Kiteboarding Australia

Australia representing on the world stage once again! Huge Congratulations to our top freestyler, Leo Verrecchia!! 🔥🇦🇺

The men’s final proved to be an intense battle, with every rider hungry for the first event win of the season. Verrecchia and Guillebert both had shaky openings, crashing their first trick attempts, while Flügel and Chabloz quickly began stacking clean scores. The choppy conditions made landing anything a challenge across the board.

Leo, competing in his first-ever final, threw caution to the wind and went all in — but couldn’t quite get his landings to stick. As the heat progressed, the podium battle narrowed to three: Guillebert, Chabloz, and Flügel. Guillebert looked set to take it with a massive 9-point score, but Flügel refused to give ground — closing out the heat in first place with 32.37 points. Guillebert took second, Chabloz third, and Verrecchia fourth.

Finals results:
1st Finn Flügel (GER)
2nd Arthur Guillebert (FRA)
3rd Maxime Chabloz (SUI)
4th Leo Verrecchia (AUS)

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𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 💙
Jarrett Stock | President Kiteboarding QLD

As part National Volunteer Week we want to spotlight our amazing volunteers who dedicate their time behind the scenes to support our athletes, deliver events, maintain safe and professional competitions, and help grow the sport and community we love.

It’s been a challenging season chasing the wind in Queensland, with plenty of forecast watching and event rescheduling along the way. Through it all, Jarrett has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help keep events running and riders on the water.
From coordinating competitions and adjusting event dates around conditions to supporting the Queensland kiteboarding community throughout the season, Jarrett has played a huge role in creating opportunities for riders to come together and compete.
It was also great to see Jarrett step onto the water at the Freestyle Nationals, taking out 2nd place in the Masters division.

Thank you, Jarrett, for your time, passion, and continued support of the sport and community in Queensland!

It’s National Volunteer Week!

Kiteboarding Australia would like to take the time this week to recognise and show our appreciation to ALL our incredible volunteers. Our sport simply wouldn’t run without you 💙

The Australian Sports Commission has launched “Put Volunteers on the Map” to help recognise and celebrate volunteers across Australia. We encourage our community to get involved and give a shout out to the amazing who help grow, support and strengthen our sport and community.

Recognise a volunteer on the map https://volmap.ausport.gov.au/.

The 2026 Formula Kite World Championships came down to the finest of margins for Australian rider Breiana Whitehead, with every point proving critical in a dramatic week of racing in Portugal.  
 
Whitehead narrowly missed qualifying for the top-10 final series after finishing tied on points for tenth overall, ultimately losing out on countback and being forced to watch the final day from shore.  
 
It was a rollercoaster regatta for the Australian, who suffered an early setback on day one after a high-speed kite tangle with competitors took her out of racing, before mounting an impressive comeback through consistent performances across the remainder of the championship.  
 
“I had a pretty shocking day,” admitted Whitehead after the final fleet race of the day. “I had a pretty good day yesterday and climbed up but I think I put too much pressure on myself and made a few mistakes that cost a fair bit. It was wavy out there, so you had to be on it.” 
 
Looking ahead, Whitehead will continue building towards the second half of the season, with the next major international at the LA2028 Olympic venue in Long Beach.  
 
In the men’s fleet, State Sailing Performance Program athlete Oscar Timm finished 37th overall, delivering a strong performance against a world-class field and continuing his development at senior international level.  

Full list results can be found here  
 
Formula Kite – Women (31 entries) 
11th - Brieana Whitehead (AST)  
Formula Kite – Men (53 entries) 
37th - Oscar Timm (SSPP)  

📸 Robert Hadjuk

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Australian’s Breiana Whitehead and Oscar Timm are primed for action as the Formula Kite World Championships kick off this week on Portugal’s Western coast.

“The conditions are going to be interesting, there’s always a bit of swell out there,” Whitehead shared. “We’ve had a pretty good lead into the event with sun and wind in the afternoon, but we’ve also had a pretty rainy and wild measurement day. That’s the forecast for the first few days, though hopefully towards the end of the week we’ll get some more stable conditions for good racing.”

The championship format promises intensity, with 20 fleet races scheduled over five days before the final series on May 16th. In the men’s fleet, State Sailing Performance Program athlete Oscar Timm will carry Australian hopes as he continues his development in the highly competitive Formula Kite class.

Read more 👉🏼 https://www.kiteboardingaus.com.au/news/australians-ready-to-fly-at-formula-kite-world-championships

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.timm.sailing

𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀
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At Kiteboarding Australia we’re committed to creating safe, supportive environments for riders of all ages especially young people entering the sport through our schools.
Over the coming months we’ll be sharing resources, education and guidance around the 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 (𝗡𝗜𝗙)and what it means for instructors, schools, parents and riders.

𝗪𝗵𝘆?
Because a strong sport isn’t just about wind and progression it’s about respect, safety and looking out for each other.
This is part of our ongoing commitment to building a kiteboarding community where everyone feels safe, welcome and supported on and off the water.

If you’re a school, instructor or member wanting to learn more about safe sport practices or integrity resources, reach out to us or explore the resources available through

Let’s keep pushing the sport forward, the right way 💙

Throwing it back to windy Augusta for the Core Big Air Nationals 🙌🏻

capturing some awesome snaps of our riders absolutely sending it 💥