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  • Sardinia High Stakes Foil Worlds



    High stakes drama in prospect at first Worlds of Olympic cycle in Sardinia

    The world’s fastest kiteboard racers are set to battle for the coveted Formula Kite World Championships in the inaugural title fight of the Olympic cycle, on the Italian island of Sardinia.

    Over five days that promise high-intensity action, the biggest kitefoil fleet ever will go head-to-head on the flat waters off Torregrande, marking the start of the countdown to kiteboarding’s Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Games.

    The stunning Gulf of Oristano, a marine conservation area ringed by pristine beaches and spectacular hills, will serve as a fitting backcloth for the highest stakes kiteboard contest ever, as Olympic fervour has fuelled national ambitions.

    National teams, larger and in greater numbers than ever, shrugged off the challenges of the pandemic to journey to Sardinia, the first steps in their quest for prized medals. Worldwide interest in kitefoil racing has exploded, transforming the event and the level of competition.



    The organisers of the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) 2021 Formula Kite World Championships in Torregrande, supported by the Region of Sardinia and the City of Oristano, grasped the world championships as an unrivalled vehicle to project the area on the international stage.

    Eddy Piana, the event organiser, relished the challenge of staging such a pivotal regatta, despite the obstacles thrown in his way by the pandemic, which forced the cancellation of the Formula Kite Worlds last year.

    “This for us is a great opportunity,” said Piana. “It gives us a chance to show the world the beauty and also the potential of Torregrande and Oristano. It’s a perfect place for this kind of sports.”

    Windsports, like elite kitefoil racing, are an ideal way to promote the twin goals of sustainability and conservation, which chime with the area’s designation as a Marine Protected Area (MPA) that encompasses 20kms of coastline and several islands.





    ergio Cantagalli / Eddy Piana
    The MPA, the second largest in Italy, is a vital habitat for posidonia sea grass that acts as a breeding ground for fish in the gulf, while also protecting the shoreline from erosion.

    “We work closely with the MPA because it’s vital to promote these sports that are sensitive to nature and the environment,” said Sergio Cantagalli, the event’s sporting director. “It really helps raise awareness about conservation and sea culture, and encourages respect for the ocean.”

    For the resort, perhaps less-celebrated than others on the Mediterranean island, hosting the world championships is a source of pride and a chance to give something back to the community that has been highly supportive.

    “We’re proud and also excited,” said Cantagalli. “There are a lot of challenges and sometimes you feel tension because of the importance of the event and the enormous responsibility of hosting it. But it’s fantastic to bring something of such magnitude here. The local people have really supported us, so when we’re able to give something back to the community, it’s very motivating.”




    Jannis Maus (GER) / Florian Gruber (GER)
    A total of 138 athletes—89 men and 49 women from 34 countries and six continents—will take to the water to battle for the the men’s and women’s world championship titles, contests given more piquancy by the pandemic enforced year’s break.

    The reigning women’s champion, the US’s Daniela Moroz, is pumped to get the chance to defend her title. The 20-year-old hopes to make it a remarkable fifth successive crown, such is her dominance.

    Different than previously though, this time Moroz is part of a US team of six athletes who have the support of two coaches and a physio, reflecting how the stakes have been raised by kiteboarding's Olympic inclusion.



    Daniela Moroz (USA)
    “I’m really excited to be here,” said Moroz. “I really want to make it five titles. But it’s a big field of girls and it’s so competitive. There are lots of new countries who have built up their teams, with so many new faces. It’s great for our sport. I feel super good, super prepared. But I definitely feel the pressure. It’ll be cool to see how the competition plays out.”

    Moroz will find herself up against France’s Lauriane Nolot, 22, competing in her first world championships. She has burst onto the kitefoil racing scene in the past two years and joined the French team, with 21 athletes in Torregrande, reflecting its importance in the run up to Paris 2024.

    “I’m so excited,” said Nolot. “It’s my first world championships and I hope I’m going to win. I’ll try not to put too much pressure on myself, but there’s a quota for the national team which is dependent on this competition. It’s huge, really important for the French sailing federation.”




    Jessie Kampman (FRA) / Axel Mazella (FRA)
    Countryman Axel Mazella is another who looks well placed to challenge for the title, fresh from back-to-back victories against the world’s best racers at the IKA KiteFoil World Series.

    “I’m really looking forward to it,” said Mazella. “In my mind it’s just another competition. I don’t want to think about it as the world championships and the biggest competition of the year. I'm just trying to keep calm and treat it like any other competition, because it’s going to be intense.”

    All the action on the climactic final two days of regatta on Saturday and Sunday will be featured on Facebook Livestream.
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  • #2
    Women Lead The Charge In Oristano


    Opening skirmishes at Formula Kite Worlds in Italy throw up surprises in tight racing

    The opening exchanges at the Formula Kite World Championships, being fought out on the Gulf of Oristano on the Italian island of Sardinia, slightly upset the form book after a faltering start, when the wind teased before the action kicked off in earnest.

    Britain’s Katie Dabson scored well in her day’s races on the spectacular track off Torregrande, as the south-westerly breezes filled in late in the day, leaving her second overall.

    Polish teenagers Nina Arcisz and Julia Damasiewicz picked up the pace as racing intensified, after the wind died mid-way through the day’s second race. When the breeze shifted and returned, the pair found their groove in supercharged action that left them third and fourth respectively on the leaderboard.

    But reigning International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) Formula Kite World Champion Daniela Moroz, who is aiming to lift a fifth successive title, once again showed her dominance to take three bullets and the overall lead, despite a wobbly start in her opening race.


    all images © Robert Hajduk





    A total of 138 athletes—89 men and 49 women from 34 countries and six continents—are battling for the men’s and women’s world championship titles. The contests are highly-anticipated after a year’s break because of the pandemic.

    The men have been divided into three seeded fleets for the qualifying series, that will decide who takes part in the last day’s medal series and get a chance to fill the podium spots. The women are divided into two fleets for their qualifying series.

    But the opening of the five-day regatta to crown the 2021 Formula Kite world champions began slowly. With the breeze filling late in the day, the race committee decided to send the women’s fleets out first.

    After the first race on the trapezoid track in about 11kts of north-westerly breeze, the second race had to be abandoned when the wind shut-off, leaving some of the racers swimming with their kites in the water.

    Yet, after a rain shower, the wind returned with an almost a 180-degree shift. With a steady 10kts breeze blowing over the gulf’s flat waters, the women’s fleets were able to complete another five races. The men had been released for the day as there would not have been sufficient daylight to get any further races away.

    Racing in the first fleet on the water, Moroz, riding her 21m kite, had a stuttering beginning to her campaign. She had a poor start and found herself in an uncharacteristic third position before she finally overhauled Poland’s Arcisz.

    “It was a really tough race,” said Arcisz, 17. “But for half the race I was in front of Daniela Moroz. In the end I was on a 15m kite and she was on 21m. The wind was patchy and shifty and I knew she would catch up with me and pass.”

    Moroz did not make the same mistake twice and led around the track, stretching her lead in her day’s closing races with only Poland’s Damasiewicz following closely.









    In the alternate fleet, Britain’s Dabson found herself up against the strong French duo of Poema Newland and Lauriane Nolot. But the French pair dropped points despite each scoring bullets, leaving the more consistent Dabson ahead.

    “It was about not making mistakes and staying in clear wind where possible,” said Dabson. “I had a bit of moment in one race where someone got their kite inside mine, but I survived. All things considered it was a good day. A good start.”

    With the burgeoning field of riders has come greater diversity among the competitors. But one of the more striking facets in the fleet of 49 women is the number of young mothers who somehow combine the pressures of family life with competing at the highest level.

    New Zealand’s Justina Kitchen, 32, is a mother-of-two and serves as a role model for some. A windsurfing Olympian, she gave up competition after her daughters now aged four and six were born. But the lure of another Olympics in the Formula Kite class brought her back to competition and she now trains after dropping the children off at school.

    Germany’s Leonie Meyer, 28, took her inspiration from Kitchen after spending two months in Auckland with her and seeing that it was possible to manage a small family and compete at the top level.

    For Meyer, who just completed her medical studies and gave birth five months ago to a son, the run up to the Worlds has proved challenging. She has only managed six days of training in this year, but now feels free to devote as much time as family life allows to her Olympic campaign.

    Meyer, 28, still nursing her son at the championships, already knows what it requires. A member of German team since January, she is a veteran of an Olympic campaign in the 49er class from 2012 to 2016. For Meyer the decision to give Formula Kite two Olympic medals at the Paris 2024 Games after the mixed team relay was set aside, has relieved some pressure.









    “I know that I’ll have to spend some time in hospital in coming years for some surgeries for my son, so for me it’s really good that it’s not a team sport any more, though I liked the format,” said Meyer. “I don’t want to be sitting in hospital with him, while my team-mates Jannis Maus and Florian Gruber would be waiting for me to train.”

    With her studies and the birth behind her, Meyer plans to take the next six months off to devote herself to training for her Olympic campaign with the help of her boyfriend sharing the family duties.

    “For the Worlds I don’t have big expectations,” said Meyer. “I’ll be happy if I don’t crash all over the course. But after this I’ll be doing as many training camps and competitions as I can. It’ll make things harder with time management, but also easier because I’ll not be fixated 100 percent on racing.”

    The US’s Kirstyn O’Brien, 34, is no stranger to the competing demands of family life and racing. A veteran kitefoil racer, the mother of a girl and boy, she has raced on the circuit for several years and is on the cusp of breaking into the US team.

    O’Brien lives in the Dominican Republic with her pilot husband and has the luxury of training in the afternoons with her children after they have finished school. Her son, aged 10, has taken his first steps on a kitefoil, while her daughter, just nine, is devoted to strapless freestyle.

    “The main thing for me, is keeping it all in balance, so that my spending time away travelling for competitions is not to their detriment. When I’m away, my husband is with the kids. But it’s not just about the events. When I’m home it’s about making sure that they get to the kiting level they need to reach.”

    Thailand’s Tatsanee “Nam” Phisil, 30, is even luckier. Her 10-year-old son lives with her parents in Phuket, allowing her the freedom to travel to national training camps, or in this case the Worlds, which is her first international competition.

    “It’s perfect for me and perfect for my son,” said Nam, who has been kitefoil racing for only 18 months. “He’s with my mum and dad and can go to school, otherwise it would be confusing for him.”

    Chile’s Ranny Grimdottir is another kitefoil racing novice drawn by the Olympic dream. A veteran twin-tip and snowkite racer, she had been Chilean champion in both many times. Her daughter, aged 10, and son, aged eight, always go with the family when they go kiting, and have continued to do so since she transferred her passion to kitefoil racing four months ago.

    Grimdottir, a dentist who’s a pandemic refugee living in Iceland right now, plans to return to Chile and hopes to win some funding for an Olympic kitefoil campaign from the sailing federation after the Pan-American Championships in Santiago in 2023.

    “When we’re home in Chile, the kids always come with us and just love the kiting world,” said Grimdottir. “When my daughter was seven I thought she’d ask for a doll for her birthday, but she asked for kite lessons instead. For me, I just love racing, so kitefoil racing was a natural way to go.”

    Hungary’s Virag Szenasi, 35, with two boys aged and two and four, and a girl of seven, has a different struggle on her hands. With her young children accompanying her at the Worlds, she is fortunate they can all travel together. They join her when she is training on Lake Balaton, where the family has a holiday home.

    But the veteran freestyle kiteboarder, who converted to kitefoil racing just six months ago, has found the challenge is finding funding to buy equipment and travel to competitions. Already the Hungarian sailing federation has told her funding would only come if she breaks into the top 30 percent in the world, a distant dream right now.

    Still Szenasi, who works part-time as a lawyer allowing herself time to train, is enjoying the ride even though the Worlds is only her second international competition after a baptism of fire at the KiteFoil World Series in Cagliari last week.

    “I managed in Cagliari,” she said. “I wasn’t last. I’m not sure what my goals are. This is my first world championships. But, of course, everybody wants to go to the Olympics.”

    Formula Kite World Championships Torregrande-Women (three races, no discards)

    1 USA Daniela Moroz 3pts
    2 GBR Katie Dabson 7pts
    3 POL Nina Arcisz 9pts

    https://www.formulakite.org

    https://www.formulakite.org/news/ite...n-tight-racing
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    • #3
      5 World Titles For Daniela




      TORREGRANDE, ITALY (October 17, 2021) – After much anticipation during the light wind postponement on shore, Daniela Moroz (Lafayette, Calif.) took the win in her final race, securing her fifth Women’s Formula Kite World Champion title. Under the new scoring system that will be utilized in the kite’s Paris 2024 debut, Moroz only needed one more race win on the final day of racing to bring home the gold. Joining her in the finals was Great Britain’s Ellie Aldridge, finishing second, France’s Lauriane Nolot in third and Poema Newland in fourth.

      In the thrill of the adrenaline and high emotions, Moroz reflected on her accomplishment, saying “it feels really good. I have to give all my props to the whole squad, the coaches, the team, my parents, friends, and family for the support. It takes a village and I’m really thankful to have their encouragement behind me. I’m absorbing it all right now… the conditions were very difficult this week, even when it was windy, it was super shifty, so making a good plan was tricky. You had to change your decisions and tactics on the go and the regatta was full of reacting to what was happening on the course. It was very technical racing and I’m happy with how I did throughout the event. I sailed really well and saw improvement in my sailing even since Formula Kite Europeans last month.”

      Light winds caused a delay on shore for the four male and four female athletes who qualified for finals. While on shore in the suspense and anticipation with a fifth consecutive title so close in reach, Moroz said “this morning I tried not to think about racing too much. I had a relaxed breakfast with the squad and our team and tried to stay calm and confident. Once I was on the water, I got a little nervous, but as soon as the warning signal went off, I switched modes and dialed in.”


      Daniela Moroz, all smiles after crossing the last race in first | Photo by Robert Hajduk

      “For the final race, I didn’t have the best start,” said Moroz. “I was on time, but I didn’t have the best positioning on the line. The right was a little favored and I ended up going further left than the rest of the women and had to roll the fleet on a port tack when I crossed back. When I reached the starboard layline, Lauriane Nolot (from France) had already tacked to lay the mark, so I tacked inside of her. I ended up laying the line a little better than her and had a better rounding which set me up for the downwind and the leeward rounding. I had a great few roundings after fighting for the positioning on the first windward mark, and that was the move that won the race. By the final upwind leg, I had the bullet locked in.”

      Racing was tight all throughout the event for the women and provided a spectacular show for spectators, coaches, event organizers and race officials. Because finals day only consists of the top four athletes at the end of day four, none of the men of the US KiteFoil Squad sailed the last day of the event.

      US KiteFoil Squad results, closing out the largest World Championships of Formula Kite history:
      1st – Daniela Moroz (Lafayette, Calif.)
      15th – Markus Edegran (West Palm Beach, Fla.)
      28h – Kai Calder (Alameda, Calif.)
      33rd – Evan Heffernan (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
      34th – Will Cyr (San Diego, Calif.)









      The format for the Formula Kite Olympic discipline is currently as follows:
      Both men’s and women’s fleets initially seeded into equal groups. Men will begin in evenly divided small groups, and women begin in evenly divided small groups.
      All competitors race up to 12 races over three days then get sorted into bronze, silver, and gold for the men, silver and gold for the women, for 4 additional races with points carried over.
      Upon completion of gold fleet day two racing, the top two kiters from both men’s and women’s divisions automatically advance to the Final.
      Places 3 through 14 in both men’s and women’s gold fleets go into semifinals where they race two races in two groups of six, with the winners of each group advancing.
      The Finals consists of the top 4 racing until someone gets to 3 race wins
      The leading kiter enters the Finals with two points and must only win one race to bring the regatta to a close
      The second-place kiter enters the Finals with one point and must win two or more to take the title.
      Third and fourth place kiters that entered the Finals with zero points must win three races. (This exact scenario played out in the men’s fleet of the European Championships where Maximillian Maeder from Singapore entered the Finals with zero points, won three consecutive races, and won the 2021 Formula Kite European Championships)
      __________________________________________________ ______________________


      Daniela Moroz sailing with the gold pinnie denoting her first place ranking in the event Photo by Robert Hajduk for International Kite Association
      TORREGRANDE, ITALY (October 15, 2021) – After 10 races in the men’s fleet and 12 in the women’s, the qualifying series of the 2021 Formula Kite World Championship has come to a close with gold, silver, and bronze fleet racing beginning Saturday, October 16.

      Results: https://www.formulakite.org

      Securing spots in the gold fleet from the US Kitefoil Squad:
      1st – Daniela Moroz (Lafayette, Calif.)
      15th – Markus Edegran (West Palm Beach, Fla.)
      30th – Kai Calder (Alameda, Calif.)


      After winning all three races on day one, two firsts and two mishaps on day 2, and a worst score of second place on day three, four-time World Champion Daniela Moroz sits in first place overall heading into tomorrow’s gold fleet racing. “Racing has been really close in the women’s fleets,” said Moroz, who sailed with a larger kite than most of her competition for the day and pushed through to the end. “I’ve been working on making consistent incremental gains throughout the event and making each lap a little bit better. I’m really excited for the next few days and to fight for my fifth title.”

      Markus Edegran had a strong day, winning a race and putting up a consistent score line through a combination of good starting, tactics, and board handling. “That kind of performance was both a confidence boost for Markus, and a validation for the entire Squad,” said coach Charlie McKee.

      “I’m finding myself in a similar position to the Kite European Championships,” said Edegran, reflecting on the September event in Marseille, France. “I’ve sailed consistently enough to advance to gold fleet with the door to the semifinals (top 14) open. A decent day in gold fleet tomorrow will be enough to continue to the next stage and get a top 10 finish at my first World Championships.”

      Snagging the 30th and a ticket to the gold fleet after moving up four places from day two is Alameda, California athlete Kai Calder. “It feels great to put it all together in the last day of qualifying and get through by the skin of my teeth,” said Calder after a solid day on the water in a maximum-pressure setting. “The fleets have been super tight and the racing level is through the roof. I’m super stoked to have achieved that goal and I look forward to keep sending it.”

      Coach Charlie McKee commented on the collective strength of the squad and how the group has been applying their teamwork on and off the water: “We are midway through the World Championships, which has been an amazing display of skill and athleticism. The team-first approach of our athletes was on full display today. We had some tough moments early in this regatta, but they really lifted each other up and came through with some great performances this afternoon.”

      The 2021 Worlds is the first major event for the US Kitefoil Squad as a dedicated training group, and Moroz, Edegran, and Calder had a lot of praise for their teammates and the large role they played in their advancements. “I need to give a huge shout out to our crew that has been collectively raising the bar,” said Calder. “We have all put in a lot of hours on the water and all of us truly had the potential to make it.”

      Advancing to the silver fleet from the US Kitefoil Squad (places 31-60):
      31st – Will Cyr (San Diego, Calif.)
      37th – Evan Heffernan (Santa Barbara, Calif.)


      “It’s been a heck of an event,” said Cyr. “It’s my first time in Europe, and I’m excited to see the level out here. For the last year and a half, all my close battles have been with Kai, Evan, and Markus during the travel– restricted Covid era. It felt great to leverage the lessons learned from our time together to dive headfirst to this diverse fleet. I am proud of how our team has performed and excited to see where our trajectory leads us. One thing is for sure, our combined efforts will lead to so much more than any of us could do alone.”

      “Today was a tough day for me,” said Heffernan. “I had strong movements in all my races but was unable to hold on to the results I was looking for. This is the first major event of the quad, and it is evident that the Olympic spirit is among the fleet. The level has dramatically improved and I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead to get back to the top. So far, it has been a great event for our squad with strong support from the US Sailing Team. The next steps on the path are already in the works for what will make the greatest impact. Today was tough but has increased my drive to push my abilities.”



      *******************************



      Moroz lands fifth successive world title as elated De Ramecourt bags first in Sardinia

      The US’s Daniela Moroz closed out a remarkable five titles in a row at the Formula Kite World Championships on the Italian island of Sardinia, coming from behind in the finals shootout on the sparkling Gulf of Oristano, to seize the coveted crown.

      France’s Théo de Ramecourt entered the medal race final in pole position, but took several attempts in utterly engrossing competition to secure the bullet that gave him the first world title he craved.

      Both athletes were completely elated by their triumphs after five days of intensely-tight racing on the glorious track off Torregrande, in the first International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) Formula Kite Worlds of the Olympic cycle.

      De Ramecourt was acutely aware of the approaching Olympics, when kiteboarding will make its debut in his home country at the Paris 2024 Games, further raising the stakes and shining the spotlight on his victory.

      “I’m just super-happy,” said De Ramecourt. “It was intense in the final, but I tried to take it step-by-step and just do my best. It feels so great. Really, really happy. It makes a big difference because the Olympics are getting closer.”




      [IMG]https://www.pressure-drop.us/imagehost/images/06762326274359949497.jpg


      The edge-of-the-seat drama of the finals came after 138 athletes—89 men and 49 women from 34 countries and six continents—lined up to fight for the IKA world titles after a two-year break because of the pandemic. It is the biggest kitefoil fleet assembled, courtesy of burgeoning worldwide interest because of the Olympics.

      The Formula Kite Worlds in Torregrande, supported by the Region of Sardinia and the City of Oristano, showcased an exciting format for the climactic battles that crowned the men’s and women’s world champions.

      “I’m really happy to make it five,” said Moroz, 20. “It feels really surreal and I haven’t processed it yet. I’m still kind of absorbing it and enjoying it. It was a really tough week in all of the conditions. Then, in the end it all comes down to the last race. I was definitely a bit nervous this morning, but we got through it.”

      Intense stadium races close to the beach, for the benefit of spectators, added to the final day’s drama. The deciding medal races were made up of semi-finals and finals. The top two from the opening series went straight to the finals, while places three to 14 went into two semi-finals. Only the winner of each semi-final race advanced to the final, making a total of four racers competing on a super-short track.

      In the final, the top seeded racer began with two wins, the second with one win, and the semi-final qualifiers with none. The first racer to accumulate three race wins and hence the first over the line in the last race, would be the overall winner, maintaining suspense to the end.

      The two rounds of the men’s and women’s semi-finals, with six athletes in each heat, got underway in 7-8kts of intensely shifty breeze blowing over flat waters, sparking awesomely-fast racing by the competitors on their biggest 19m and 21m kites.

      In the men’s semi-finals, Italy’s remarkable 16-year-old Riccardo Pianosi squeezed out more experienced opposition, like Britain’s Connor Bainbridge and Germany’s Florian Gruber, to take two bullets that ensured he moved forward to the final.






      France’s Benoît Gomez went to the final thanks to a bullet that came as a result of his favoured port-tack starts that gave him the edge on the right side of the course. Gomez thrillingly overhauled Singapore’s Max Maeder on the last downwind leg to take one win.

      Gomez and Pianosi found themselves up against leaders, De Ramecourt and fellow countryman Axel Mazella, in the four-man final. As leader, De Ramecourt needed only one win to secure the title, while Mazella needed two, to the others’ three.

      De Ramecourt led almost all the way around the windward-leeward track in the first finals race, only to find himself passed by a scorchingly-fast Mazella on the last downwind leg. But De Ramecourt put the matter to rest with a bullet the second time around, seeing off Pianosi, who took third overall just behind Mazella.

      “The final was pretty intense,” said Mazella. “I managed to win the first race just at the end. The second, I tried a port-tack start and it didn’t work out. But in the end I’m still super-happy about my consistency. I’m also really happy for my mate, Théo de Ramecourt.”


      The phenomenon of the 2021 Worlds, Pianosi, was still trying to process his third step on the podium after beating some of the world’s best.

      “This is my first world championship and I can’t quite believe it,” said the teenager. “The emotions are just so strong. When I got the two bullets in the semi-finals it was an incredible feeling. But I knew in the final it would be tough. Théo de Ramecourt is really, really fast, especially in these conditions.”

      The women’s semi-finals, with four Polish riders in the two groups, were equally absorbing. Two, Magda Woyciechowska and Izabela Satrjan, scooped bullets with incredible racing on their 21m Flysurfer kites. But it was not enough to stop France’s Lauriane Nolot and Poema Newland advancing to the final.

      The French pair faced the formidable force of Moroz and Britain’s Ellie Aldridge. But Moroz did not have it all her own way. Nolot led round the first lap of the track with Moroz some way back, before the American took the lead on the last downwind leg to give her the single bullet she needed to take the title.


      Behind the pair, the race ended in drama as Newland crashed on the upwind leg, only to see Aldridge pass her and also crash a tack in a gust. As Newland rounded the last downwind mark ahead, she crashed a second time, while the trailing Aldridge did the same, but recovered more quickly to finish third and already had enough advantage to secure the second podium step, ahead of Nolot.

      “I’m really happy, though it feels a bit weird after having such a bad last race,” said Aldridge. “But in the end it was a good week, and I’m pleased that I managed to take a few bullets from Daniela Moroz.”

      Nolot was delighted that she had done enough to take the third overall in what was only her first world championship.

      “I can breath now,” she said. “I’m so happy. It was such a bad day yesterday, I wanted to do everything I could in the final to come back to the podium. I can’t wait to do more races with Daniela Moroz, because we just learn so much from her.”

      Formula Kite World Championships Torregrande-Men
      1 FRA Théo de Ramecourt
      2 FRA Axel Mazella
      3 ITA Riccardo Pianosi
      Formula Kite World Championships Torregrande-Women
      1 USA Daniela Moroz
      2 GBR Ellie Aldridge
      3 FRA Lauriane Nolot

      Formula Kite World Championships Torregrande-Men Masters
      1 TUR Ejder Ginyol
      2 DEN James Johnsen
      3 BUL Chavdar Alexandrov

      Formula Kite World Championships Torregrande-Women Masters
      1 THA Benyapa Jantawan
      2 ESP Marta Sanchez
      3 BRA Maria do Socorro Reis

      Formula Kite World Championships Torregrande-Men Grand Masters
      1 DEN James Johnsen
      2 BUL Chavdar Alexandrov
      3 SUI Kari Eisenhut
      Full rankings: www.formulakite.org/results
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      • #4
        Very impressive Daniela!

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