Austrian Valentin Bontus has returned home with a gold medal in his luggage. The Olympic kitesurfing champion paints a gloomy forecast for his sport.
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- Valentin Bontus wins gold in kitesurfing at the Olympic Games.
- In an interview, he warns against the development of the sport and fears that it could end fatally at some point.
- But Bontus believes that none of this is necessary: "Ultimately, we don't need it to become so extreme. It's exciting enough now."
Last Friday, Bontus won gold in kitesurfing at the Olympic Games. At the party in the Austria House, the 23-year-old Austrian had a great time and the fans at home gave him a big reception on his return.
In an interview with the Austrian press agency APA, Bontus is delighted with his gold medal. However, he is also concerned about the development of his sport. The material is constantly evolving, everything is getting faster and therefore more dangerous. "We now ride at 75 km/h. It really hurts when you fall," he says.
He can live with pain, but he fears worse: "If it gets even faster and approaches 80 km/h, then there will simply be situations where it will probably end fatally for someone at some point. I hope not, of course, knock on wood, but it's only a matter of time before someone gets really seriously injured."
He doesn't want kitesurfing to develop in a direction where it becomes even faster and more extreme. "Ultimately, we don't need it to become that extreme. It's exciting enough now," says Bontus.
