Sardinia Grand Slam: in Cagliari are to be awarded the world titles of KiteFoil
Italy and Sardinia return to be protagonists of international Kitesurfing. In its period of greatest expansion, with the debut at the Youth Olympic Games in progress at Buenos Aires and the entry as an Olympic discipline starting from Paris 2024, the movement has once again found in Sardinia and in the magnificent scenery of Poetto the ideal location to crown the 2018 World Champions in KiteFoil.
More than 70 athletes are going to come from all five continents of the world, engaged in the Sardinia Grand Slam, the third and final stage of the Kite Foil Gold Cup. The competition is to officially start today with the arrival and registration of the athletes. The races are going to begin tomorrow, Thursday 18th, and to end on Sunday 21st along with the awards for the event and the award of the world title.
The battle for the men’s title is anything but established and sees the high number of 5 athletes separated by only 11 points. The Monegasque leader Maxime Nocher is in charge, thanks to his victory in both the first two stages of the KiteFoil Gold Cup. The Frenchman Theo De Ramecourt and the British Connor Bainbridge equally follow with 7 points. The climb to the summit of the reigning World Champion Nico Parlier, who last year had dominated the Sardinia Grand Slam and won the world title, was impossible.
Among the women is presented as a favourite and leader of the standings the Russian Elena Kalinina who has in two stages put 12 points between her and the US Kirstyn Obrien. The young American Daniela Moroz was third in the title, out of the title battle. Moroz, however, has a fresh nomination for the Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award.
The Sardinia Grand Slam is organized by Good Looking Entertainment with the collaboration of the Yacht Club Cagliari, which deals with technical sports coordination, under the auspices of the IKA (International Kiteboarding Association), and with the contribution of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia with the Department of Tourism and the City of Cagliari with the Department of Sports.