"Missed the start"

Olympic champion Bontus seventh on Lake Traunsee

Kitesurfer Alina Kornelli and Olympic champion Valentin Bontus in the surfing and sailing paradise of Ebensee.(Bild: APA/BARBARA GINDL)

The Kite Foil World Series of sailors on Lake Traunsee took place on Sunday without any local finalists. Olympic champion Valentin Bontus finished his first appearance after the Paris triumph in seventh place, Alina Kornelli finished the competition in sixth place ahead of Ebensee.

Maximilian Maeder from Singapore won the men's event after winning eleven out of twelve races, while France's Jessie Kampman took the women's title.

"Unfortunately, I missed the start. When I realized that I was falling behind, I tried to turn away and unfortunately caught a stick in the water. I crashed and then didn't really have a chance," said Bontus about his mishap right at the start of the quarter-final. "Even though bad luck was on my side, I'm pretty happy and really enjoyed this home event."

Kornelli had qualified directly for the semi-finals on Saturday, but was also unlucky there. "I actually got off to a very good start and even led for a short time. Unfortunately, I then went too far downwind and probably missed a wind shift. Unfortunately, my tactics didn't work out today, and in the semi-final even a small mistake can be decisive," said the Olympic eleventh-placer.