pescetto ITA 107.0p
