Australians Ready to Fly at Formula Kite World Championships
by Lisa Darmanin / Australian Sailing Team 12 May 01:10 BST
9-16 May 2026
Breiana Whitehead © Sailing Energy
Australia's Breiana Whitehead and Oscar Timm are primed for action as the Formula Kite World Championships kick off this week on Portugal's Western coast.
Paris 2024 Olympian Breiana Whitehead arrives in Viana do Castelo in strong form, having reached the finals in both Sailing Grand Slam events this season in Palma and Hyères. The Australian Sailing Team athlete is ready to embrace the challenging Portuguese conditions that await the international fleet.
"The conditions are going to be interesting, there's always a bit of swell out there," Whitehead shared. "We've had a pretty good lead into the event with sun and wind in the afternoon, but we've also had a pretty rainy and wild measurement day. That's the forecast for the first few days, though hopefully towards the end of the week we'll get some more stable conditions for good racing."
The championship format promises intensity, with 20 fleet races scheduled over five days before the final series on May 16th. "The week of racing really takes a lot and can be quite physically demanding, you can definitely feel it in the legs each day," she explained.
"There's also significant mental demand with quick decisions on the course and kite choice. It all adds up to a pretty full-on week, which makes rest and recovery absolutely crucial."
Having used her recent Sailing Grand Slam appearances as preparation, Whitehead is targeting peak performance, "It's been quite a good lead-in to Worlds. I've been working on some key areas, as always focusing on starting well and technical skills. I'm really looking forward to bringing all these elements together this week."
In the men's fleet, State Sailing Performance Program athlete Oscar Timm will carry Australian hopes as he continues his development in the highly competitive Formula Kite class.
Formula Kite - Men (53 entries)
Oscar Timm (SSPP)
Formula Kite - Women (31 entries)
Brieana Whitehead (AST)
The full list of entries can be found here.