Breiana Whitehead

Kite foil racing, one of the most exciting, high-speed events on water, makes its debut on the sailing program at the Paris Olympics, and Townsville’s Breiana Whitehead will be one of the athletes to watch.

Foil riders 'fly' above the water on hydrofoils attached to boards, powered by huge kites that can propel them at speeds of up to 45 knots (80 km/h).

Breiana, who trains alongside her brother Scott, has been a consistent top-10 performer in the class over the past five years, winning bronze and the European and World Championships in 2019 and finishing sixth in the Euros and seventh at the Worlds in 2022.

She also secured a Paris Games quota spot for Australia when she finished 11th at the 2023 World Championships in The Hague.

The 24-year-old started sailing in Townsville Yacht Club at the age of eight and progressed through lasers and 29ers before discovering a passion for kiting.

"I lived near the local kite beach and once I discovered that racing on the foil was a possibility, I was really determined to learn how to do it,” Breiana said.

"I can't forget the first time I finally stopped crashing every 10 seconds and started to properly foil, just the feeling of flying over the water. Everything goes quiet and it's just you, the wind and the waves."

Breiana describes foiling as just like racing a sailboat, but a lot faster.

"There is a lot going on that's for sure," she said. "Once you have the foiling skills, the racing feels very similar to sailing, most of the tactics and strategy I learnt through racing dinghies and skiffs applies, but everything happens really quickly.

"The close racing gets pretty intense though; with so many kites, lines and people on foils all trying to get around the marks without tangling or crashing in the water."

With a passion to show the world how exciting kite foil racing is, Breiana made her Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Games, finishing ninth overall after facing off in the semi-final against multiple world champion Daniela Moroz of the USA.

"I'm so happy to be in the top 10 but a little bit gutted by the race. It happens, and in sudden death, you're either in it or you're not.

"I've been not letting it all soak in until I finished, but now I'm going to soak it in and enjoy it."