Good, beautiful and successful. In the advancing world of kitesurfing, a generation of “terrible girls” are making their way into the world of kitesurfing, who at the drop of a hat, “trick” have invaded social media and disproportionately increased the appeal of these disciplines. Sponsors rave about them, but the kite surfing stars in pink are earning their success by tricks in the water. As we await the officialdom of the presence of kiting at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (in the “racing” version), let’s get to know more about some of the stars of the sport.
Francesca Bagnoli
With 960 points, she is the first Italian ranked in the world kite boarding league, free style category. He does not yet practice racing, but if this discipline becomes Olympic, many athletes would be ready to “retrain” to experience the five-ringed thrill. Livornese, born in 1994, is the rising star of Italian kitesurfing, having already won the national freestyle title four times in a row. For insiders, this is a talent ready to explode. He routinely trains in Sicily, at Stagnone di Marsala, alternating sessions on the island with numerous international trips.
Greta Menardo
Eighteen years old from Lodi, he is the very young star of Italian kiting and already has a third place in the world youth freestyle category under his belt. She also trains at Stagnone in Sicily and is friends with Francesca Bagnoli. In 2014 in Tarifa she suffered a bad knee injury that is now behind her but had raised fears for the development of this very young athlete’s career.
Bruna Kajiya
She is the undisputed queen, No. 1 on the world freestyle ranking list. Brazilian, class of 1987, is a mix of technique and power. Her qualities have made her dominate the international freestyle scene in recent years and win the world title in 2016 and 2009. Her prowess, combined with no small fascnino, attracted the attentions of Red Bull, which decided to sponsor her.
Hannah Whiteley
British, 25, is No. 2 in the world, poised to challenge Brazilian Bruna Kajiya’s leadership. She is a three-time national freestyle champion and has achieved several important results at the international level. He trains permanently between Lytham st annes beach in UK and Cape Town. Thanks to her explosive beauty, she has become a real social star.
Annabel van Westerop
Dutch, 24, is No. 3 on the world ranking list in freestyle, a discipline she has been undertaking since 2008. She has a number of prestigious results in international competitions in her category to her credit, she still lacks the big treble, the heavy victory, but it seems only a matter of time and the blond kiter should make the final leap with results at the highest level.
