Set off to the south with kitesurfers in ŠKODA CITIGOᵉ iV

ŠKODA’s first production electric car took Paula and her brother Jan to the beaches of Tarifa, an iconic Spanish place for kitesurfing fanatics. Join them and enjoy the sea waves and sun rays in the following video:

“When I’m kitesurfing, I’m in a wholly different world. No distractions, no problems, no thoughts about anything else. I’m so concentrated and satisfied that I always have a huge grin on my face when I’m coming out of the water. Sometimes, I spend several hours in the water. Time passes unbelievably quickly. I can’t imagine my life without the ocean, without the sun and the wind. These elements bring me great joy,” says professional kitesurfer Paula Novotná.

She fell in love with the sport as a child, and gradually became one of the world’s top kitesurfers. She was European champion in both the junior and adult categories and she’s stood on the podium of the world championship many times – last year, she even won once.

When wind and sea unite...

... one just soars

Purity of movement

Paula was excited to take the opportunity to try the electric ŠKODA CITIGOe iV on one of her journeys to the oceans. She admits that she’s been curious about clean electric cars for some time now. “I love this sport precisely because I can find a connection with nature and enjoy a day in the water and the sun. Unfortunately, our planet is very polluted and if we want to be here in 100 years, we have to take care of it,” she says.

She and her brother Jan made the trip to the famous beaches of Tarifa from the vicinity of Estepona. This meant that the car’s range of 250 kilometres was enough for the trip. The interior space of the car was more than sufficient to carry the bulky kitesurfing equipment.

ŠKODA CITIGOe iV: a fully electric partner for a new generation of drivers

“I was amazed! Everything is so quiet and easy, and all the functions are right here on my phone. I learned to use recuperation and I really loved it. I enjoy cars and driving and I think I’m a good driver. But of course, I stick to the rules - I don’t like paying fines!” the kitesurfer concluded.

In the waves since childhood

“It was my parents who introduced me to kitesurfing. I’ve been travelling with them since I was a little kid. It took me some time to persuade them to teach me to kitesurf as well, as I was too light and the equipment wasn’t safe enough at the time. However, when I was 14, they finally taught me. Since then, I’m always itching to kite and it’s hard to get me out of the water. It’s enabled me to discover many beautiful places and meet amazing people,” Paula recalls.

She’s on the road, far away from home, almost all the time, but the whole family leads an active lifestyle, so they often meet up when doing sports outdoors. “I spend roughly three quarters of the year away from the Czech Republic, but I like coming back home, mostly to rest and spend time with the people close to me. I really enjoy spending time with my brother. When we were young, we always kitesurfed all summer and even now, we never miss an opportunity to do sports in the mountains or on water,” adds Novotná.

In 2024, Paula will be headed to the Olympics, where she will compete in foiling (riding a surfboard with a special extension that allows you to glide right above the surface and master various types of waves). Another of the kitesurfing disciplines is the slalom, but the Czech sportswoman specializes in freestyle, which is full of various acrobatic tricks. The rider has to show seven tricks in the race, with the four best tricks awarded points. By the way, Paula’s favourite trick is called the Heart Attack – it’s a front roll while changing the handle from one hand to the other behind your back, and then a 360°rotation.

Without consent from ŠKODA AUTO a.s., third parties are only allowed to use this video - to an adequate extent - for Internet news for one year since publishing, worldwide (except USA, Canada, Japan).