Kiteboarding makes its Olympic debut, six classes hit the water in Marseille
by US Sailing Team 5 Aug 2024 09:48 AEST
July 28 - August 8, 2024
Daniela Moroz (Lafayette, CA) approaches the windward mark during the first day of racing in the Women's Kite class at the Paris 2024 Olympics © Sailing Energy / US Sailing Team
As the first half of the fleets completed their medal races yesterday, today became a "business as usual" day as the remaining six classes continued to make progress towards the top ten to qualify for their respective finals series. Team USA sailors maintained relative consistency from yesterday's overall scores, and Kiteboarding made its official Olympic debut as the newest sailing event.
Day eight of competition opened with 6-8 knots with the kite course, which caused the race committee to postpone for two hours as the kites needed at least seven knots to race. The men's kites crossed the starting line for their first race in Olympic history at 3:49, and both fleets logged the intended four races to round out their first day of the Paris Olympics. Markus Edegran (Ossining, NY) and Daniela Moroz (Lafayette, CA) took to the water representing the US in Olympic sailing's newest discipline.
Edegran opened his regatta with a 13-12-7-16 scoreline in a very tight fleet, ending his first day on the water in 13th.
"With the afternoon's breeze shifting around a lot, there was a lot to play," said Edegran, "It's great close racing out there, and it feels great to be here and represent the sport and the country in kiteboarding's debut."
US Kiteboarding sensation Daniela Moroz took the tricky conditions with stride, shaking off the pre-regatta jitters to put up a very solid scoreline of 7-3-4-1. Moroz ended the day on a high note, winning the last race before heading back to the beach.
"Overall my racing improved over the day, which I was happy with," said Moroz. "I got out the jitters - it's almost like the first day of school jitters, but it's the first day of the Olympics. I got those out of the way."
Moroz noted the energy in the venue, and the enthusiasm within the US team after the Men's Skiff team won bronze last Friday.
"It's super cool to see my family, it's really good energy and special to showcase the sport I love so much on a big stage," continued Moroz. "The lead up in the last week was really tough as we weren't able to train while other fleets were racing, but it was super cool to watch my teammates sail their medal races. Watching my teammates win a Bronze medal was a huge boost - it made me think, 'if they can win a medal so can I.' It was great for them and great for the larger program."
The Mixed Dinghy (470) powered through light breeze and flukey conditions paired with leftover ocean swell from yesterday's Mistral on the Bay of Marseille. Team USA athletes Stu McNay (Providence, RI) and Lara Dallman-Weiss (Shoreview, MN) stayed in touch with the fleet through the difficult conditions, scoring a 11-6 in the day's two races which landed them in 12th overall for their third day of competition.
"We had to have our wind shift noses up and alert," noted McNay. "We were rolling with the punches as best we could. We had some ups, had some downs, but I'm really proud of how we sailed and we live to fight another day!" There are two days of regular racing left for the Mixed Dinghy, where McNay and Dallman-Weiss will fight to make the top 10 in order to qualify for the medal race on August 7, weather permitting.
Erika Reineke had a day of opposites in the Women's Dinghy (ILCA 6). She pushed the starting line in race 7, resulting in a BFD, a black flag disqualification. Hungry for more, Reineke got a top tier pin start in the day's second race, using her speed to stay ahead of the fleet and finishing second behind Hungary's Maria Erdi.
The late afternoon breeze saw upwind foiling conditions for the Mixed Multihull (Nacra 17). Team USA's Sarah Newberry Moore (Miami, FL) and David Liebenberg (Richmond, CA) scored a 14, 13, 16 over the day's three races.
Viewers back home can catch the action on NBC's Peacock with archived reruns to follow. For more information on the 13 Team USA athletes competing in the sailing events, on the racing schedule, the broadcast coverage and more, see US Sailing’s Olympics Page.