Gisela Pulido debuts in third position during the first regatta of the Kitefoil World Series in the "wind island" from the Canary Islands, where she faces the French Poema Newland who leads the women category, followed by the Englishwoman Ellie Aldridge.
In the men's category, the Spanish Alejandro Climent manages to position himself among the top 15 in the overall standings, led by the young Singaporean Maximilian Maeder.
With the incredible backdrop of white sand dunes so characteristic of the Canary Island of Fuerteventura and gusts of between 10 and 15 knots, the first race of the Kitefoil World Series on the "island of wind" began in an epic way. "With favourable conditions, the Fuerteventura Kitefoil World Series serves to show that the island is not only open in summer but also in winter, so many athletes visit us because they know they can practice wind and wave sports 365 days a year," says Julia Castro, professional kitesurfer and co-organiser of the competition.
The conditions experienced on Thursday allowed for six consecutive tasks, offering a kite race between fifty riders from more than 15 countries who literally flew over the water thanks to the hydrofoil on their boards. "It has been the kiteboarding showcase we were all waiting for, with the rise of the hydrofoil, these races have become something unique that we will also see in Paris 2024", comments Manuel Mart Nez, president of the Canakite Experiences club and organiser of the event.
2021 KiteFoil World Series at Fuerteventura
In the women's category, Gisela Pulido, a Catalan based in Tarifa, came third in the first regatta of the World Kitefoil Series held on the island. The 10 times freestyle kiteboarding world champion faces in Fuerteventura the French Poema Newland who leads the category, followed by the English Ellie Aldridge. "It was pretty good, although I made some mistakes that I want to improve tomorrow, I'm happy with how it went, especially because I managed to save complicated situations," said Pulido, who has barely been competing in the kitefoil racing modality for some time.
In the men's category, the Valencian Alejandro Climent managed to position himself among the top 15 in the general classification. The current Spanish Formula Kite 2020 champion faces elite competitors from different parts of the world as the French Axel Mazella or Theo de Ramecourt, who have excelled in previous editions. However, during this first regatta, the Singaporean Maximilian Maeder (under 17) has stood out, who has taken first place in the first three races, also leading the overall classification. "The truth is that my first day was very bad, I arrived late to 2 starts, and in another one with the wrong kite, basically out of 6 races I only managed to do one good one", says the Valencian, who already has 5 national titles in this class.
The Fuerteventura Kitefoil World Series will take place on the beaches of Jand until Saturday 27th November. The results are updated live on the official website of the Kitefoil World Series.
The Fuerteventura Kitefoil World Series will be the penultimate competition of the circuit organised by the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA), so it will be in Gran Canaria where the world champions will be proclaimed next Saturday, December 4th, on the beach of Las Burras.
France leads the overall ranking of the Kitefoil World Series 2021
The Kitefoil World Series has this year 5 stops in 3 different countries, being the Canary Islands the place that will host the only competitions that will take place in the Spanish territory: Gizzeria (Italy), San Traunsee (Austria) and Cagliari (Italy), Fuerteventura (Spain), Gran Canaria (Spain). The overall ranking of the circuit is currently led by Frenchmen Axel Mazella and Theo De Ramecourt, followed by Russian Denis Taradin, who is in third place. France also leads the women's category with Poema Newland and Lauriane Nolot. The rankings are available on the official IKA website.
