MAXIMILIAN MAEDER (SGP) AND JULIA DAMASIEWICZ (POL) WIN THE 2021 FORMULA KITE U-19 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Sixty-five riders gathered from 25 countries in the south of Italy at the Hang Loose Beach for the Under 19 Formula Kite and A’s Youth Foil World titles. The athletes were divided into three fleets, the A’s Youth Foil, where boys and girls raced together, and the Formula Kite, divided into boys and girls. An Opening Series followed a Medal Series for the best 14 athletes of the qualifier, and a Final Race for the athletes ranked from 15th onwards. The young kiters faced strong winds over 25 knots and really big waves on the first competition day and clouds and rain on the last day.
Women
Julia Damasiewicz (POL) made it clear from the beginning that she came here to do well, winning four out of four races on the first day. Only her fellow countrywomen Magdalena Woyciechowska and Nina Arcisz could follow her pace.
After the first day, Magdalena Woyciechowska commented, “I’ve just finished four races in Formula Kite, it was pretty tough, I’ve got to say, it was over 25 knots, but I’m very happy. I mostly raced with my teammate Julia (Damasiewicz) and it was pretty cool. She’s such a good kiter, so yeah, I’m happy of my day and that I managed to do quite well”.
The first Formula Kite Women’s Medal series race just concluded when thunderstorms around the area started to close in, bringing the competition to an end. Magdalena Woyciechowska (POL) took the bullet, but there was very little to do to grab the title from Julia Damasiewicz – second in that race – who claimed 13 bullets in a series of 17 races to become the 2021 Formula Kite U19 World Champion.
“I am super happy, I mean, winning the World Championship is really something”, said Julia Damasiewicz in almost a trembling voice. “Kitesurf is a big part of my life, and I am truly excited about this win. I was leading since day one, but it hasn’t been easy, Magdalena (Woyciechowska) is very fast, so I am happy I could actually finish in the first position. I want to thank everyone who believed in me, my family at home in Poland who was super excited for me, and I am glad I could make it happen for them!”
Men
Maximilian Maeder followed Julia’s path and took four bullets in four races on the opening day. He was followed by Riccardo Pianosi (ITA), who had won the U19 battle with Max the previous week in the World Series event. After the first day, Maximilian compared both events and said: “It is different because I guess I am just not surrounded by a lot of people and everyone has a bit more space on the racecourse with less riders, I can just focus on my equipment holding up. The conditions out there are really crazy, it has to be over 25 knots, I had a lot of fun because I trained in the very chaotic conditions, and now that I have that experience, this is quite fun.”
On the final day, tight, quick races kept everyone on their toes, with two Semifinals deciding the third and fourth competitors to join the two best riders in the Finals. In the Formula Kite, Jis Van Hees (NED) and Jakub Jurkowski (POL) passed through to race with Riccardo Pianosi (ITA) and Maximilian Maeder (SGP). The first to win three-match points would be the World Champion, with the leader starting with two points and the second one with one. Maximilian cut it short and won the race and the World Title, Riccardo Pianosi winning silver and Jis Van Hees taking bronze.
“It feels amazing. I am so thankful to the organizers, to the competitors and my supporters, it would have never happened without them,” commented a beaming Maximilian Maeder, just after the only race he joined and won today. “I feel tired but happy, a lot of mixed emotions but mostly just happy. It was quite a fight with Riccardo, he is a great competitor, but I think I’ve just had one of the best races I’ve ever had today. I took a good lead and won”.
Formula Kite Male
- Maximilian Maeder (SGP – 80)
- Riccardo Pianosi (ITA – 38)
- Jis van Hees (NED – 11)
Formula Kite Female
- Julia Damasiewicz (POL – 18)
- Magdalena Woyciechowska (POL – 7)
- Nina Arcisz (POL – 4)
Top 3 A’s Youth Foil U17 Boys
- Jan Koszowski (POL – 50)
- Mikhail Novikov (RYF – 17)
- Angelo Soli (ITA – 75)
TOP 3 A’s Youth Foil U17 Girls
- Gal Boker (ISR – 60)
- Ella Geiger (GBR – 33)
- Karolina Jankowska (POL – 31)
Top 3 A’s Youth Foil U15 Boys
- Enzo Louber (FRA – 20)
- Gian Andrea Stragiotti (SUI – 52)
- Jakub Balewicz (POL – 32)
Top A’s Youth Foil U15 Girls
- Karolina Jankowska (POL – 31)
All Kite Foil U-19 results are available here.
All other results are available here.
Find out about all upcoming Kite Foil events at our Beach Sports calendar.
Source: https://www.formulakite.org/
Photo credit: IKA Media / Giovanni Mitolo
