8 SEPTEMBER 2026
Kampman opens Europeans with 3 victories and takes the lead
Jessie Kampman has made a convincing start to the European Kitefoil Championships in Turkey. The Team Allianz kitefoiler won three of the five Formula Kite races.
AKYAKA – Jessie Kampman has made a convincing start to the European Kitefoil Championships in Turkey. The Team Allianz kitefoiler won three of the five Formula Kite races on Tuesday, September 8, and leads the standings after the second day of competition in this Olympic discipline.
On the opening day, racing was not possible due to insufficiently stable winds. On Tuesday, however, the fleet of 36 women took to the water at Akyaka Kite Beach. The spectacular setting made up for the wait: a dramatic coastline, high mountains and light-blue water, with the strong wind creating whitecaps across the surface.
Kampman opened with a second and a fourth place before finishing the day with three consecutive victories. After her worst result was discarded, the Dutch sailor has five points. She has a five-point lead over France’s Lauriane Nolot and China’s Wan Li, who are both on ten points.
Kampman: “We sailed five races today. It was our first day of competition because we couldn’t get on the water yesterday. I’m very happy with how the day went. I got off to a somewhat slow start, a bit like a diesel engine, but then I won the final three races.
“I’m also very pleased with the things we worked on out on the water. All in all, it was a great day.”
After two days of competition and five races, the standings are of course still only provisional. The European Championships run through Saturday, September 12.