Kiteboarding (Formula Kite), Women

Kiteboarding (also known as kitesurfing) made its Olympic début at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, in Buenos Aires, with it becoming a full Olympic sport at Paris 2024. Although kitesurfing started to gain popularity in the 1970s, the modern-day version of the sport did not originate until the mid-1990s. Formula Kite, first adopted by World Sailing as an international class in 2013, was the class chosen to be used at the 2024 Games. Kiteboards are not one-design, and competitors could choose from a selection of approved production equipment.

The 20 competitors from 20 nations were scheduled to take part in up to 16 races and a medal race over five days but, due to the weather conditions, only three days and just six first round races were possible. The 10 best scores went through to the next phase. The top two scorers, however, went straight through to the final. The other eight were split into two semi-finals, with the first person to win three races going through to the final. The top ranked competitor in each group (those who finished 3rd and 4th in the opening series) started their semi-final with a credit of two wins, while the second ranked in each group (those who finished 5th and 6th in the opening series) were credited with one win. Credit wins were also given in the final, with the best qualifier from the opening round getting two while the runner-up received one credit win.

Choosing a winner for the inaugural Olympic women’s kiteboarding was no easy task as so many big names were all competing on the Marseille waters. The six-time World champion, and kiteboarding pioneer, Daniela Moroz of the USA, was in the field but had not medaled at the Worlds since 2022, as the swing had moved towards European kiters. Moroz was, however, world No. 1 at the time of the Games, and was not to be ruled out of a medal place. The two in-form contestants were Lauriane Nolot of France, who had to beat some strong competition to win her place at the Olympics, and Great Britain’s Ellie Aldridge. Those two occupied first and second place, respectively, at both the 2023 and 2024 World Championships. Aldridge also won the silver in 2021 (and bronze in 2022), while Nolot also had a World silver and bronze to her credit and was also the reigning European champion. Moroz, Nolat, and Aldridge were the top-three ranked by World Sailing at time of the Games.

The only other occasion kiteboarding was seen as an Olympic sport was at the 2018 Youth Olympics, and the only two kiters from that event taking part on its full Olympic début were China’s Chen Jingyue (6th in 2018), and Alina Kornelli (4th in 2018), who then represented Germany, but was on the Austrian team in 2024.

Ellie Aldridge had the distinction of being the first Olympic full women’s kiteboarding race winner, and she followed it with consecutive second places. After the first four of the maximum 16 races, however, France’s Nolot led, but level on points with Aldridge. In third place was Moroz, as the form book seemed to have got it right. When the opening round ended after six races, Nolot and Aldridge were first and second and went straight through to the final. The next eight went through to the semis, with Moroz and the Netherland’s Annelous Lammerts receiving the two earned wins. The two semi-finals were each decided in their first race, with Moroz and Lammerts easily getting to the three wins needed to take them into the final.

The final series line-up saw the three favorites Nolot, Aldridge, and Moroz joined by the outsider of the four, World No. 16 Lammerts. Aldridge clawed back Nolot’s earned advantage by winning the first race, and back-to-back wins for the British girl gave her the first Olympic Formula Kite gold medal, with Nolot taking silver and Lammerts the bronze. It was Britain’s only sailing gold of the Paris Olympics.