Jesse Richman is a big-wave kitesurfer and a big-air kiteboarder. He is a two-time world champion and the first kitesurfer to get barreled at Jaws. He is also known for his world record 790-foot tow-up and 170-foot jump over land.
Early life
Richman was born on July 22, 1992, in Haiku, Hawaii. He began kiteboarding when he was nine years old with his father and older brother Shawn. He started competing against his brother in events a few years later, including King of the Bay in California, and in 2003 they both signed endorsement deals with Naish Kiteboarding. At the age of 14, he transferred into an online school so that he could travel for world tour kiteboarding events. In 2008, he became the Kiteboard Pro World Tour World Champion, and the following year earned the title of International Kiteboarding Association Overall Kitesurfing World Champion.
Career
After being crowned back-to-back World Champion, Richman joined the Naish International Kiteboarding Team in 2011. He stopped competing full-time the same year, to turn his focus to big wave riding at Jaws. Despite the changein focus, he went on to win back-to-back AWSI Kiteboarder of the Year awards from 2012 to 2013, as well as the 2013 Red Bull King of the Air competition. Richman then got involved with MaiTai Global, a non-profit organization founded by pro-kiteboarder Susi Mai and entrepreneur-investor Bill Tai comprising entrepreneurs, innovators, and athletes focused on giving back to the environment, where has fulfilled roles as a kiteboarding instructor as well as a speaker. He has also participated in the Ocean Gala, a collaborative fundraising event between MaiTai and the Ocean Elders to raise money to expand protected ocean areas.
Record jump
Richman attempted a world-record tow-up on July 26, 2013, on the Columbia River in Oregon. Richman was towed behind a wakeboard boat, allowing his kite to take him to previously unreached heights. He released the rope and used his kite to safely sail down to the river 790 feet below.
Kite the Reef
In August 2015, Richman and a team of six other kiteboarders attempted a world record run for the longest kiteboarding journey along the northern section of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The goal was to raise funds and awareness for motor neuron disease, as well as highlight the importance of the reef's conservation. The team completed the run in eight days on 21 August, after kiting 1237 km from Vlasoff Reef to Cape York and raising over $125,000 for MND Research Centre at Macquarie University.
