An Unexpected Breakthrough: Racing at the 2025 World Championships

After the Long Beach OCR in July, I felt that familiar spark again – the excitement of racing. After much contemplation, I decided (kind of at the last minute) to compete at the World Championships which were coming up at the end of September. I didn’t have any expectations. I just wanted to show up, learn, have fun, and see how it goes.

At the end of August I went to the UK to train with the British team for 3 weeks. It was a really fun training camp, and I’m super grateful to their squad for letting me join them. I finally spent more time on the new Flysurfer kites, sharpened my racing skills, and got back into the groove of regular training. 

During that trip, I also started working on a new project – filming for a YouTube docuseries that follows my journey toward the LA 2028 Olympics. The first episode is out now!

Just a few months earlier, I hadn’t even considered returning to competition this year, let alone going to Worlds. So to show up in Sardinia feeling genuinely excited to race and enjoying training — that already felt like a huge win. At that point, I was proud no matter what the result would be.

In the Paris 2024 cycle, there had been a huge emphasis on weight gain – and being as heavy as possible – that I felt like I couldn’t do the activities I loved for fear of losing weight or burning too many calories. It was absolutely demoralizing. I felt horrible both physically (I was well above what felt like a normal, healthy weight) but more so mentally. That constant grind and self-pressure completely drained the joy out of the sport, and ultimately it led to burnout. 

This Olympic cycle, I want things to be different – I’m prioritizing my health and happiness. I want the process to feel sustainable and enjoyable because I believe that happiness will ultimately lead to success… whatever “success” will end up meaning for me, which is still something I’m trying to figure out.

In Sardinia, I felt that for the first time again – genuinely happy and feeling like myself. To feel that and also enjoy competing? That already felt like a huge success.

When I got to Sardinia, I received the new Chubanga foil, so my first priority was to dial it in with my board setup. The first few days were tricky, but I got everything tuned up just before the start of the regatta.

The regatta itself was extremely tough. The first day brought light sea breeze, followed by two days of unstable offshore mistral winds, and then another two days of chaotic, inconsistent side-shore conditions as the mistral wind fought against the onshore breeze. It was complete chaos and total survival conditions every single day.

Even so, I had some really strong moments that showed flashes of my potential. But with only about 30 days of kiting since the Olympics (13 months ago!), there were plenty of rusty areas too. I was inconsistent overall and ended up in 7th after the qualifying series.

This year, a new medal series format was being tested for the final day – one that gave everyone in the top eight a chance at the podium. Sitting in 7th meant I’d start in the quarterfinals. To advance, I had to finish top two in each round – first in the quarters, then again in the semis – to make it to the finals.

The final day dawned with a strong offshore mistral – the kind of conditions I love. It was gusty and powerful, perfect for me to be on the 11m kite, my favorite size. I won the quarterfinal race with a solid lead, which gave me a huge confidence boost. I carried that momentum into the semis and won again. Suddenly, I was in the finals – something I hadn’t even imagined at the start of the week. In the finals, I managed to win another race after the regatta leader crashed a gybe.

This put me tied with first place.

I honestly couldn’t believe it. To be able to deliver on this final day when it really matters was super rewarding. 

I ended up finishing 2nd overall - 2025 Vice World Champion. But honestly, it felt like gold. It had been three years since I’d stood on the podium at a World Championships. To climb back up there in the same venue where I’d won my 6th world title felt completely surreal. (Maybe there’s something to this “30 days of kiting and lots of surf foiling” formula before a major regatta, haha!)

I’m really grateful to my sponsors, donors, supporters, and everyone in my circle who’s continued to believe in me. And a big thank you to my bosses for letting me take time away from work to be able to do this!

I’m not entirely sure what the next few years look like, but I know I want to keep going – one day at a time. You’ll definitely see me on the water in Baja this winter. There will definitely be some kite training sessions, but also plenty of SUP downwinding, prone downwinding, winging, and maybe even some parawinging.

For now, I’m just enjoying being back – on the water, in my element, and happy again.