The Singaporean player reaches the final with two match points, but the Frenchman proves to be a tough opponent. A tight contest between Kampman and Lengwiler among Women, with Zukerman thIrd ahead of Italian Olympic athlete Pescetto
Six races, five different winners, but at the end of of Day 3 of the Sardinia Grand Slam – IKA KiteFoil World Series’ final stage, on Friday, October 4, the first qualified athletes for the Grand Final were the most expected ones: Max Maeder and Axel Mazella among Men, and Jessie Kampman and Elena Lengwiler among the Women. Thus ended an exciting afternoon of racing, carried by an increasing mistral wind, with the backdrop of a sky that cleared up as the hours passed, after a gray morning. However, everything is still up for grabs because tomorrow, Saturday, October 5, the program will begin with the Golden Ticket Race, which gives everyone the chance to secure an additional spot for the Medal Series.
THE DAY 3: TIGHT COMPETITION AND OUTSTANDING SHOW
The day began with unstable winds, forcing the athletes to wait about an hour for the mistral to arrive, which finally cleared the sky. The southwestern cloud front made way for a brilliant sun, with winds around 15 knots, which later increased closer to 20 knots. These conditions led some athletes to start racing with various sail sizes: first the 19, then the 15, and finally, most of the fleet used the 11 for the last races. The wind was very variable, making it difficult to read. “What matters,” commented Mirco Babini, president of IKA, “is the intense competition among all the athletes: among the Top 10, everyone was fighting until the end for the wins.”
FIVE WINNERS IN SIX RACES, TWO EXPECTED FINALISTS
Three different winners emerged from the three races held in the early afternoon, contested with 10-15 knots of mistral wind. Maeder regained the overall lead thanks to a victory and a second-place finish, though he finished seventh in the second race after an incident where he damaged a cable. Swiss athlete Gian Stragiotti also performed well, consistently finishing in the top three and winning the second race ahead of Benoit Gomez. Greek competitor Cameron Maramenides claimed victory in the third race of the afternoon, the eighth overall (R8).
After a break, the yellow leader’s jersey of Axel Mazella shone again as he won two consecutive races, tying Maeder for the lead in the overall standings after Race 10. “I prefer tougher racing conditions and smaller sails,” said the Frenchman, “and I love speed, especially downwind. The weather forecast for tomorrow looks great, and I hope the wind conditions I prefer come through.”
However, “The Masked Superhero” Maeder reasserted his leadership in the final race (R11), advancing to the Grand Final with two match points. Mazella, a two-time winner of the Sardinia Grand Slam and three-time KiteFoil world champion, has one match point. Maeder is trying to identify the main rivals for the World Cup victory but doesn’t exclude anyone: “It will be an exciting Saturday of racing with the Medal Series. The Top 10 include familiar names; I think I’ll need to watch out for the Frenchmen Mazella and Gomez, but Gian Stragiotti is also putting in strong performances. However, it’s hard to single anyone out. I’ll try to stay focused; it will certainly be fun: enjoy the show!”
The final day will start with the Golden Ticket Race, offering a spot in the Medal Series. The winner will compete in the Repêchage with Cameron Maramenides, Martin Dolenc, and Jannis Maus. Waiting for the top two from this race in the quarterfinals are Connor Bainbridge and Riccardo Pianosi. Benoit Gomez and Gian Stragiotti have already advanced to the semifinals and will face the top two from the quarterfinals. The same goes for the Grand Final, where Maeder and Mazella have already secured their spots.
LENGWILER COMEBACKS AND MAKES THE FINAL WITH KAMPMAN
In the women’s division, Swiss athlete Elena Lengwiler made a comeback to reach the final, temporarily dethroning Jessie Kampman. However, in the latter part of the afternoon, the Frenchwoman reclaimed the lead, even without shining. Israeli Gal Zukerman slipped to third place, followed by Italian Olympian Maggie Pescetto, who finished second in Race 10. Both earned spots in the semifinals.
“It was a very intense day. We started with larger kites, the 15s,” Pescetto explained, “but I switched to the 9, the smallest. I love strong winds, as they give more room for those using older equipment like me in a context where most of us are trying to figure out the new sails and foils. It’s a bit harder for me to compete, and it’s frustrating not to reach the same speeds as the others,” the Italian concluded, “but I’m here to have fun, and as usual, the atmosphere is great.”
MEDAL SERIES (AND MORE) IN LIVE STREAMING
On Saturday, October 5th, also the final stage of the IKA KiteFoil World Series will be live-streamed on the event’s and IKA’s Facebook and YouTube platforms. The event will reach over 150 countries worldwide, with dedicated coverage and special features. Additionally, daily highlights will be available on Facebook and YouTube.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5 SCHEDULE (subject to updates)
10:00 AM: Village opens with SUP, sit’n’kite, and archery activities.
12:00 PM: Golden Ticket Race
12:30 PM: Medal Series
Photos: 1) Singapore’s Maximilian Maeder enters Grand Final with two match points; 2) Axel Mazella took two wins on the Mistral’s wings on Friday afternoon flying taking the other pass to the final; 3) Strong competition on Gulf of the Angels’ waters; 4) French Jessie Kampman, wearing yellow bib as leader of Women’s ranking; 5) Italian Maggie Eillen Pescetto, fourth among Women; 6) An eye-catching shoot with sea and kites (Credits Robert Hajduk/IKA Media)