After two previous attempts to compete at the Olympics were stymied by shoulder
reconstructions, east Auckland local Justina Kitchen is now in France gearing up to compete
for New Zealand in Kite Foiling at Paris 2024.
In a fascinating tale of perseverance and determination, the former windsurfer will finally
make her debut at the sport’s pinnacle at age 35.
She hopes to emulate the feats of her father Rex Sellers who won gold at the 1984 Los
Angeles Olympics and a silver four years later in Seoul.
Kite foiling is closely related to kite boarding with the addition of a hydrofoil that lifts the
rider out of the water allowing them to reach speeds of up to 80km/h.
Kitchen says she pivoted to the sport after it replaced windsurfing on the schedule of
Olympic events for 2016, before a bizarre move saw it reinstated.
Speaking with the Times from Marseille, a port city in the south of France that will host the Olympic’s sailing events, the former Macleans College pupil admits she thought her Olympic career was over “after she chose to retire from windsurfing”.
“In 2018 I started learning Kiteboarding for fun. My skills were transferable, and I thought I would go to the Worlds and see what happened.”
The hobby paid off, and Kitchen placed fifth in the 2019 European Championships
complementing two other top-10 finishes at the World Championships galvanising her
chances of making the Olympics’ 2024 edition.
Juggling the demands of two young children, the busy mum was on track with her training
until last September when she dislocated her knee and tore her ACL and MCL at the
European Champs in the UK.
“I thought the story had ended,” Kitchen says.
“The doctor told me I would be out of action for nine to 12 months, but things managed to come right in six months.”
Kitchen’s remarkable resilience is a story in its own right, but she hopes to add another chapter to her book by emulating the success of local boardsailing champions Bruce and Barbara Kendall.
However, her highest praise is reserved for her father, whom she describes as her “inspiration” and “number-one babysitter!”.
Readers can follow Kitchen’s progress in Marseille from August 4.
