Formula Kite Worlds debut in Portugal amid tough Atlantic conditions

Viana do Castelo’s Atlantic edge was the real rival at the Formula Kite World Championships, where rough water, strong currents and fast-changing race conditions framed every start, turn and landing. With 85 athletes from 28 countries on the line, the first Formula Kite Worlds ever staged in Portugal carried world-title weight and a direct path into Olympic ranking races for Los Angeles 2028.

The venue mattered as much as the entry list. Cabedelo Beach and the wider Viana do Castelo coast are already known as a kitesurfing and windsurfing stretch, but the championship pushed that reputation into a different class of pressure. Big Atlantic swell and shifting currents punished hesitation, which meant the riders most likely to thrive were the ones who could read the water early, hold speed through dirty air and keep the board under control when the course became unsettled. In a fleet this deep, one bad tack or one messy touchdown could turn a medal chase into damage control in seconds.

Portugal had local hope in Mafalda Pires de Lima and Tomás Pires de Lima, two riders who know the water well and grew up racing in those conditions. Mafalda Pires de Lima arrived with more than hometown sentiment behind her. World Sailing’s women’s rankings had her at fifth in the class, a marker that put her firmly among the championship’s serious contenders rather than just a local favorite. On a course like Viana do Castelo, that kind of form matters, because the riders who stay composed in rough water usually gain more than they take.

The men’s field was headed by Riccardo Pianosi, Valentin Bontus and Maximilian Maeder, a trio that has set the pace in recent seasons. Pianosi brought defending-champion credibility after winning the 2025 world title in Quartu Sant’Elena, Sardinia, while Jessie Kampman captured the women’s crown there. The women’s podium also featured Daniela Moroz and Lauriane Nolot, both back in the mix for another major run in Portugal.

The event was listed by World Sailing for 9 to 16 May 2026, while the International Kiteboarding Association placed the competition window at 11 to 16 May and assigned it 200 World Sailing ranking points. That ranking value, paired with the fact that Men’s and Women’s Kite will be the first sailing medals decided at LA28 on 19 July 2028, gave every race in Viana do Castelo extra consequence. In Formula Kite, speed is only the starting point. In Atlantic chop, the championship belonged to the riders who could survive the conditions long enough to impose their class.