Valentin Bontus won the men's gold in kiteboarding on Friday. This was Austria's second sailing win. Toni Vodisek from Slovenia took silver, and Max Maeder of Singapore, bronze.

Bontus, a 23-year-old, celebrated his victory with a huge leap in the air on his foilingboard while pumping his hand. He later said he'd have a few beer and try to soak it all up.

Bontus, a beaming Bontus, said: "I stayed calm and did the same thing as I did in my semi-final. And just managed to pull off three times more after that."

Bontus' father was his inspiration. "I am insanely happy, and I'm extremely excited that I share the race track with these three legendary athletes and walk away with a gold medal," he said.

The men's kiteboarding final concluded the sailing events. It marked a dynamic Olympic debut of the foiling class. This action-packed class is on the Los Angeles 2028 schedule.

Bontus said, "I'm glad I won, but it's just the way the game is." He added that his Olympic win more than compensated for previous losses at championships.

Vodisek, from Slovenia, suffered a crash during the final race of the "first-to-three" final. His hopes for Olympic gold were dashed and he had to settle with silver.

Vodisek admitted that nerves got the best of him. He also said an incident on the way back to the beach the night before had left him feeling a little uneasy, as the kite had been torn and the foil wings had been broken. This meant he needed to buy spares.

Vodisek said, "I think everything was a little heavy on my shoulders. It stopped me from performing at 100%."

Vodisek added, "He (Bontus), did really well and I am really proud of him." He also said he would return in 2028 to defeat him.

Maeder, world champion, praised Bontus' "monster performance" at the finals and paid tribute Vodisek's "phenomenal" performance during the series that led up to the final.

The 17-year old grinningly said: "A momentous, medal for Singapore on its national day." He added that he "was still sulking" a little, even though he smiled.

All three medalists praised Riccardo pianosi's performance, which was hailed as the fastest sport at the Olympics. He chased Bontus until the final leg.

The three medalists all said that they would likely return to the Games for more high-speed races. (Reporting and editing by Ken Ferris, Alison Williams and Alexander Smith)

(source: Reuters)