Kites make stunning Olympic debut in Marseille

History was made today at the Paris 2024 sailing competition as kite foiling debuted at its first Olympics. Here’s what happened on day eight in Marseille.

Kite women

As dream starts go, they don’t get much better than the one Ellie Aldridge had. 

Victory in the opening race of Paris 2024, the very first kite foiling race of the Olympics, set the tone for a stellar day.

A long wait ashore was rewarded when the breeze filled in on the Marseille race course, delivering stunning racing, with Aldridge banking two seconds and a third to end the day tied on points in first place.

“It dawned on me how cool it is to have kite foiling in the Games when we were just about to go out,” Aldridge said.

“You've got all the crowds behind us just cheering everyone on as you go out on the water. It's a pretty unique and special feeling.”

Kite men

Connor Bainbridge also nailed day one of the Olympics, and will go into the second day of action in fifth overall.

“I didn't really know what to expect, but in terms of just how phenomenal a spectacle it was, it was pretty impressive,” Bainbridge said with a huge grin on his face.

“I started the Olympics as I started my regatta in Hyeres [the Last Chance Regatta]. It was a solid day, no letters, no crashes. Let's hope I continue with some straight bullets after this.”

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Vita Heathcote and Chris Grube went into racing today in a solid fifth place after two days of action.

Heading out to Frioul, one of the two outer courses, they were able to access the breeze that was absent from the race areas closer to the shore.

A tricky opening race saw them come home 12th, but disaster struck in the second race of the day when they were deemed to be over the start line early. 

The pair didn’t know they had been disqualified until they finished the race – in second. The disqualification cost them dearly, and they drop to 11th overall.

“Sometimes in life and in sport you have bad days, and for us it's just how we bounce back from that,” Grube said. 

“We've seen Marseille is an interesting venue at the best of times, so there are opportunities all over the racecourse to come back. We're still positive.”

Nacra 17

John Gimson promised that the back half of the mixed multihull competition would sort the wheat from the chaff.

He and Anna Burnet sit sixth overall after six races, just four points off bronze medal position. 

“Each day someone falls away from the top five, but I think we just need to keep doing what we're doing, do the details really well, and I think it'll all even out at the end of the week. It’ll come out in the wash.”

ILCA 7

Micky Beckett was another Brit who fell foul of the rules that disqualify sailors for being over the start line before the gun fires.

He was forced to spend the first hour on the water watching his rivals race, while he was left to mull over his options.

Beckett bounced back with an eighth in the following race, but he slips from second to fourth.

“I need to stay out of trouble. which I didn't manage today, and find a little bit of consistency,” Beckett said. 

“Tomorrow's forecast is one that I think should suit me quite well, so I'm reasonably optimistic of two good races, staying out of trouble, and finding a bit of consistency.”

ILCA 6

After yesterday’s Herculean brace of race wins, Hannah Snellgrove went into the fourth day of her Paris competition in third. 

But a difficult day in the complex conditions out in the bay saw her post a 30th and a 20th, which drops her to tenth. 

The points above her are tight, and she’s the only sailor in the fleet to have won two races.

Snellgrove will get one more day to advance back up the leaderboard before the medal race on Tuesday.

See the full results.

What’s coming up

From here-on in it's looking light and flukey - conditions we've seen plenty of so far. Fingers crossed that there's some decent racing to come before we start three days of medal races on Tuesday. See the full schedule.

Find out more

Head to the RYA’s Paris 2024 hub for all the latest news and updates, as well as information about the team, classes, how to watch and more.