Windsurf · Wide board revival
2008
The RS:X becomes the Olympic board
At the Beijing Games, sailed at Qingdao, the Neil Pryde RS:X replaces the Mistral; Tom Ashley and Yin Jian win gold.
RS:X, 286 cm, side view · profile measured from a line drawing by Barbetorte (Wikimedia Commons)
In November 2005 the International Sailing Federation chose a new Olympic windsurfer: the RS:X from Neil Pryde, designed by Jean Bouldoires and Robert Stroj. It was far shorter and wider than the Mistral: 2.86 metres long and 0.93 metres wide, with a 9.5 square metre sail for men and 8.5 for women.
The racing at Qingdao ran from 11 to 20 August 2008. Tom Ashley of New Zealand won the men’s gold, ahead of Julien Bontemps of France and Shahar Zubari of Israel. Yin Jian won the women’s event for the host country, ahead of Alessandra Sensini of Italy and Bryony Shaw of Great Britain.
The RS:X stayed the Olympic board for four Games, until Tokyo 2020, held in 2021. After that the Olympic windsurfers left the water altogether and raced on foils.