The inclusion of Mixed Relay Kitefoil racing in the Olympics at the 2024 Games has drawn 90 athletes (60 men, 30 women) to the IKA Formula Kite Europeans, Torregrande, Sardinia.
One day of the scheduled five has been allocated to Mixed Relay racing, when the winners on the pristine waters of Oristano Gulf will be crowned European champions in the format for the first time.
But, for the athletes from 22 countries, the biggest focus will be the 2019 European championship title race, where the men and women will compete separately.
In the keenly-contested men’s fleet, the biggest battle is likely to be among the victors at last week’s “open” KiteFoil World Series in Pingtan, China, where Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek took victory ahead of the French duo of Axel Mazella and Théo de Ramecourt.
In the women’s fleet, the four-times Formula Kite world champion, the US’s Daniela Moroz, is likely to prove untouchable in Torregrande.
Among the Europeans vying for the 2019 crown, the French pair of Alexia Fancelli and the returning Anaïs Mai Desjardins are likely to find themselves locked in a ferocious battles with Britons, Ellie Aldridge and Maddy Anderson.
Racing starts Wednesday 25 September.
British entries:
Lance Olner
Ellie Aldridge
Maddy Anderson
Katie Dabson
Lily Young
Jemima Crathorne