Rob Douglas took his third Kite Speed World Championship title in Masirah Island, Oman. Speed records fall in ideal Masirah Island conditions as US kiteboarding star wins third world title. American kiteboarder Rob Douglas took his third Kite Speed World Championship crown after racing in perfect conditions at the Masirah Island event in Oman. The only racer to reach a top speed of over 50 knots in ideal conditions on the island’s flat and shallow lagoon, Douglas pipped French defending world champion Alex Caizergues to the title, with British rider Dave Williams repeating his third-place finish of last year. Robert Harding (USA) and Enrico Giordano (ITA) completed the top-five positions in a competitive international field. Douglas’ US compatriot Mandi Browning won the women’s class ahead of Britain’s Anna Weld. A delighted Douglas – who also posted the fastest port tack run ever recorded in competition – said: “It started with a plan: get a great coach, get a fast kite, train, travel to Oman and win the 2018 IKA Kite Speed World Championship. Mission complete!” The world’s fastest kiteboarders competing in the annual IKA speed circuit had gathered in Oman for the high-adrenaline event, which again built on the Sultanate’s …
Oman
Kitespeed World Championships 2018 – Oman
Rob Douglas took his third Kite Speed World Championship title in Masirah Island, Oman. Speed records fall in ideal Masirah Island conditions as US kiteboarding star wins third world title. American kiteboarder Rob Douglas took his third Kite Speed World Championship crown after racing in perfect conditions at the Masirah Island event in Oman. The only racer to reach a top speed of over 50 knots in ideal conditions on the island’s flat and shallow lagoon, Douglas pipped French defending world champion Alex Caizergues to the title, with British rider Dave Williams repeating his third-place finish of last year. Robert Harding (USA) and Enrico Giordano (ITA) completed the top-five positions in a competitive international field. Douglas’ US compatriot Mandi Browning won the women’s class ahead of Britain’s Anna Weld. A delighted Douglas – who also posted the fastest port tack run ever recorded in competition – said: “It started with a plan: get a great coach, get a fast kite, train, travel to Oman and win the 2018 IKA Kite Speed World Championship. Mission complete!” The world’s fastest kiteboarders competing in the annual IKA speed circuit had gathered in Oman for the high-adrenaline event, which again built on the Sultanate’s …
France’s Nico Parlier and Daniela Moroz from the USA crowned Formula Kite World Champions in Oman
France’s Nico Parlier topped off a dramatic week at the Formula Kite World Championships in Oman with a near-perfect exhibition that only served to underscore his dominance and land him the title. In the tense battles of the climactic final day’s Medal Series decider, the French rider’s sheer pace meant he had the title in the bag even before the last race, adding to the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) KiteFoil Class world title that he secured in Italy last month. If anything, the US’s Daniela Moroz was even more dominant in the women’s division. The 16-year-old had already won the IKA Formula Kite World Championship crown even before she took to the water on the last day, securing her back-to-back world titles. “It’s really, really good. I’m pretty stoked,” said a beaming Moroz. “Coming into this there was a lot of expectation heaped on me, but I managed to stay calm. I just had fun with it and tried to keep all the pressure out of my mind.” The more measured Parlier was equally delighted, if less vocal, about his victory and a performance that left the rest of the pack—the strongest and youngest fleet in years—shaking their heads in …
Chase for Formula Kite World Championship glory in Oman kicks off in perfect conditions
Britain’s Bridge brothers, Olly and Guy, signalled their intent when they bagged a big tally of first places in the opening exchanges of the Formula Kite World Championships in Oman, giving them the top two spots on the leaderboard. Olly Bridge put on a near flawless display, taking six wins and leaving classy rivals like reigning and former Formula Kite World Champions, Maxime Nocher (MON) and Johnny Heineken (USA), trailing in his wake. Younger sibling Guy Bridge, competing in a different flight of the qualifying series, took four firsts and a second, beating off challenges from Theo Lhostis (FRA) and another former Formula Kite World Champion, Germany’s Florian Gruber. But it was the rivalry between the French duo of Nico Parlier and Axel Mazella, racing in a third flight of the men’s qualifying series, that produced the most intriguing battles on the opening day of the 2017 World Championship contest. The pair, close friends off the water, traded wins and second-place finishes all day in their flight’s six races. With acute tactical appreciation and searing pace on their kite hydrofoils, the Frenchmen are so closely matched they had many near photo-finishes after the eight-minute circuits of the short track course. …
