Sunday, 10 September 2017 06:21
Leading KiteFoilers Shrug off Challenging Light Conditions to Stage Tight Racing
Most of the world’s fastest kitefoilers have been limbering up for the second stop of the International Kiteboarding Association’s (IKA) KiteFoil GoldCup series in eastern China. True to form, the Yellow Sea off Weifang Binhai has been serving up flat waters and light breezes characteristic of the time of year. But the foilers on their largest 21m kites have been notching up impressive speeds as they test their pace against rivals and team-mates. Thirty-eight riders from 16 countries registered for the KiteFoil GoldCup event and Twin-Tip:Racing (TT:R) Open Slalom competition scheduled to run simultaneously over five days of…
Thursday, 07 September 2017 20:22
Top Racers Gather for Back-to-Back KiteFoil Regattas in China
The opening clashes of the much-anticipated second stop of the 2017 International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) KiteFoil GoldCup are just hours away with the leading contenders for the crown assembled on the shores of the Yellow Sea, eastern China. It is the third year in succession that the smooth waters off Joy Sea Beach at Weifang Binhai have hosted the fastest kitefoil racers from all corners of the globe, and follows the success of the IKA Formula Kite World Championships that played there out exactly 12 months ago. But the mouth-watering prospect of the planet’s fastest kitefoilers doing battle…
Saturday, 02 September 2017 21:32
Sardinia Kiteboard Grand Slam Confirmed as KiteFoil GoldCup Final
The 2017 World Champions of the IKA KiteFoil Class will be crowned from 04 to 08 October 2017 at Poetto Beach, Cagliari, Sardinia. The Sardinia Kiteboard Grand Slam marks the final of this years 4-stop KiteFoil GoldCup which has awarded a total of 125.000 EUR prize money. Earlier plans to host the final in France or in the UAE unfortunately had to be postponed till the 2018 season due to reasons beyond our control. However, both of these events will make fantastic additions to the 2018 tour ! Starting with Korea back in May, the top 15 riders of each…
Monday, 22 May 2017 01:30
KiteFoil Title Holder Nocher Clinches GoldCup Series Opener with Perfect Start
Reigning KiteFoil GoldCup champion Maxime Nocher sealed victory in the year’s first event with a perfect final day, racking up four bullets from four races in light breezes that threatened to die at any moment. But even the fickle airs that shifted and barely topped 8kts were a welcome relief after three windless days that made for a stop-start competition, the first international kite competition in Korea, staged off Boryeong’s stunning Daecheon Beach. While the breezes toyed with riders and race officials alike, Nocher (MON) was flawless on the final fifth day on the Yellow Sea’s flat waters, controlling each…
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Sunday, 21 May 2017 02:27
Riders Maintain Race Focus Despite Testing Conditions
That top-level kitefoil racing is first and foremost a psychological game almost goes without saying. But in the hothouse atmosphere of the KiteFoil GoldCup series’ opening exchanges the teasing wind—or absence of it—only underscored how those at the pinnacle are masters at maintaining their poise. For many lesser athletes the tension of two windless days that prevented racing, followed by day four’s failed efforts to get races away after the breeze twice dropped below the requisite 6kts average might have been unbearable. Yet in their own unique ways each of the 20 foilers from 13 nations competing in the International…
Saturday, 20 May 2017 02:50
Legendary Race Coach Savours Prospect of Kiting Gracing Olympics’ Stage
When five-time Olympian Mike Gebhardt asserts that kiting securing a berth at the 2020 Tokyo Games would change everything in the sport, with an explosion of interest and money, it is not to be taken lightly. The renowned racing coach, who helped foiling prodigy Daniela Moroz to her first Formula Kite World Championship title last year at just 15 and Rob Douglas to the 2016 International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) Speed World Championship crown, knows what he is talking about. On the sidelines of the IKA KiteFoil GoldCup series’ opening round in Boryeong’s Daecheon Beach in Korea—where a stubborn absence of…
Thursday, 18 May 2017 16:31
Kiteboarding Hopeful “Showcase” Event for Tokyo Olympics
Kiteboarding is hopeful to earn a place on the Olympic stage at the Tokyo 2020 Games after World Sailing (WS) proposed it as one of two “showcase” disciplines to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In a late February WS Council meeting delegates decided men’s and women’s kiteboarding events should grace the XXXII summer Olympiad, along with keelboat racing, in addition to sailing’s existing 10 medal disciplines. The IOC will consider the proposal in the coming months, but any final move on the “showcase” events would come after the decision about the Olympic medal events in July. As the wind refused…
Wednesday, 17 May 2017 16:36
GoldCup Title Holder Nocher Opens Account with Flawless Races
Reigning International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) KiteFoil class champion Maxime Nocher began the defence of his title in Korea in perfect style—notching up two bullets from two races. In light breezes that struggled to reach 8kts, the Monegasque rider put in a solid shift on the first day of the KiteFoil GoldCup’s opening stop of 2017 taking place on the Yellow Sea’s flat waters just off Boryeong’s pristine Daecheon Beach. At one point when a sea mist rolled in shrouding the otherwise clear blue skies, it appeared the 20 foilers who had journeyed from 13 countries around the globe might be…
Wednesday, 17 May 2017 04:02
World’s Fastest KiteFoilers Poised for Action in GoldCup’s first East Asian Outing
Reigning KiteFoil GoldCup title holder Maxime Nocher has been putting the final touches to his campaign to defend his crown in the season’s eagerly-awaited opening clashes in Korea.Nocher (MON) — who is also the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) Formula Kite (Foil) world champion — and some of his keenest rivals have been testing conditions off Daecheon Beach, Boryeong.The five days of racing due to commence tomorrow (WED, 17 May) will mark the first time the IKA GoldCup has graced east Asian waters in what is sure to be a thrilling contest as the foilers do close-quarters battle in breathtakingly fast…
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