2026 Formula Kite European Championships: Lukas Walton-Keim, Lucy Bilger underway in Türkiye
New Zealand’s leading men’s kitefoiler Lukas Walton-Keim has made a solid start to the 2026 Formula Kite European Championships, sitting inside the top 20 after two days of racing in Akyaka, Türkiye.
Walton-Keim produced three top-10 finishes from five races, including a best of sixth, to sit 19th overall heading into the third day of qualifying.
The Aucklander was tested by 12 to 17 knots of thermal breeze at Akyaka Kite Beach, with the strengthening conditions producing fast and physical racing across five races.
In the women’s fleet, Lucy Bilger is 30th overall after two days of competition.
The men’s fleet was split into Yellow and Blue qualifying groups, with tight start-line battles and high speeds around the course creating little margin for error.
Singapore’s Maximilian Maeder and Switzerland’s Gian Stragiotti shared the race wins on the second day, with Stragiotti claiming four victories in the Blue fleet to move level on points with Maeder at the top of the overall standings. Italy’s Riccardo Pianosi, the reigning European champion, sits third.
Latest results and standings here.
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