Perhaps even Obama himself didn’t expect that his recent vacation in the Caribbean would inadvertently spark a new wave of extreme sports—kiteboarding.
Just as many people began searching for what kiteboarding is, REnextop’s contracted athlete—China’s top kiteboarder Li Jinguang (A-Guang) set a new Asian men’s jump height record in kiteboarding with a score of 16.2 meters in Phan Rang, Vietnam.
(WOO World Kite High Jump Speedometer jump height rankings)
“I’m quite confident in performing high-jump techniques. Most of the time I land normally without encountering too many dangerous maneuvers.”
Every collision with the waves and every moment of leaping into the air fills him with excitement and the thrill of constantly challenging himself.
Kiteboarding high jumps in Phan Rang, Vietnam, are extremely dangerous due to the shallow water and scattered wooden stakes. A-Guang has to wait for the optimal tide every day, only beginning a new round of challenges after the tide rises.
“I used an 8-meter kite, with wind speeds around 35-40 knots that day. Most users typically use 5-6 meter kites—I was pushing beyond the recommended range. Also, because the water in Phan Rang is relatively shallow, I constantly had to find a safe spot to land in the water.”
For this jump, A-Guang learned to combine confidence with technique. Every challenge requires being in the best condition to push oneself, challenge the wind, and gain a deeper respect for the extreme allure of kiteboarding.
The high jump is the ultimate test of height in kiteboarding—a tremendous challenge both technically and physically with each impact. For A-Guang, who is familiar with kiteboarding high jumps, leaping into the air and looking down from above feels like staring into a huge pit, accompanied by a sense of weightlessness, yet without any real fear.
“With my current record of 16.2 meters, I’m confident I can jump even higher. I hope to challenge the world record through more practice in the future!”
What is kiteboarding?
As an emerging extreme sport in China, kiteboarding is one of the most thrilling extreme activities, where participants ride a surfboard while harnessed to a kite. The principle is simple: an inflatable kite is connected via two or four strong lines to a bar held by the rider, who controls the kite's ascent, descent, and direction by maneuvering the bar. Combined with various types of boards underfoot, riders can glide across water, lakes, beaches, or snow, or even get lifted off the surface to perform aerial tricks.
The high jump, as one of the increasingly popular disciplines in kiteboarding, demands regular training and precise control over wind speed and timing. Riders must know when to pull the bar to achieve greater height while maximizing hang time. Both jump height and hang time are key metrics for performance evaluation. WOO, as a specialized kiteboarding recording device, holds authoritative global recognition and tracks the achievements of kiteboarders worldwide.
Li Jinguang (A-Guang)
REnextop contracted athlete, one of the earliest pioneers of kiteboarding in China, and the only Asian-sponsored rider for the BEST international brand. Having started windsurfing at age 12, he believes every sport offers a unique culture and thrill. “I believe that with the growth of online exposure and the popularization of sports, kiteboarding in China will definitely become a new trend, and more people will come to understand and embrace extreme sports.”