Raising the standard for USA kiting

American John Heineken was among the pioneers of international kiteboard racing, developing equipment and rules alongside enthusiasts on San Francisco Bay. He dominated during those early years, winning the Formula Kite World Championship in 2011 and 2012.

But nobody was following close enough in his footsteps, and when kiting became an Olympic event at Paris 2024, Markus Edegran finished ninth. In the USA trials for Paris, Noah Runciman was third and has been focused to raise the standard.

Working with America One Racing, Runciman delivered a strong comeback at the 2026 Sardinia Kiteboard Grand Slam, finishing fourth against a competitive Formula Kite fleet that included world champion Riccardo Pianosi and Olympic champion Valentin Bontus.

After a training injury forced him to miss the early September Formula Kite European Championships in Turkey, he faced an important lesson on the road to Los Angeles 2028: approach recovery with the same discipline, seriousness, and commitment as he would training or racing.

In Sardinia, Runciman’s work translated into performance. Throughout the competition, his improvement from 2025 was evident – including his ability to pivot after a day-2 lag that refocused his drive to climb into the top five. His fourth-place finish placed him firmly among some of the world’s best competitors in 2026.

The next phase of his preparation focuses on selecting and fine-tuning his racing equipment for the 2027 World Championships on January 17-23 in Fortaleza, Brazil. Standing by.

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Sailing Program (July 16-28):
First Week – July 16-20
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class – Long Beach, CA
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class – Long Beach, CA
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – Long Beach, CA
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – Long Beach, CA

Second Week – July 23-28
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7 – Los Angeles, CA
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6 – Los Angeles, CA
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470 – Los Angeles, CA
Men’s Skiff – 49er – Los Angeles, CA
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX – Los Angeles, CA
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17 – Los Angeles, CA

For more details, click here.