With just three hours left of the Red Bull King of the Air 2024 weather window in Cape Town, Italian Andrea Principi successfully defended his open division title. British kiteboarder Francesca Maini claimed victory in the inaugural women’s division.
The exciting display of big air kiteboarding saw shortened Sunday heats and breaks to maximize the fleeting ideal conditions as the South African day unfolded with a thrilling sense of urgency.
The famed Cape Doctor winds finally peaked at 40 knots late in the afternoon, while the 2.5 to 3.1-meter southwest swells provided an ideal backdrop for the riders’ soaring aerial feats.
Organizers shortened heats from 10 minutes to eight with brief intervals between rounds, and the finals were 13 minutes each to give the three riders the necessary time to showcase their amazing abilities.
The open division final pushed conditions right to the brink, with riders performing in near darkness to cement the event’s reputation as the pinnacle of big air kiteboarding.
Defending champion Principi, 20, demonstrated again why he remains at the pinnacle of the thrilling sport.
Principi’s standout tricks included a contra loop back tornado board-off that scored 7.18, a stylish doobie loop board-off earning 6.76 points, and a technical contra loop double front roll rodeo for 6.47 points.
The combination of height, precision, and innovation cemented his king status.
“Once may be luck, but this feels incredible. To be honest, I’m not the real winner here – my family and my sponsors are the true champions,” said Principi.
“They make all of this possible, and I owe this victory to them.”
In close second was Principi’s compatriot Lorenzo Casati, with South African Luca Ceruti rounding out the podium and wowing the fans to become the first-ever local rider to finish in the top three.
The Women’s Debut
The groundbreaking women’s division also delivered dramatic action, with Briton Maini etching her name into history as the first female winner of the event, thanks to a series of high-scoring maneuvers that showcased her precision and technical mastery.
Her top tricks included a kite loop board-off, and another highlight was a big boogie loop that was backed up with a cleanly executed contra loop front roll to wrap up her impressive inaugural victory.
“It means so much. I was dreaming about this moment. It is amazing. To my family and everyone who supports me – thank you for making this possible,” expressed Maini.
Event director Sergio Cantagalli was biting his nails to get this year’s edition in the books, but in the end, he was also ecstatic.
“This was kiteboarding at its most raw and authentic. Holding out for the perfect moment allowed us to witness a truly unforgettable finale.”
“Andrea and Francesca proved themselves as champions in every sense, and I couldn’t be prouder of how this year’s event unfolded under such challenging conditions.”
The most extreme move of the day was won by American teenage sensation Zac Adams for his highly innovative kite loop rotational board flip performed in Round 1.
The 2025 edition will see three European qualifiers before the Cape Town world final unfolds again.
2024 Red Bull King of the Air | Results
Open
Andrea Principi (ITA) 29.32 pts
Marc Jacobs (NZ) 26.69 pts
Women
Francesca Maini (GBR) 28.52 pts
Zara Hoogenraad (NED) 25.08 pts
Pippa Van Iersel (NED) 21.44 pts
On today’s episode, Colin and Adrian wrap up the Lady’s event at GKA BIG AIR WORLD CUP JERICOACOARA 2024. Mika returns to competition, winning at home and landing the first 10-point score in Big Air competition. Portrait: https://portraitkite.com https://www.fantasykite.com Woo Sports: https://wooworlds.com https://woosports.com Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/colin_colin_carroll/ https://www.instagram.com/kitesurf365/
The Formula Kite competition at Paris 2024 continues in the waters of Marseille, France.
Toni Vodisek reclaimed the lead in the men’s kite, while Lauriane Nolot surged back up the standings in the women’s division.
Another day of light wind meant the women were only on the water long enough to race once, but the men completed two races, and that was enough to reshuffle the standings.
Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek made the most of his outing, winning race six, which was enough to edge him in front of Singapore’s Max Maeder.
“My girlfriend’s coming soon, so that’s going to make everything easier. It’s a bit unfortunate she couldn’t be here before, as she brings the best out of me,” Vodisek said.
“There’s going to be another level when she turns up, and there’ll be an end to the video games.”
“Everybody’s putting their best out there, but it’s really fun, and I have to say, I’m really enjoying being on the biggest stage in the world.”
Despite finishing fourth in race seven, Maeder was unable to hold onto the top spot after also placing 11th in the opening race of the day.
“There was an incident, so I had to take a penalty turn, and from then on, it was perhaps not the best race, but it was a thrilling one nonetheless, and good that I didn’t get disqualified,” added Maeder.
“It’s a privilege to be here. Sometimes, the weather doesn’t play well. It’s part of the sport. I think we’re all used to it. Of course, we’d love to go racing.”
Austria’s Valentin Bontus remained third overall, with a 20th-placed finish in race seven anchoring his performance.
France’s Lauriane Nolot made the most of the day, winning the first and only race to move into the lead.
“I think I was super focused and even before we started, I saw the wind was dying on one side,” stated Nolot.
“I had a good start and it was windy where I went. I think it’s the light wind Olympic Games. Every race matters which is why I’m super focused in every single race.”
Some of the women didn’t manage to keep their kite flying, and were not able to start the race.
Switzerland’s Elena Lengwiler dropped out of the top three altogether following the DNS score.
Great Britain’s Ellie Aldridge also received a DNS, but held on to second overall as USA’s Daniela Moroz finished seventh, which was not enough to overtake the British athlete.
“It was very light wind, very tricky survival conditions again. I was happy to make it around and not swim,” concluded Moroz.
“I had a really good plan in my head, and I executed it, but it didn’t end up being the right plan for that race. Off the start I got pinned out going left.”
Formula Kite at Paris 2024 | Results After 7 and 6 Races
Men
Toni Vodisek
Maximilian Maeder
Riccardo Pianosi
Valentin Bontus
Jannis Maus
Axel Mazella
Bruno Lobo
Connor Bainbridge
Markus Edegran
Qibin Huang
Kameron Alexandros Maramenidis
Denis Taradin
Dor Zarka
Martin Dolenc
Lukas Walton- Keim
Maks Zakowski
Tiger Tyson
Joseph Jonathan Weston
Jean De Falbaire
Victor Bolanos Lopez
Women
Lauriane Nolot
Eleanor Aldridge
Daniela Moroz
Annelous Lammerts
Leonie Meyer
Elena Lengwiler
Breiana Whitehead
Maggie Eillen Pescetto
Julia Damasiewicz
Gal Zukerman
Alina Kornelli
Gisela Pulido Borrell
Maria Catalina Turienzo
Mafalda Pires De Lima
Jingyue Chen
Derin Atakan
Justina Kitchen
Emily Bugeja
Benyapa Jantawan
Julie Paturau
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.
“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,” Bontus said.
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.
“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,” stated Vodisek.
“I’m going home to play a video game, League of Legends. I hope I can win that, too.”
Teenage 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.
“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,” added Aldridge.
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.
“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,” noted Nolot.
“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.”
USA’s Daniela Moroz got in on the action at the end of the day, winning race four, to take third in the standings.
“It’s almost like first day of school jitters, but this time it’s first day at the Olympics, you know,” expressed Moroz.
“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.”
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 semifinals.
Semifinals
Those 8 remaining riders are split into two equal-strength semifinals.
The goal is to pick up three race wins, with the higher ranked in each semifinal carrying over two race wins, while the second in each semifinal carries over one race win.
One rider from each semifinal 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 the 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.
Formula Kite at Paris 2024 | Results After 4 Races
Men
Toni Vodisek
Valentin Bontus
Maximilian Maeder
Bruno Lobo
Connor Bainbridge
Qibin Huang
Axel Mazella
Jannis Maus
Denis Taradin
Riccardo Pianosi
Kameron Alexandros Maramenidis
Dor Zarka
Markus Edegran
Lukas Walton- Keim
Maks Zakowski
Martin Dolenc
Joseph Jonathan Weston
Jean De Falbaire
Tiger Tyson
Victor Bolanos Lopez
Women
Lauriane Nolot
Eleanor Aldridge
Elena Lengwiler
Daniela Moroz
Annelous Lammerts
Leonie Meyer
Maggie Eillen Pescetto
Breiana Whitehead
Julia Damasiewicz
Gisela Pulido Borrell
Gal Zukerman
Jingyue Chen
Alina Kornelli
Mafalda Pires De Lima
Justina Kitchen
Maria Catalina Turienzo
Derin Atakan
Benyapa Jantawan
Julie Paturau
Emily Bugeja
