Riccardo Pianosi and Jessie Kampman are the new Formula Kite world champions. This is both their first world title and the first historic success for Italy and the Netherlands in the discipline. The victory came in Quartu Sant’Elena (Cagliari), host of the ninth edition of the Sardinia Grand Slam, which counts as the 2025 World Championship after its Olympic debut in Paris last year.
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Men: Pianosi beats Maeder and Gomez
Born in Pesaro but currently residing in Quartu, Pianosi finished ahead of defending champion Maximilian Maeder and frenchman Benoit Gomez in the final. In the fast-paced final race, “Ricky” started ahead and held off his rival’s attacks, capitalizing on the match point earned on Saturday. He’ll have a memorable 2025, already highlighted by the European title he won in Turkey.
Behind him, Gomez completed a crescendo: starting in the quarterfinals, he eliminated Slovenian Toni Vodišek, 2022 world champion and Olympic silver medalist, and U21 champion Gian Stragiotti in the semifinals. The latter, after nearly qualifying directly for the Grand Final, was forced to surrender. Also out was Poland’s Vojtech Koska, who fell early on.
Women: gold for Kampman, Moroz and Nolot on the podium
The women’s final was filled with excitement. Kampman, buoyed by her first-place finish in the Opening Series, seemed poised for the title after her opponents’ crashes, but with 300 meters to go, she made a mistake herself, leaving the way open to Daniela Moroz, six-time world champion, who tied her on points.
In the second race, the young Dutchwoman reacted like a champion, clearly outpacing her rivals and taking the crown. Moroz took silver thanks to her partial victory, while Lauriane Nolot, the reigning world champion and reigning European champion, took bronze.
“It was fantastic to race in conditions like these,” Jessie commented. “When I fell in the first race, I wanted to slap myself, but then I said to myself: ‘Okay, I’ll win the next one.’ And so it was.” Her father also applauded her, moved.
Spectacular Medal Series
The Medal Series, held in mistral winds between 14 and 20 knots, provided plenty of spectacle and surprises. In the women’s semifinal, Moroz prevailed over Great Britain’s Lily Young, eliminating Australian Breiana Whitehead and Switzerland’s Elena Lengwiler, who was stopped by two falls. In the quarterfinals, the American had already defeated Whitehead and Turkey’s Derin Atakan, while an early fall had eliminated Olympian Ellie Aldridge.
An exciting World Championship, which consecrated Riccardo Pianosi and Jessie Kampman as the new faces of international Formula Kite.
The organization
Organized by GLEsport with the technical and sporting collaboration of Chia Wind Club, the Sardinia Grand Slam is held under the auspices of World Sailing (the International Sailing Federation) and IKA (the International Kiteboarding Federation), as well as the FIV (Italian Sailing Federation). Promoted by the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, Department of Tourism, Crafts and Commerce, the Sardinia Grand Slam also benefits from the contribution and patronage of the Municipality of Quartu Sant’Elena. Partners of the Sardinia Grand Slam are Playcar and USE.
MIRKO BABINI (PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL KITEFOIL ASSOCIATION)
“Yet another Olympic-class Kitefoil World Championship in the Golfo degli Angeli has concluded successfully, and even more importantly, it was the first major event paving the way for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The athletes loved the location; the sea off Quartu Sant’Elena proved to be a winning choice,” commented Mirco Babini, IKA President. “Thanks to the support of the Region, the work done over the years, and the organizers’ strong credibility, these are elements that allow for a highly significant international showcase.”
GIAN DOMENICO NIEDDU (GLE SPORT)
“We’ve succeeded,” commented organizer Gian Domenico Nieddu. “The Quartu Sant’Elena coastline has proven to live up to our expectations. We’ve been delighted with the feedback from the athletes, which confirms how attractive this destination is for hosting competitions of this caliber and how enjoyable it is to spend this time in Sardinia. Furthermore, we’ve seen the interest shown by the locals firsthand, which is a further source of pride for us, as it means we’ve achieved our goal. The Sardinia Grand Slam will return in 2026 with a new global format, and starting tomorrow we’ll be working on the next edition.”
BRUNO PERRA (SARDINA CONI PRESIDENT)
“The presence of these great athletes brings prestige to our sports movement, and we are very proud of it. I thank everyone who worked hard to create such a wonderful event. Congratulations.”
MARZIA CILLOCCU (DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM, TRADE AND CRAFTS, AUTONOMOUS REGION OF SARDINIA)
It’s a great celebration, here on Poetto beach, in this corner of Sardinia, in Quartu. It’s a fantastic event, a unique international showcase. The support of the Region has never been lacking and will never be lacking. In recent years, we’ve sown seeds, together with the local organization and the Federations. We thank these amazing young people, one of them, Riccardo Pianosi, Sardinian by adoption, so we’re doubly happy.
CINZIA CARTA (COUNCILLOR FOR SPORTS – MUNICIPALITY OF QUARTU S. ELENA)
“We are truly pleased to have brought such an important event to our area: it was a magnificent event, well attended. And we experienced an incredible atmosphere, truly unique. A beautiful environment,” said Cinzia Carta, Councilor for Sport for the Municipality of Quartu Sant’Elena, “with so many champions from all over the world, focused on their goal but at the same time smiling and very friendly with everyone. This also included the meetings with our students, which were truly invaluable. On this occasion, Quartu demonstrated its ability to welcome, from every perspective. We can therefore say with absolute certainty that all the conditions are in place for this to be the first in a long series of international sporting events with such a large number of athletes in our area.”
