It's the Olympics' fastest sport - and one Slovenian was born to excel at it.
#Paris2024 #Olympics #Slovenia
#Paris2024 #Olympics #Slovenia
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00:00Under clear blue skies and with the open sea stretching before him, Slovenia formula kiteboarder Tony Bodishek is ready to harness the morning wind.
00:11Within minutes of hitting the water, his sleek board slices through the waves at an impressive 80 km per hour.
00:18Each gust propels him forward as he hones his technique for Paris.
00:23We met Bodishek in his hometown of Koper, Slovenia where his passion for the sport was born.
00:28Swapping his high speed kiteboard for a bike, we explored the streets of his coastal city where the locals will cheer him on.
00:36I know that my sport is not yet a massive sport and it's growing.
00:42Really I just hope to be a good inspiration and a good image for the youth and the next generations coming up.
00:50Bodishek will be one of 40 formula kite riders, 20 men and 20 women competing for gold in Paris.
00:56They'll race up to 4 times per day during the event with each course spanning about 10 km and a target time of 11 minutes.
01:04This is going to be the first time this sport is featured on a world stage like this and you know being part of it, that's something special right?
01:14It definitely is. Whenever I'm thinking about it, my heart is pounding.
01:19When I made it into the Games at the beginning, I was just so excited.
01:25And just for the sport to become Olympic was just for everything being stepped up to the next level.
01:31Bodishek is laser focused on achieving Olympic glory.
01:35Each race in Paris, he says, will test his strength and his sharpness.
01:41This is the moment he's been training for, his chance to make history.
01:47Tony's rise in kiteboarding began at a young age with his father Raiko Bodishek, an accomplished windsurfer, as his first coach.
01:55He was already at two years skiing, at three years snowboarding, at four years mono ski, double ski, so many different sports it's in the game.
02:08As the day ends, Bodishek finishes his final run.
02:11He's exhausted but satisfied as he believes Olympic goal is within reach.
02:16Pablo Gutierrez, CGTN, Koper, Slovenia.