Published October 11, 2010 12:00AM
Kite surfer Gavin Broadbent set New Zealand's national speed record at Lüderitz, Namibia on Oct. 8.
After three runs, Broadbent's average speed over 500 meters was 44.51 knots, or just over 51 miles per hour. The previous record was 40.68 knots. French kite surfer, Alex Caizergues, set the world record in Lüderitz in 2008 at 50.57 knots.
Broadbent wasn't the only speed demon to set a national record on Oct. 8. Anders Bringdal broke the Swedish national windsurfing record, hitting 42.9 knots, and Tim Pumpa set Australia's national record at 40.72 knots.
This is the fourth year the Lüderitz Speed Challenge has been held. The event runs from Oct. 4 to Oct. 31and is about a 10-hour drive from Cape Town, South Africa. According to the event website, located at Lüderitz's coast “is a natural speed strip, with a great angle that provides conditions perfect for breaking the outright WSSRC [World Speed Sailing Record Council] 500m record.”
–Erin Beresini