Max Maeder wins Youth Kite Foil World Championships in Oman!
Male Kiteboarding FormulaKite
Although the week had started inauspiciously for Max Maeder (SGP), once he’d revved his engines there was no stopping the Flying Fifteen Year Old from Singapore. Maeder won 14 of the 18 races. As the winner of a brand new event in the Youth Worlds, and having hit speeds over 30 knots in just 10 knots of wind, Maeder can consider himself the fastest Youth Worlds gold medallist of all time.
Singapore is rightly considering Maeder as a serious medal prospect at the Paris 2024 Olympics less than three years from now. Winner of the Open European Championships at senior level, the teenager is improving his speed at a frightening rate. As he grows bigger he will only get faster. The same is true of Riccardo Pianosi (ITA), third in the senior World Championships earlier this year and now silver medallist at the Youth Worlds. Mikhail Novikov (RUS) pushed Pianosi hard all the way but ended up with bronze.
“Oman is such an interesting place, the people are so nice and the culture is beautiful,” said Maeder. “Winning a world title would be special anywhere but I’m very happy to have won it here. My future ambition is to become world champion [at senior level] and to be one of the best in this amazing sport.”
Podium:
Gold: Max Maeder (SGP) – VMG #bornontheracecourse
Silver: Riccardo Pianosi (ITA) – VMG #bornontheracecourse
Bronze: Mikhail Novikov (RUS)
Female Kiteboarding FormulaKite
Another flawless day on the race course gave the already golden Gal Zukerman (ISR) 18 straight race wins. Not bad for someone who only started kitefoiling little more than a year ago. Julia Damasiewicz (POL) was almost as dominant with her run of second places behind the Israeli. So it’s silver for Poland and bronze for French rider Héloïse Pégourié (FRA).
“I have loved every moment of this week,” said Zukerman. “Kitefoiling is so much fun. I can’t remember when I started sailing, I’m too young to remember that moment. But I have always been sailing boats and now I am loving the kitefoiling.”
Podium:
Gold: Gal Zukerman (ISR)
Silver: Julia Damasiewicz (POL)
Bronze: Héloïse Pégourié (FRA) – VMG #bornontheracecourse
If you want to learn more about the races at the Youth Sailing World Championships 2021, then make sure to watch the simulation videos here.
Credits: World Sailing | Lloyd