Formula Kite Youth Europeans & KiteFoil Open Masters Worlds 2026 - Day 1
by International Kiteboarding Association 2 Jul 21:31 BST
European Youth Championships & Masters 2026 - Day 1 © IKA Media / Robert Hajduk
Light winds gradually gave way to a strengthening thermal breeze as racing got under way at the Formula Kite Youth European Championships and KiteFoil Open Masters World Championships.
Building to around 18 knots, the conditions allowed all three fleets to complete the four scheduled races, as the first championship points were awarded in the race for the 2026 European and World titles.
Following the morning skipper's meeting, the Race Committee briefly delayed the first possible start while waiting for the breeze to establish itself. Once it arrived, the racecourse came to life, rewarding riders who combined speed, precision and the ability to adapt as the conditions evolved.
The Youth Men's fleet immediately produced some of the closest racing of the day. Race 2 provided a perfect example of how quickly fortunes can change in Formula Kite. France's Nell De Jaham had opened a commanding lead by the first rounding of Mark 3 before crashing later in the race, allowing Poland's Jan Koszowski to take over at the second rounding of the mark and convert the opportunity into victory. De Jaham recovered to finish third in the race, while Koszowski closed the opening day at the top of the standings after posting two race wins and two third places. Switzerland's Karl Maeder matched him on five net points with a strong finish to the day, while fellow Pole Piotr Szymiec climbed to third overall after recovering from a difficult opening race.
With virtually nothing separating the leading riders, Koszowski knows the battle is only just beginning. "I'll definitely focus on better starts, just to stay in the lead from the beginning instead of trying to catch up," he said.
The Youth Women's fleet told a very different story. Argentina's Catalina Turienzo controlled the opening day from start to finish, winning all four races to establish an early overall lead. Behind her, Svetlana Trusova and Türkiye's Derin Deniz Sorguc emerged as the early contenders for the remaining podium positions after consistently finishing among the front runners.
For Turienzo, adapting to the changing breeze became one of the day's biggest challenges."The wind was changing throughout the day. At some point it died completely, then it started to pick up again, so the strategy changed a little for the last races compared to the first ones," she explained.
She believes success in Formula Kite often depends on what happens before the fleet even reaches the first mark. "In Formula Kite it's super important to be first at the start because we're going so fast that it's hard to overtake people. The start line is key."
The Masters fleet proved equally competitive. Italy's Simone Romano set the early pace by rounding Mark 3 first in the opening race before extending his advantage on the following leg, while Federico Aguilar and Matthieu Di Russo fought closely behind. Another decisive move came in Race 2, where France's Antoine Paillette overtook Aguilar at the second rounding of Mark 3 to take the lead. It proved to be one of the defining moments of the day as Paillette went on to finish at the top of the overall standings, just one point ahead of Aguilar. Denmark's James Johnsen sits third, with Romano fourth, leaving the top four covered by only three net points.
Paillette credited consistency for his opening-day performance. "I just focused on speed and tried not to make mistakes," he said. "The aim for me was to be fast and consistent."
With four races completed across all three fleets, the first leaders have emerged, but the championship picture remains wide open. If the opening day demonstrated one thing, it is that in Formula Kite, a single mistake can change the outcome of a race, while precision, consistency and strong starts can make all the difference.