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After years of trying and thousands of attempts, it took Hugo Wigglesworth only three seconds to realise he was on the verge of something special.
The 17-year-old Aucklander etched his name in the history books as the world's top "booster" - shattering both the highest and longest kitesurfing jump records - at Plimmerton Beach on Saturday afternoon.
Wigglesworth soared 36.7m into the air and travelled 274.6 meters before touching down, breaking the previous world record set in August last year and taking the lead in the 2024 WOO world championships.
The event, organised by the sports technology company WOO, lets kiteboarders and wingfoilers battle it out in a series of challenges held annually in September. Riders can compete at any time and anywhere in the world, aiming to jump as high as possible, if their data is recorded by the WOO Sports app.
"A bunch of us, including [multiple world champion kiteboarder] Marc Jacobs, flew to Wellington early Saturday morning and then drove up to Plimmerton," Wigglesworth said.
"Marc has been kiting there for about 15 years, and it's known for good jumping conditions. We found the spot around 9 a.m., and we were going on and off the water."
After spending the morning in building breeze, Wigglesworth's teammates decided to take a late lunch break. A forecast of 30–40 knots soon became much windier, prompting Wigglesworth to switch to a 7-metre kite.
"I came in for lunch earlier so decided to head out by myself," he said.
"You need a bit of luck to do a big jump. It's all about timing - you need to position yourself for a wave, get a strong gust lifting you up, not forward, and a good take-off."
Just before 3:20 p.m., everything came together. Wigglesworth caught a swirling 55-knot gust and rocketed into the air.
"Usually, you're at the apex after about three seconds, but I just kept going and going," Wigglesworth said. "That's when I thought I might get close [to the record]. While I was going up, I just focused on staying sheeted and going as high as possible."
More than 15 seconds later, he touched down - "the goal was to get down in one piece" - breaking the record of 36.2m, set by South Africa's Josh Emanuel in Denmark last August, and surpassing Jamie Overbeek's distance record of 225.6m.
Wigglesworth estimates he's made thousands of jumps over the past few years and says he has come close to the magical 36 meters on a few occasions - including with a 35.5m jump at the same spot last year.
"It's hard to describe the feeling when I saw that number. There was a lot of adrenaline but also a lot of relief. It's pretty nerve-wracking when you're that high and travelling at that speed, but you get used to it after a few jumps," he said.
"It's comparable to winning a major kitefoiling regatta," added Wigglesworth, who has also achieved that feat several times already - including at the Oceanbridge Sail Auckland regatta in February.
In July, he attended his third youth world championships, where he finished seventh in light conditions on Lake Garda, Italy.
For now, racing will take a back seat as he focuses on more kiteboarding events.
"I really like the big air stuff, and I'm probably better at it," he said. "I'll try to compete in some big air competitions like the Red Bull King of the Air in Cape Town in December, and a few others across Europe.
"I can always come back to racing for the next Olympic cycle or when the timing's right. That's important."
