"l'm going to do everything to get that first place this year" - Kai Lieffering

I am Kai, I´m 13 years old and I´m from the Netherlands.

How did you first get into kitesurfing and what motivated you to pursue seriously?

My dad was already kiting and I really liked being in the water all the time. When I had a kite in my hands for the first time I knew I wanted to do this my whole life and become the best in the world.

Was it you first time kitesurfing in St. Peter-Ording?

How did you like the conditions?

This was my first time in SPO, I live in the Netherlands, so it is always rainy and cold but when I went to Germany it was even colder than I expected.

But the wind can sometimes be really good and strong but when its light and you are lucky you can get a really good gust and get a lot of hangtime so that’s nice.

Where there any major challenges in your preparation?

No I didn’t have any problems except it was cold and I had a lot of training days in Tarifa. But there was always 30 to 35 knots so could do loops. In SPO I hoped to get some proper wind but unfortunaly there was not that much wind and I didn’t train that really good.

Did you try any new tricks or strategies specifically for this event?

I did when I was training in Tarifa. I wanted to do my best tricks, so I worked on tricks I had already landed a few times but didn’t have consistent yet. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the wind I was hoping for.

Congrats on winning silver in the U14 division- how did you feel when you first got the result?

At the first moment I was pretty frustrated because I really wanted to get first place. Especially because my best friend Niam just got into the hospital and I really wanted to win for him but when I went home I was still very proud of myself.

What are your goals in kiting in 2026?

Landing new tricks and going for that first place this year but its going to get harder because I'm turning 14 this year so l have to compete in the U16 and I know that there are joining some good riders this year so l'm going to do everything to get that first place this year.