2026 Formula Kite World Championships at Viana do Castelo - Overall
by IKA / Jemima Crathorne 17 May 09:52 BST
9-16 May 2026
2026 Formula Kite World Championships day 6 © IKA Media / Robert Hajduk
The classic wind and swell typical of Viana do Castelo delivered some sensational kitefoiling conditions for today's medal series, setting the stage for a fitting finale to the 2026 World Championship.
You couldn't have scripted a better backdrop to decide the World titles, with the Atlantic providing just enough bite with strong breeze and shifty winds proving to be the perfect sailing test for today's finalists.
Fighting her way through the ranks was Swiss rider Elena Lengwiler with a standout performance in today's racing. The Swiss rider never took her foot off the throttle, starting the day in 10th position and battling all the way to claim the bronze medal.
"I had nothing to lose," said Lengwiler. "I entered in 10th position, so I had to go all in to win. I tried to make no mistakes, do clean racing and push with everything I had left."
It was touch-and-go for the Swiss rider in the semi-finals: "I wanted to change my kite down before the second race, but didn't have time, so I just had to hold onto the 15m, it was a bit difficult!".
After a 1.1 penalty for China's Wan Li failing to give mark-room in the semi-finals, USA's Daniela Moroz made it into the grand-final alongside Lengwiler to join Lauriane Nolot and Jessie Kampman. With arguably the strongest women's final lineup to date, the grand-final was set to deliver plenty of action!
After a strong start to the grand-final, disaster struck for the ever steady Jessie Kampman. Having been pinned out to the corner by Lengwiler and Moroz, the Dutch rider had to sail beyond the lay line. In an explosion of sheer speed and power, Kampman crashed on port while reaching back across the course, thus losing her chance to defend her 2025 World title. With Lauriane Nolot's main duelling partner now at the back of the pack, the French rider stretched her legs, found her pace, and managed to keep Lengwiler and Moroz at bay to claim the one bullet she needed to secure her third ever World title.
"Man it was crazy, it was so windy. I think I made the right decision to tack when I did, and then it was just about staying in control of my outcome. Elena was pushing so hard on the downwind! You know I can't even believe it, it's crazy. I was pretty stressed today, because I knew it was going to be a tough battle with Jessie, but I knew I could do it. Now my cheeks are painful from smiling so much!" exclaims Nolot, beaming after her win.
After a lighter training load last year, Nolot wasn't sure what to expect from this season's racing.
"I haven't trained that much last year, and though I could be in for a painful year. But this winter I decided to put the work in and I have the feeling it's working. I knew I had the speed, because this week I gained confidence and knew I could win races, and I think it was all about your strategy on the water today. I think it paid off, I took the right choices out there. I'm super happy and I'm really proud of myself."
The men's was equally gripping right from the gun of quarter-finals. Brazil's Lucas Fonseca was nothing short of outstanding. After being right on the edge of even making it into the medal series yesterday, the young Brazilian put the hammer down in every single race today. Austria's Valentin Bontus won the semi-final fight, advancing with Fonseca into the grand-final to join Gian Stragiotti and Maximilian Maeder. All riders opted for a port start, with Maeder and Stragiotti cutting their lay lines incredibly fine at the windward mark.
"That lay line for the first mark... I was afraid, I was shaking so badly in my mind, I had to stay stable on my board, but in my mind I was falling apart. When I crossed the first mark, I was so relieved, there is no sensation of relief that will be stronger than that in a while!" remarked Maeder on the rare error for the experienced Singaporean rider, who had sailed near-flawlessly all week. Unlike his teammate, Stragiotti was unable to pump his foil up to the mark and had to opt for the double tack instead. The costly maneuvers put him to the back of the pack.
Meanwhile, Fonseca and Bontus turned up the heat on front runner Maeder, who later acknowledged the challenge: "hats off to my competitors for pushing me so hard."
While the battle unfolded at the front, Stragiotti did everything he could to get back into the title fight, tacking early after the leeward mark and making significant gains. A strong VMG saw him charge back into second place. Learning from their mistakes, Maeder and Stragiotti rounded the next mark one after the other. Maintaining their positions right until the nail-biting end, Maeder clinched the win, gaining his third World Championship title, just ahead of training partner Stragiotti.
"It was amazing, we had such tight battles! It was quite windy and really powered on the 15m" explained Stragiotti, delighted with his silver medal win. "Finally I managed to be in the final and prove my point that I can be on the podium with the top guys. It can't get any better than that, with my teammate on top! We were just screaming to each other, like 'we did it!' and we were just so happy. I really know Max as well, he wanted us to be up there together so bad. I'm so happy with the whole teamwork side of it. I'm so grateful to have our training group and coach."
It was clear that this win meant a lot to Maeder: "Obviously you can see I'm in tears. It's simply fantastic. I have trained a lot during the winter with amazing teammates, my brother [Karl Maeder] included. I have such a wonderful team behind me. I've been trying my very best to make the most out of it. And the others, I'm sure they'll catch up very soon, so I have to stay on my toes as my coach always says."
Top 3 Women
1st Lauriane Nolot FRA
2nd Jessie Kampman NED
3rd Elena Lengwiler SUI
Top 3 Men
1st Maximilian Maeder SGP
2nd Gian Stragiotti SUI
3rd Valentin Bontus AUT