Record breaking kite surfer finds 'magic gust'

An acclaimed kite surfer from West Sussex who recently made history with a record-breaking jump said he is "ecstatic that the record has come to the UK, to my home area".

Lewis Crathern, from Worthing, reached 42.6m (139.76 ft) during a stormy session at Bracklesham Bay last Friday, after finding what he called "that magic gust".

The jump, which was independently verified as a world record by the WOO sports platform, is another in a long list of career achievements for the 41-year-old.

He said: "I have been doing this for 22 years, I grew up on the seafront in Worthing, I feel very comfortable in the stormy ocean."

Crathern said he was able to make the stormy conditions work for him.

"The bad weather in our sport becomes the good weather. You become the kite," he said.

In the late 2010s, he completed challenges such as jumping over the Brighton and Worthing piers.

But he says that a person does not need "an 18 year old's body" to do jumps like these, but "experience and the right mindset".

The kite surfer said he would like to use this jump as a "platform" to drive the advocacy work he does with sponsor, Global Wind Energy Council.

Crathern wants to inspire other people towards wind energy and renewables, and already works with young people to try and spread that message.

As for the record, he said it was achieved by sheer dedication.

"It's like being an airline pilot, the more hours you put in, the better you become," he added.

Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram and listen to BBC Radio Sussex on Sounds. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.