The opening exchanges at the Formula Kite World Championships, being fought out on the Gulf of Oristano on the Italian island of Sardinia, slightly upset the form book after a faltering start, when the wind teased before the action kicked off in earnest.

Britain’s Katie Dabson scored well in her day’s races on the spectacular track off Torregrande, as the south-westerly breezes filled in late in the day, leaving her second overall.

Polish teenagers Nina Arcisz and Julia Damasiewicz picked up the pace as racing intensified, after the wind died mid-way through the day’s second race. When the breeze shifted and returned, the pair found their groove in supercharged action that left them third and fourth respectively on the leaderboard.

But reigning International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) Formula Kite World Champion Daniela Moroz, who is aiming to lift a fifth successive title, once again showed her dominance to take three bullets and the overall lead, despite a wobbly start in her opening race.

A total of 138 athletes -89 men and 49 women from 34 countries and six continents- are battling for the men’s and women’s world championship titles. The contests are highly-anticipated after a year’s break because of the pandemic.

The men have been divided into three seeded fleets for the qualifying series which will decide who takes part in the last day’s medal series and get a chance to fill the podium spots. The women are divided into two fleets for their qualifying series.