Austria’s Valentin Bontus wins gold in men’s kitesurfing to conclude Olympic sailing in Marseille

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Valentin Bontus of Austria took gold after winning two finals races Friday in men’s kitesurfing, the new, fastest sport at the Summer Olympics, whose medals bring to a close sailing competitions in Marseille.

Toni Vodisek of Slovenia got silver while 17-year-old Max Maeder of Singapore won bronze — his country’s first medal in sailing — in finals that had been repeatedly postponed because the breeze was too light.

Vodisek, Maeder, Bontus and Riccardo Pianosi of Italy all entered the finals races originally scheduled for Thursday.

“I am extremely stoked I’m sharing the racecourse with these three legends,” Bontus said.

When asked how he managed to beat Maeder, who entered the Games ranked first in the world, as well as Vodisek, who dominated the regattas in Marseille, Bontus grinned widely and responded: “I really don’t know.”

In kitesurfing finals, the gold goes to whomever scoops up three wins first — Vodisek, ranked first, only needed one win, but Bontus won the first final race late Thursday afternoon. Since no race can start later than 5:37 p.m., the next competition was pushed back to Friday.

During the first final race on Friday afternoon, Bontus kept an early lead and sped through the finish line, setting himself up to starting the next final race with two wins like Vodisek. He then flew through the last race for the medal.

Vodisek said stress and nerves got to him Friday, but he was looking ahead to a rematch in Los Angeles in four years — as was Maeder.

“I’m putting a smile on now. Not because I have to, but because of the way I feel,” Maeder said. “I hope everyone back at home is happy. I’m overwhelmed by the support. It’s absolutely phenomenal.”

A few dozen cheering fans lined the beach under the hot sun on this extra day of the sailing competitions. The kiters said they were excited for how this Olympic debut is creating new fans worldwide for the sport they love — and that Bantus called “a bit more chill” version of sailing.

“I heard from friends, ‘Wow, I actually watched this,’” Vodisek said. “It’s a massive step.”

It took more than a dozen years to bring kites into Olympic sailing, said Mirco Babini, president of the International Kiteboarding Association. As the course representative for this event in Marseille, he dealt with what he called “the extreme difficulty of looking and almost inventing the wind” so that races could be held.

“It’s been a challenge to keep emotions under control,” he said Friday evening while celebrating the successful wrap of the event.

Kitesurfing has a more complicated scoring system than other sailing classes. The races are much shorter, too — less than 10 minutes usually, foiling at speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph) — eclipsing even the sprints of track cyclists — while harnessed to kites as large as 23 square meters.

The first kitesurfing Olympic gold medal ever was awarded to Ellie Aldridge of Britain on Thursday.

Fickle winds and high temperatures in Marseille have wreaked havoc with the program and tested athletes’ endurance ever since the regattas for the first of the 10 sailing events started on July 28.

Some champions reconfirmed their dominance, while others endured heartbreaking losses in the changing, unpredictable conditions at these 2024 Olympics.

Overall in these races, the Netherlands won the most medals, with two golds and two bronzes. Italy and Austria also had two golds.

___

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games