MARSEILLE, France, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Austria's Valentin Bontus put in a supreme performance on Friday in the first ever instalment of men's kite (Formula Kite) at the Olympics to take the last sailing gold of Paris 2024.
Both Bontus and Italy's Riccardo Pianosi had to navigate the semifinals after finishing third and fourth in the Opening Series, but quickly qualified to join Slovenia's Toni Vodisek and Singapore's Max Maeder in the final.
Vodisek only needed one win to strike gold, but it was Bontus who took the first bullet on Thursday, continuing his red hot form from the semifinals, and he looked set to surge until racing was postponed due to time limitations.
The wait did little to deter Bontus, as he returned to the water on Friday and won his second race in the final, after choosing a different line from the other riders early in the race.
Bontus pumped his arms in celebration as he crossed the line and then refocused for the all-important next race. While Vodisek crashed and Maeder struggled for pace, Bontus powered on and outduelled Pianosi to cross the line first and wrap up Austira's second sailing gold in the Paris Games.
"I stayed calm, did the same thing I did in the semifinals and managed to pull it off three times in a row. I'm stoked to have shared the race course with these three legends and walking off with the gold medal is quite insane," Bontus said.
Vodisek took home the silver, while Maeder clinched the bronze, winning Singapore's first Olympic sailing medal and their sixth Olympic medal of all time. ■
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