Ellie Aldridge made history by becoming the first ever athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in Formula Kite.
The British rider was in a league of her own throughout the Women’s Kite Medal Series, besting all opposition to take home the top prize.
USA’s Daniela Moroz and the Netherlands’ Annelous Lammerts were the two athletes that progressed from the Semi-Finals, joining Aldridge and France’s Lauriane Nolot in the Final.
The French athlete began with a two-win advantage in the opening race and came close to wrapping up gold, tussling with Aldridge right to the finish before being narrowly beaten by the British rider.
In race two Aldridge ascended once more, avoiding the chaos around the early marks to sail ahead of the fleet and storm across the finish line to take the first Olympic gold in Women’s Kite.
Nolot claimed the silver after carrying two wins into the Final, while Lammerts took bronze after Moroz was given a scoring penalty in the last race of the day.
Aldridge said: “I feel completely overwhelmed that I almost don’t feel anything, because I can’t believe what happened. We knew Marseille was going to be a tricky venue, but you’ve got to learn how to deal with it and how to adapt when the conditions aren’t good and excel when it really matters.
“It all came down to today and I’m really happy that I managed to hold it all together and win two races. My goal was to medal and I knew that if I had the right week I could win, everything was going to have to align.”
Nolot said: “My country and the fans are great. When I heard everybody screaming, I was like: ‘Okay Lola, you need to continue to go otherwise they’re going to boo.’ It’s really nice. I think it really gives me strength. My family are also here so that’s cool.”
Lammerts said: “I got a second chance in the last race which helped me change my game plan, take even more risk and give my all because I was battling against a six-time world champion. There was no room for error.
“I started kiteboarding in 2009. I love this sport and to now be on the biggest stage at the Olympics is amazing. To be here with the whole team after a rollercoaster few years – we managed to do it.”
How it works:
Medals for the Men’s and Women’s Kite will be decided by the cumulative results of the 20 athletes over 16 races. The athlete with the lowest total will rank first. Athletes can discard their worst three finishing positions after they’ve completed 11 or more races.
At the end of the Opening Series, the top ten athletes will qualify for the Medal Series. Those ranked third to tenth compete in the Semi-Finals, going into two groups of four. Those seeded third and fourth after the Opening Series begin the Semi-Finals with two wins, while the fifth and sixth seeds carry over one victory.
The first athlete in each Semi-Final to get three wins qualifies for the Finals. In the four-athlete Final, the top overall seed from the Opening Series begins with two wins, the second seed with one and the two winners of the Semi-Finals start from scratch. Once again, the first to three wins gets the gold and the remaining medals are awarded based on number of race wins and seeding.
