Valentin Bontus was crowned Olympic champion in kitesurfing on Friday in Marseille. The Lower Austrian, who entered the final as an underdog, won all three races in the final and triumphed ahead of Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek and Maximilian Maeder from Singapore. One day after the Olympic victory of Lara Vadlau/Lukas Mähr, the Austrian Olympic Committee (ÖOC) team celebrated its second gold medal in Paris.
Overall, it was Austria’s fourth medal at the Summer Games in France. Judoka Michaela Polleres and climber Jakob Schubert won bronze. For the sailing association, it was the ninth medal in its history, the fifth gold.
After Bontus’ victory in the first race on Thursday, the rest of the final had to be postponed due to light winds. On Friday, the 23-year-old was once again unstoppable. The Lower Austrian won the second race, securing a showdown against Vodisek, who had entered the final with a two-win advantage. The Slovenian fell in the decisive race, but Bontus won again and was crowned Olympic champion.
The competition in Marseille this week became a test of patience for the kitesurfers due to the wind conditions. “There are no tricks, there is a great team behind me from the sailing association and the Olympic Committee. My coach always encourages me, and we have a lot of fun on the water. I think that’s the advantage I have over the others, that I really enjoy it,” said Bontus. “If I had finished fourth, so what? Life goes on.”
Overall, he would have liked to race more; there were only seven races in the opening series. “Normally, we have five days and run up to twenty races. Here we only ran seven. That’s a bit weak.” But whether after twenty or seven races, it’s usually the same people on top. During training in Marseille, there were often good conditions with the wind. “We always managed to get out well. Curiously, everyone says the Games are different, and that’s how it really was.”
Bontus was cheered on in Marseille by a large and especially loud group of family and friends, even from Garmisch-Partenkirchen. “My girlfriend Martina is from Garmisch, we moved in together there. Quite a few people are here.” His parents had rented a house with a view of the bay and the racecourse.
