The Italian and the Frenchwoman immediately capitalise on the match point secured in the Opening Series. Koska and South Tyrolean Marx take the men’s podium, while Caval and Ashkenazi finish second and third in the women’s event
Riccardo Pianosi and Lauriane Nolot are the winners of the tenth Sardinia Grand Slam, an event on the international Formula Kite calendar that concluded on Sunday, 11 October, in Quartu Sant’Elena. Pianosi and Nolot finished ahead of Vojtech Koska and South Tyrolean Flavio Marx, who took silver and bronze in the men’s competition, and Lysa Caval and Maya Ashkenazi, who finished second and third in the women’s event. The Medal Series took place in about 20-knots mistral winds, reaching up to 25 knots.
MEN: RICKY STUMBLES BUT COMES BACK TO WIN, MARX ON THE PODIUM
Pianosi appeared to be firmly in control of the first Grand Final race, but crashed shortly after the halfway point, allowing Noah Runciman and Flavio Marx to take the lead. However, the 2025 world champion fought his way back and crossed the finish line first, living up to expectations with a truly dominant performance. The Italian had started with a bullet, as had Vojtech Koska, with the two riders having finished first and second respectively in the Opening Series. Flavio Marx finished second in the race and third overall. The 23-year-old from South Tyrol once again confirmed his remarkable progress over the past year.
Mistral winds of up to 24 knots made conditions challenging in the men’s quarter-final, although the wind was highly inconsistent and gusty, causing problems for almost all the competitors. Italy’s Flavio Marx and Israel’s Zohar Haruvi advanced to the next round.
In the semi-final, American Noah Runciman made the right strategic call, finishing the first leg almost 200 metres ahead of the rest of the fleet. South Tyrolean Marx gave chase and held on to second place, also benefiting from a less-than-ideal tactical decision by Olympic champion Valentin Bontus.
PIANOSI: “THE SEASON FINALE I WAS HOPING FOR”
For Riccardo Pianosi, who was crowned world champion in Quartu Sant’Elena in 2025, this marks his second victory at the Sardinia Grand Slam. A crash in the final, however, threatened to derail his plans.
“I fell on the third leg of the race,” explained the 21-year-old from Italy’s Marche region. “The wind was very gusty and lifted me up as I was tacking. My foil wing came out of the water, and I couldn’t stay airborne because an air pocket had formed. But I managed to get going again fairly quickly. On the final downwind leg, I sailed a very precise layline, regained the lead and wrapped up the title in the very first race. It was a great way to end the season, just what I needed after a difficult year.”
MARX: “A TOUGH MEDAL SERIES — DELIGHTED WITH THE PODIUM”
For 23-year-old South Tyrolean Flavio Marx, it was his first podium finish at this level. “It was a tough Medal Series,” he said. “We went out with the 15-square-metre kite [ed.], but I was already pretty overpowered on the 15 in the quarter-finals, and the wind kept building. In the end, though, I managed to hold on and finished the first race of the Grand Final behind Riccardo. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a bullet to my name, so I finished third overall, but I’m happy with that.”
WOMEN: NOLOT AND CAVAL SEAL A FRENCH ONE-TWO
World and European champion Lauriane Nolot made no mistake, converting the match point she had earned by finishing first in the Opening Series into victory in the first Grand Final race, sailed in mistral winds of just over 21 knots. The 27-year-old French athlete took the lead from the very first upwind leg, leaving Israel’s Maya Ashkenazi unable to catch her as she secured the bronze medal. Lysa Caval, the other French competitor, finished third in the race and took silver at the Sardinia Grand Slam. She, too, had started the final with a bullet after finishing second in the Opening Series. Britain’s Ella Geiger finished fourth, having started from the quarter-finals.
The day had opened in rather “surprising” fashion, with three of the five competitors disqualified for an early start in the women’s quarter-final. Among them were both Italian athletes: Tiana Laporte, who had finished sixth in the Opening Series and was considered one of the favourites to advance, and Sardinian sailor Maddalena Spanu. Svetlana Trusova was also too eager off the start, learning of her UFD disqualification only after crossing the finish line ahead of everyone else. Katie Dabson and Ella Geiger advanced to the semi-final.
Extremely variable mistral winds, ranging from 18 to almost 22 knots, made the semi-final difficult for the competitors. Elena Lengwiler fell halfway through the race, while Ella Geiger and Lily Young crashed on the final downwind leg, despite having been comfortably in the lead. Maya Ashkenazi and Ella Geiger secured the two places in the final.
NOLOT: “THOSE GUSTS IN THE FINAL — I WAS INCREDIBLY FAST”
Lauriane Nolot claimed her third Sardinia Grand Slam title, following her victories in 2021 and 2023. “The final was fantastic,” she said after the race. “The wind was really strong, and we went out with the 11-square-metre kite. It was a great battle. The girls were on fire, but I was incredibly fast, even though the manoeuvres were extremely demanding. The gusts were so strong that there was a risk of crashing at any moment. “I’m delighted. Now it’s time for a holiday before getting back to work on qualifying for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. See you in Fortaleza at the beginning of the new year!”
RESULTS — MEN’S TOP 10
- Riccardo Pianosi (ITA)
- Vojtech Koska (CZE)
- Flavio Marx (ITA)
- Noah Runciman (USA)
- Sam Dickinson (GBR)
- Valentin Bontus (AUT)
- Zohar Haruvi (ISR)
- Cameron Maramenides (GRE)
- Martin Dolenc (CRO)
- Paul Labordère (FRA)
RESULTS — WOMEN’S TOP 10
- Lauriane Nolot (FRA)
- Lysa Caval (FRA)
- Maya Ashkenazi (ISR)
- Ella Geiger (GBR)
- Lily Young (GBR)
- Elena Lengwiler (SUI)
- Katie Dabson (GBR)
- Svetlana Trusova (AIN)
- Maddalena M. Spanu (ITA)
- Tiana Laporte (ITA)
KROTSIS (IKA): “AMAZING WEEK, WE’RE WORKING TOWARDS ANOTHER BIG EVENT HERE IN 2027”
IKA President Spyros Krotsis says goodbye to Sardinia Grand Slam with a positive balance and a ‘preview’ of an important announcement: “We are very happy that we were more year in Sardinia, especially in Quartu Sant’Elena. The place here is amazing, the beach is always welcoming us. We had an amazing week, every day the wheater delivered us perfect conditions for sailing. This is why we would be happy to be also next year here with a very important event to be confirmed and hopefully we’re gonna see you every year in the next years to come”.
NIEDDU (GLESPORT): “ANOTHER MAJOR EVENT NEXT YEAR”
Gian Domenico Nieddu, President of GLEsport, expressed the organisers’ “satisfaction with this tenth edition, the second to be held here in Quartu Sant’Elena. The event venue received top marks from all the teams. We look forward to welcoming everyone back next year, probably in May, for another flagship event on the international calendar. All the details will be announced shortly. We would once again like to thank the Municipality of Quartu Sant’Elena for hosting us.”
ORGANIZATION
Organised by GLEsport in technical and sporting collaboration with Chia Wind Club, the Sardinia Grand Slam takes place under the auspices of World Sailing, the international governing body for the sport of sailing; the IKA, the International Kiteboarding Association; and the FIV, the Italian Sailing Federation.
The Sardinia Grand Slam receives funding and patronage from the Minister for Sport and Youth.
Promoted by the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, through its Department of Tourism, Handicrafts and Commerce, the event also receives funding and patronage from the Municipality of Quartu Sant’Elena.
Partners of the Sardinia Grand Slam include Secauto and USE.
Quartu Sant’Elena (Cagliari, Italy), October 11th, 2026
Photos: Lauriane Nolot and Riccardo Pianosi, winners of the tenth Sardinia Grand Slam; 2) The embrace between Pianosi, on the right, and fellow Italian Flavio Marx; 3) The smile of good times on Riccardo’s face; 4) Flavio Marx, on the left, battling his way up from the quarter-finals to third place overall; 5) Another embrace, this time a French one, between Lysa Caval (with her back to the camera) and Lauriane Nolot; 6) Celebrating: you’re doing it right, Lauriane!; 7) The intense sporting battle in the Gulf of Angels; 8) Maddalena M. Spanu, already a world champion in wingfoiling; 9) A closer look at the men’s podium: from left to right, Sam Dickinson, Vojtech Koska, Riccardo Pianosi, Flavio Marx and Noah Runciman; 10) The women’s top three: from left to right, Lysa Caval, Lauriane Nolot and Maya Ashkenazi; 11) Flavio (right), why are you running away from the bubbles?; 12) Celebrations for everyone on the podium in Quartu Sant’Elena (Credits IKA Media / Robert Hajduk). Free usage granted with credits. Click on the pictures for the hi-res version.