Don’t blink! Summer Olympics’ fastest sport, kitesurfing, will debut at Paris Games

By GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO
Associated Press

Fans looking for something different at the Olympics might want to check out kitesurfing. But don’t blink — it’s the fastest sport in the Summer Games. Riding a surfboard that’s harnessed to a parachute-like sail above and perched on a skinny hydrofoil below, athletes can top 80 kilometers per hour, or nearly 50 miles per hour. Daniela Moroz says it’s so fast you can’t even hear the waves or the wind. Moroz is gunning for gold in the women’s race. Her main opponent is Lauriane Nolot, who grew up an hour away from the Olympic marina in Marseille. In the men’s race, 17-year-old Max Maeder is hoping to bring Singapore its first sailing gold.