Friday, 26 May 2023 06:48

Thunder And Lightning Over Sardinia

  • Breeze of 7 to 9 knots, gusting up to 16 knots later in the day
  • Threat of thunder and lightning brought fleet ashore early
  • Good day for Turkey in the Masters Worlds
Thunder and lightning in the Sardinian sky brought an early close to competition on day two in Torregrande.
It wasn’t all bad though, with three of the four  in the Formula Kite Youth European Championship and four races in the Kitefoil Open Masters World Championship.
© IKA media / Robert Hajduk: Ejder Ginyol had a dominant day in the Masters


After a shaky start to his Masters Worlds campaign on Wednesday, Turkey’s Ejder Ginyol hit his stride on day two, scoring two firsts and two seconds to close the gap to series leader Billy Guy Maupas from France.

Charlie Bingham from the USA might be bringing up the rear in the Masters fleet, but then the 59-year-old only took up kitefoiling two years ago. “It’s a been a big learning curve, that’s for sure,” laughed Bingham. “I mean, it's really fun and it's a huge challenge and you’re among great people, in a great atmosphere. I’m not too bothered about the result, I’m just out there having fun.”

Monika Zizlavska might have slipped to second in the women’s Masters rankings behind Thailand’s Benyapa Jantawan, but the Czech rider was smiling as much as ever. “The Thai rider is hugely experienced, so I was surprised to be in the lead yesterday and I’m very OK with my level,” said the 40-year-old. “I come from the Czech Republic where we have no sea, no ocean, so this is all different for me, sailing on salt water, waves and so on. It’s a big learning experience and I’m really enjoying it.”

© 2022 International Kiteboarding Association. All Rights Reserved