Strong winds and Atlantic swells off the coast of Terceira made for a bruising day of racing in the 2025 Formula Kite Youth World Championships as the world’s top young riders battled the elements and each other for a place in Saturday’s Medal Series.
Argentina’s Catalina Turienzo once again showed her grit, holding onto the top spot in the standings despite hurting her foot in a crash during the day’s final race. The defending champion will go into tomorrow’s grand final needing just a single win to retain her crown.
© IKA media/Robert Hajduk: Catalina Turienzo [ARG]
Her closest rival, Derin Atakan of Turkey, qualified second overall but will need to find another gear to snatch the title away from her old rival. Despite scoring a couple of victories in today’s six races, the Turkish rider hasn’t been firing on all cylinders in the Azores but time is running out to find her usual confidence and form.
© IKA media/Robert Hajduk: Women's start
There was some concern for fellow Turkish rider Derin Deniz Sorguc, who was taken to hospital for observation after being shaken up in a crash during racing. The incident forced her to miss three races, but her earlier results were enough to secure a place in the semi-finals, a testament to her consistency earlier in the competition.
Joining Sorguc in the women’s semi-finals will be 15-year-old Karolina Jankowska of Poland, who impressed with her composure and pace in the heavy conditions to secure her spot among the top contenders.
© IKA media/Robert Hajduk: Riccardo Pianosi [ITA]
On the men’s side, Riccardo Pianosi of Italy topped the qualifying standings to book a direct place in Saturday’s final, although it wasn’t all plain sailing. The Italian star was caught up in a start-line tangle with Swiss rider Gian Stragiotti during the final race forcing Pianosi to return to the beach for an early shower.
Despite the setback, Pianosi still finished four points clear of Singapore’s Max Maeder, who secured second overall and the other automatic spot in the final. Behind them, Vojtech Kosta sits nine points further back in third.
Defending men’s Youth World Champion Stragiotti will have to battle his way through the semi-finals if he’s to keep his hopes of back-to-back titles alive.
© IWSA media/Robert Hajduk: A crazy day on the Azores sea
Meanwhile, there was delight for Karl Maeder, who discovered he’d finished fifth overall after a chaotic day on the water. “I’m fifth!” he shouted on the beach after checking the results. “It was a crazy day with lots of things happening all around, but I’m really happy with how I handled it.”
With Stragiotti in fourth, Switzerland now boasts riders in both the fourth and fifth positions, a strong showing in the punishing Azorean conditions.
As the wind continues to whip across Terceira and the Atlantic swell shows no sign of easing, all eyes now turn to tomorrow’s finals, where Turienzo and Pianosi will look to convert their hard-earned leads into world titles.
An early start should mean racing is completed ahead of the predicted gales.
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