Australia’s Breiana Whitehead and Oscar Timm are set to compete in the Formula Kite World Championships this week on Portugal’s Western coast.
Breiana Whitehead, a Paris 2024 Olympian, arrives in Viana do Castelo in strong form, having reached the finals in both Sailing Grand Slam events this season in Palma and Hyères. The Australian Sailing Team athlete is prepared for the challenging Portuguese conditions that await the international fleet.
“The conditions are going to be interesting, there’s always a bit of swell out there,” Whitehead noted. “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 includes 20 fleet races scheduled over five days before the final series on May 16th. “The week of racing really takes a lot and can be quite physically demanding; you can definitely feel it in the legs each day,” she explained.
Whitehead also mentioned the significant mental demand of the competition, with quick decisions necessary on the course and kite choice. “It all adds up to a pretty full-on week, which makes rest and recovery absolutely crucial.”
Having used her recent Sailing Grand Slam appearances as preparation, Whitehead aims for peak performance, stating, “It’s been quite a good lead-in to Worlds. I’ve been working on some key areas, always focusing on starting well and technical skills. I’m really looking forward to bringing all these elements together this week.”
Oscar Timm will represent Australia in the men’s fleet as he continues his development in the highly competitive Formula Kite class.
Full list of entries can be found here.
**Formula Kite – Men** (53 entries)
Oscar Timm (SSPP)
**Formula Kite – Women** (31 entries)
Breiana Whitehead (AST)
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