Can Switzerland’s Olympic sailing sport pin its hopes of success on the huge potential of kitesurfers? Elena Lengwiler and Gian Stragiotti have made a strong start to the new Olympic cycle with second and third place respectively at the Kitefoil World Series in Cagliari. In Switzerland, the fiercely contested Swiss Sailing Super League at the Société Nautique de Genève enjoyed a magnificent end to the season.
We remember the amazing Elena Lengwiler, who surprised the world on the water off Marseille at the Olympic Games. The kitesurfer, who started competing late in life, has made impressive progress and has put the most successful competitors in serious trouble. In the end, she came sixth at the Games. She has now proved at the World Series in Cagliari that this placing was no coincidence. The Swiss athlete largely dominated the field and only Jessie Kampann from France was able to sail away from her in the final. Elena wins silver at the end of the season – a very promising result.
Gian Stragiotti gave us another big surprise. The 17-year-old gave the kitefoil greats a run for their money and finished third behind Olympic silver medallist Maximilian Maeder and reigning European champion Axel Mazella. After Gian Stragiotti failed to make it to the Olympic Games, Los Angeles is already on the horizon for the young hopeful. There is no doubt that the coming seasons will be promising for the Swiss kitefoil rider.
Grandiose end to the season
The 2024 season of the Swiss Sailing Super League came to a cinematic conclusion. The event was organized by the Société Nautique de Genève for the second time since 2017 and the participants were not disappointed. Over three days, 24 races were started, some of them on Friday in a strong breeze. In the final, the Club Nautique de Versoix won with home advantage. In the overall standings for the season, Regattaclub Oberhofen won the title for the first time, followed by Versoix in second place and Kreuzlingen in third.
