May 6, 2019
“Let's go home, open the summer season!”
You probably already know that St. Petersburg's Elena Kalinina won silver at the World Kiteboarding Championships. Russians in the team standings are third
On May 5, at Lake Garda, the next world kiteboarding championship, a discipline in which athletes move across the surface of the water using a kite, a type of paraglider, ended.
Athlete of the Academy of Sailing Elena Kalinina, who won silver, summed up on her facebook page:
“Yesterday the world kiteboarding championship ended on Lake Garda. I won second place in the individual competition, and also Denis Taradin and I managed to win the bronze medal in team races.
The conditions were difficult – the wind periodically absent, which is not typical for Garda. Nevertheless, three racing days took place, one of which was allocated for team races. This is a new format that is planned to be used at the Olympic Games of 2024. Its essence is as follows: a team or several teams in the composition of a “boy + girl” are recruited from each country. In the first race, for example, girls start, drive one lap and then pass the baton to their team mate: he has the right to start only after the girl has passed the transfer zone of the baton. He then drives the remaining lap and finishes. His place is the points that the team gets. So there are several races in which boys and girls start alternately. I really liked this format, it was interesting to compete, monitor the situation, work in a team. We with Denis showed a very good result – only one point separated us from the first place, and with the second we had equality, but additional indicators influenced.
The races took place mainly in light wind, mainly I used Elf Joker kites with an area of 15 meters and 18 meters. In the individual competition, I fought with the winner of the last championship American Daniela Moroz. In two races of seven, I came first thanks to the right tactical decisions. Also, thanks to the winter training, I was able to get closer to her in speed, but still a little lacking moves. In the upcoming season I will work with materiel and my equipment.
The third in the women's fleet was the representative of Australia – Bryan Whitehead.
The men won the gold medal of the current world champion – the Frenchman Nico Parlier, silver and bronze went to the representatives of Great Britain – Oliver Bridge and Connor Beinbridge.
Denis Taradin entered the top 10 and took 9th place. I would also like to congratulate two more Russian athletes on their debut: Valeria Garashchenko, who became the seventh, and Sofia Kotlyar!
I express my deep gratitude to my trainer Roman Lyubimtsev, the company Elf for such fast kites, Tarifa Foil Boards, the Academy of Sailing Sports of St. Petersburg for their support, and also to my loved ones! We're going home to open the summer season in our hometown. "
Press Service of the Academy of Sailing
St. Petersburg Yacht Club
208 May 6, 2019 # 9001
Chief Editor
