Surfersblog

Report By: Holly Keenan   Photos by: Samuel Cardenas

What a spectacular finish to the Qatar Airways GKA Big Air World Championships. Today we saw the women twin-tip riders pushing big air to the next level, whilst also witnessing Airton Cozzolino completely dominate in the men’s strapless. 

Women’s Twin-Tip Big Air Competition

This morning was a bright and early start for riders as the first women’s twin-tip heat kicked off around 8 am. We had lighter winds than the previous day, but conditions were still looking optimal for big air. 

We flew straight into round two of the women’s, with Hannah Whiteley and Nathalie Lambrecht putting on incredible performances. The women were making this heat look like a final, both performing some extreme megaloops and boogie loops.

In the last few minutes of the heat Hannah managed to pull off a magnificent frontroll contraloop. But, it was Nathalie from Sweden who claimed the victory in this heat, as in the final minute of the heat, she landed a clean, powerful double backroll megaloop that left everyone speechless. 

Semi-Finals

On the other side of the women’s ladder multiple world champion Mikali Sol started to work her way up the rankings, building on her heat scores and making her way into the semi-finals, taking out her good friend, Karli Thoma. 

In the semi-finals, we had some very tight heats between the women, in particular, Zara Hoogenraad and Nathalie Lambrecht. It was down to the wire for these two ladies as Zara took the win over Nathalie by only a 0.3 difference. 

Mikali Sol also had an incredible heat in the semis against the American newcomer to the tour, Michaela Pilkenton. Mika cranked into 5th gear in the heat as she landed the first-ever doobie loop in a competition! This move advanced her through to the finals, where she would face the dangerous dutchy, Zara Hoogenraad. 

Finals of the Womens Twin-Tip

We had an exciting women’s final on our hands with current BAKL Full Power Tarifa champion Zara Hoogenraad vs multiple disciplinary world champion /rider of the year Mikali Sol.

 Mika commenced the heat with all guns blazing, landing a nicely executed double front roll board-off.

Zara answered back with a textbook boogie loop, which she lands consistently throughout her heats. 

But, this only seemed to spur Mika on even more as she went on to pull off another doobie loop. Mika emerged victorious in this heat, showing us that she is undoubtedly the most diverse female rider kiteboarding has ever seen.  After only training big air a few days before this event, it was incredible to see Mika take the win in the big air discipline, throwing down moves that her other components had trained months for. 

Overall Results Women’s Twin-tip: 

1st: Mikali Sol (BRA)

2nd: Zara Hoogenraad (NED)

3rd: Nathalie Lambrecht (SWE)

4th: Michela Pilkenton (USA)

Men’s Strapless Big Air 

The wind began to drop a little towards the beginning of the men’s rounds one and two, and it was borderline as to whether the competition would continue.

Nevertheless, these experienced strapless riders managed to make things happen in the 20-knot winds, and boy did they put on a show for us! 

One rider who surprised everyone during the men’s strapless competition was rookie on tour Gabriel Benetton. In round three, Gabriel managed to take out the favorite for this event, James Carew. James appeared to be struggling in the lighter winds and couldn’t seem to get into his flow. 

On the other hand, Benetton had the heat of his life putting together some spectacular maneuvers such as a crontaloop, front roll megaloop and back roll megaloop. He took home the highest score of the day with 25 points in the semi-finals against Camille Delannoy. His win against Delannoy secured him his first ever final on the GKA World Tour. 

Gabriel Benton: 

“This is my first ever GKA event, and I am over the moon to place second place. I did not expect this going into this event and yet, here I am, in the final!”

Joining the young prodigy would be the one and only Airton Cozzolino! 

Airton had been consistent throughout the day landing pretty much all his tricks and sending the crowds crazy on the beach with his soaring megaloops. He had his game face on for this competition, and he wasn’t going to let the championship title slip away from him again. 

The Finals

The last finale of the competition kicked off with Cozzolino airlines flying through the sky, landing a textbook megaloop. Airton had his feet firmly glued to the board during the heat, landing trick after trick.

 It looked like the pressure might have gotten to the young Brazilian slightly as he struggled to land all his tricks. Gabriel put on an incredible show tofay but could not match Airtons style, and power. 

Airton once again adds another Strapless Big Air World Championship Title, and the smile on his face when receiving his award said it all. 

Men’s Strapless Final Results: 

1st: Airton Cozzolino 

2nd: Gabriel Benton 

3rd: Lorenzo Casati 

4th: Camille Delannoy

Thats A Wrap! 

Thats a wrap for the Qatar Airways GKA Big Air World Championships and we are beyond happy to have crowned all our champions. After two weeks of intense action, riders and crew are looking to celebrating a very successful event together with a night out on Tarifa Town! Stay tuned for more video highlights coming your way!

REWATCH THE LIVESTRAM HERE:

Report By: Holly Keenan   Photos by: Samuel Cardenas

In the finals of the men’s GKA world championships, Andrea Principi made history by scoring a whopping 10 points in his final trick of the heat on a double boogie loop! This jaw-dropping manoeuvre was enough for him to take the lead over Liam Whaley and claim the title of Qatar Airways GKA Big Air World Championship.

Levante Winds Kick In Around Midday

Yesterday morning, riders were greeted with light Levante winds and a scorching, hot Balneario beach. The wind so far has been far from a typical Tarifan forecast. Usually, at this time of year, the Levante winds are blowing non-stop for 5-6 days. Nevertheless, we had a small window to run the competition, with strong Levante winds forecast for today and tomorrow morning. 

The wind came pumping through the straits of Gibraltar just after riders had finished their lunch. The women’s strapless big air riders were the first to take to the water and throw down some spectacular moves

Capucine Delannoy Is The New Qatar Airways GKA Strapless Big Air World Champion! 

The progression in the women’s strapless has been incredible to watch at this event. Every rider has been sending kiteloops manoeuvres in all of their heats. 

One of the highlight heats of the day was in round one with 4 x Kitesurf World Champion Mikali Sol battling it out against the Vice Strapless World Champion Camille Delannoy and Brazilian shredder, Kesiane Rodrigues. Capucine started the heat with a huge front roll, followed by an impressive front roll one foot. Mikali tried to answer but could not match Capucine’s fluency and consistency. She landed an impressive kite loop that sent everyone on the beach cheering to finish the heat off.

In the women’s strapless big air finals, we saw Capucine Delannoy and Tarifian local Camille Losserand go head to head on the water. Both women were matching each other move for move with Camille pulling off some impressively high rodeo front rolls and back rolls. Nevertheless, it was Capucine who came out victorious with a huge kiteloop right on the buzzer.

FINAL RESULTS:  

1st Capucine Delannoy (FRA)
2nd Camille Losserand (CH) 
3rd Mikali Sol (BRA) 

Men’s Twin-Tip Big Air 

The Levante wind continued to build as the men took to the water. BAKL Cape Town winner Lorenzo Casati proved hard to keep his eyes off in the first rounds of competition as he was spinning like there was no tomorrow, throwing some insane quadruple front roll boogie loops. The Italian stallion made it all the way through to the semi finals, where he faced the Tarifian Legend, Liam Whaley. 

There is arguably no other rider with better knowledge of Balneario than Liam. This man grew up in these conditions and calls Balneario his backyard. Lorenzo gave it everything he had against Liam but he could not defeat the local legend, allowing Liam to advance straight to the final. 

Semi-Final number two was a mini-final in itself as we had the Current BAKL  Tarifa Full Power winner Giel Vlugt, up against the one and only Andrea Principi.  At the start, both riders were matching each other, sending huge double loops, back roll double loops, boogie double loops and, finally, board-off boogie loops. Unfortunately, on Giel’s last trick attempt, he had one of the hardest crashes of the day, coming down like a rocket. Giel gave it everything, but it was not enough to stop the unbeatable Andrea Principi. 

The Grand Finale

The final of the men’s big air championships was an unforgettable moment in kitesurfing history. These men battled it out right to the very last moments, were both riders had been neck and neck throughout the heat. In the final minutes of the heat, Andrea made a quick kite change and went straight out to land one of the most monumental manoeuvres of the competition so far. His signature boogie double loop had the whole crowd holding their breath as his kite looked like it wasn’t going to catch him. Somehow the Italian managed to ride out of this one and score a whopping 10 points. 

Andrea Principi on landing the highest scoring trick of the day;

“This was the most extreme move of the day for me. I saw my kite below me and I thought for sure my kite was not going to catch me. Somehow I managed to make it out alive.”

QATAR AIRWAYS GKA BIG AIR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS 

FINAL RESULTS:  

1st Andrea Principi (ITA
2nd Liam Whaley (ESP) 
3rd Giel Vlugt (NED) 
4th Lorenzo Casati (ITA)

Women’s Round One 

In the final heats of the day, just as the sun was setting, we managed to run a few of the women’s round one heats. 

Nathalie Lambrecht put on a spectacular performance today, landing a radical backloop kiteloop which secured her the win in round one of the women’s big air. 

Another standout rider from the round was Angely Bouillant, who was going twice as high as her competitors and sending insanely technical tricks. Angely managed to land the highest score of the day in the women with a 9.67 for a double back roll megaloop.

Update For Today’s competition

The morning started bright and early for the riders with a skippers meeting at 7:45 am. We now have round 2 of the womens on the water and later we will commence with the Men’s strapless big air. Make sure to tune into the livestream to check out all the action!

Tune into the livestream here!

Report By: Holly Keenan   Photos by: Samuel Cardenas

If you haven’t seen the highlight video from the weekend’s hydrofoil competiton then make sure to check it out below!

We had some fantastic action unfold at the weekend with the hydrofoil big air riders showing us just how far this new disipline has progressed.

Commentators Jo and Lewis summarise the best of the action from Sunday’s Qatar Airways GKA Big Air World Championships in the video below:

FINAL RESULTS FROM SUNDAY’S ACTION: 

1st Charles Brodel (FRA)
2nd Jamie Overbeek (NLD) 
3rd Maxime Chabloz (SUI) 
4th Alex Soto (DOM)

Read the full report from the competition here:

Qatar Airways GKA Big Air Hydrofoil World Champion – Charles Brodel

Report By: Holly Keenan   Photos by: Samuel Cardenas

Crew and riders were feeling pessimistic for the second day of the Qatar Airways GKA Big Air World Championships as the Levante wind was looking very light on the forecast.

Nevertheless, local knowledge suggested that a 15-knot Levante forecast could easily develop into a 30-knot Levante on the day. So we took our chances and kept the green light up for the competition!

To our surprise the wind started to build around 11 am and riders and crew prepared themselves for a day of competition ahead. 

Skippers meeting commenced at midday where race directors and judges briefed riders on the plan for the day. As this event is a big air event, crew and riders agreed to only run the competition if we had optimal big air conditions, which is roughly around (25 to 35 knots).

The heat durations are 7 minutes with 3 minute duration in between. To avoid confusion for the judges riders should adopt a converabelt system where they jump one after another. 

More news and updates to come soon so stay tuned!

If you haven’t seen the highlight video from the weekends Hydrofoil competiton then make sure to check it out below!

In the meantime, here’s how to stay up-to-date with all the events happening.

1. Follow our instagram account for behind the scenes action and event updates
2. Subscribe to our newsletter for end-of-day reporting
3. Check out our youtube channel for daily highlight videos once the competition begins!

Report By: Holly Keenan   Photos by: Samuel Cardenas

Saturday saw the opening of the Qatar Airways GKA Awards night with GKA Riders, crew and sponsors all gathered together to celebrate some of the most monumental moments in kitesurfing!

This event was a very important night for the GKA as it marked the official partnership with Qatar Airways as headline sponsor of the GKA Kite World Tour.

 The Qatar Airways GKA awards were hosted at Teatro Municipal Alameda, in the heart of Tarifa, with over 230 people attending. 

We were delighted to have some very special guests at this event with Senior Vice President of Discover Qatar, Steven Reynolds, Mayor of Tarifa, and CEO of the GKA World Tour, Jorgen Vogt.

Our presenters were the master duo, Jo Ciastula and Lewis Crathern who made for a very entertaining night indeed.  It’s also safe to say that kitesurfers make for a noisier audience than normal! The energy was electric, with huge cheers from the audience all night long. 

THE AWARDS 

• Women’s Move of the Year Award
• Men’s Move Of the Year Award
• Men’s Rider Of the Year Award
• Women’s Rider Of the Year Award
• Rookie Of the Year Award
• Best Social Contribution of the Year Awards

WOMEN’S MOVE OF THE YEAR

The first award of the night to be handed out was the women’s move of the year. This award was presented by GKA Tour Manager, Tom Hartmann. The move of the year award is about having all the kitesurfing disciplines combined and discerning which move stood out the most across the board. 

The Nominees for Women’s Move of the Year Award were as follows:

• Therese Taabbel
• Mikali Sol 
• Capucine Dellannoy 
• Therese Taabbel 
• Pippa Van Earsal 
• Karolina Winkowska
• Camille Losserand 
• Moona Whyte 

Mikali Sol is the official winner of the Womens’ move of the year award! 

Mikali is continuously pushing womens’ kitesurfing to the next level and this spectacular Slim 7 was by far the best move we have seen by a female rider this year. Not only is Mika the only female to ever pull off this trick but, her style and perfect execution has no doubt set her in a league of her own.

The Nominees for Mens’ Move of the Year Award were as follows: 

• Maxime Chabloz 
• Andrea Principi 
• Joshua Emanuel 
• Airton Cozzolino 
• Charles Brodel
• Camille Delannoy
• Giel Vlugt 
• Gianmaria Coccoluto 
• Tom Bridge 
• Janek Grezegorzewski
• Jesse Richman 

Giel Vlugt, the official winner of the men’s move of the year award! 

Giel Vlugt has been training big air kitesurfing for only two years and has already shown himself to be one of the best big air riders in the world! Giel’s magnificent S-loop has set itself apart from the other nominees’ moves. This trick requires a tremendous amount of risk factor and technical ability. Giel is without a doubt, a well-deserved winner of this award. 

• “To be here with all these legends just felt insane, I don’t think I have ever felt anything like this.” 

After the announcement of the move of the year, we moved on to the social contribution of the year award which was presented by Jaime Herraiz. 

This is about celebrating riders who have shared the beauty of the sport,not only in the kitesurfing world but also outside of it. It’s about giving back to the sport that riders have gained so much joy from. 

The Nominees for the Social Contribution of the Year Award were as follows: 

• Willow River Tonkin 
• Graham Howes 
• Mitu Montiero 
• Lewis Crathern 
• Marcella Witt

Willow River-Tonkin was the winner of the Social Contribution of the Year award!

Willow is much more than just a  ‘professional kitesurfer’. Willow has been a part of countless charity ventures and uses his social media as a platform to showcase his fundraisers and encourage people into the crazy world of kitesurfing. The ultaristic kitesurfer took the well deserved win for this award! 

Rookie of the year award was all about those groms. This award wants to celebrate all the amazing young talent we have in kitesurfing.

The Nominees for rookie of the year award were as follows:

• Fin Flugel 
• Daivide Ribeiro 
• Keanu Mertens 
• Pierfrancesco Rizzelo 
• Maxime Luan Desjardin 
• Robbie Stewart 
• Guilherme Costa

Fin Flugel took home the win for the Rookie Of The Year Award 

From freestyle to big air, surfing to winging… this kid is a jack of all trades, master of all! It seems like everyone has had their eye on Fin at this event as he has been on the water performing for us in front of the GKA Testing site at Valdevaqueros beach. His progression has skyrocketed over the last few months and we are excited to see what is to come of this kitesurf prodigy.

RIDER OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Our final, most prestigious award of the year, the one everyone had been waiting for, was rider of the year award.

This award is not just looking at the talent and skill of a rider but also what they are doing for sponsors, what projects they have been working on, and most importantly, how they present themselves as a rider.

The Nominees for female rider of the year award were as follows:

Female Rider Of the Year Award Nominees: 

• Mikali Sol 
• Capucine Delannoy 
• Pippa Van Earsal 
• Angely Boullot 
• Bruna Kajiya 
• Rita Arnaus 
• Jalou Langeree 
• Marcela Witt

MIKAILI SOL: FEMALE RIDER OF THE YEAR

Mikali Sol is without question one of the most talented riders the GKA has ever seen. Her progression has been unmatchable by any other rider as she pushes womens’ kitesurfing to the next level! Not only does Mikali put in hard work on the water but she also works very hard for her sponsors and puts in a tremendous amount of effort on photoshoots and projects! We look forward to seeing what more Mika has to offer in the future! 

Male Rider Of the Year Award Nominees: 

• Airton Cozzolino 
• Marc Jacobs
• Giel Vlugt 
• Charles Brodel 
• James Carew 
• Maxime Chabloz 
• Janek Grezegorzewski 
• Jesse Richman 

GIEL VLUGT: MALE RIDER OF THE YEAR

This really is a special night for Giel Vlugt as he is also taking the win for Rider Of the Year. Not only is Giel a truly tremendous athlete but he is also a great representative of the sport, always showing up for everything with a big smile on his face! He has helped showcase the true radicalness of kitesurfing to the world and is the well deserved winner of this award.

Report By: Holly Keenan   Photos by: Samuel Cardenas

Tonight saw the opening of the Qatar Airways GKA Awards night with GKA Riders, crew and sponsors all gathered together to celebrate some of the most monumental moments in kitesurfing!

This event was a very important night for the GKA as it marked the official partnership with Qatar Airways as headline sponsor of the GKA Kite World Tour.

 The Qatar Airways GKA awards were hosted at Teatro Municipal Alameda, in the heart of Tarifa, with over 230 people attending. 

We were delighted to have some very special guests at this event with Senior Vice President of Discover Qatar, Steven Reynolds, Mayor of Tarifa, and CEO of the GKA World Tour, Jorgen Vogt.

Our presenters were the master duo, Jo Ciastula and Lewis Crathern who made for a very enternating night indeed. 

It’s safe to say that kitesurfers make for a noisier audience than normal! The energy was electric, with huge cheers from the audience all night long. 

We had six awards to be presented tonight and they were as follows: 

• Women’s Move of the Year Award
• Men’s Move Of the Year Award
• Men’s Rider Of the Year Award
• Women’s Rider Of the Year Award
• Rookie Of the Year Award
• Best Social Contribution of the Year Awards

WOMEN’S MOVE OF THE YEAR

The first award of the night to be handed out was the women’s move of the year. This award was presented by GKA Tour Manager, Tom Hartmann. The move of the year award is about having all the kitesurfing disciplines combined and discerning which move stood out the most across the board. 

The Nominees for Women’s Move of the Year Award were as follows:

• Therese Taabbel
• Mikali Sol 
• Capucine Dellannoy 
• Therese Taabbel 
• Pippa Van Earsal 
• Karolina Winkowska
• Camille Losserand 
• Moona Whyte 

Mikali Sol is the official winner of the Womens’ move of the year award! 

Mikali is continuously pushing womens’ kitesurfing to the next level and this spectacular S-mobe 7 was by far the best move we have seen by a female rider this year. Not only is Mika the only female to ever pull off this trick but, her style and perfect execution has no doubt set her in a league of her own.

The Nominees for Mens’ Move of the Year Award were as follows: 

• Maxime Chabloz 
• Andrea Principi 
• Joshua Emanuel 
• Airton Cozzolino 
• Charles Brodel
• Camille Delannoy
• Giel Vlugt 
• Gianmaria Coccoluto 
• Tom Bridge 
• Janek Grezegorzewski
• Jesse Richman 

Giel Vlugt, the official winner of the men’s move of the year award! 

Giel Vlugt has been training big air kitesurfing for only two years and has already shown himself to be one of the best big air riders in the world! Giel’s magnificent S-loop has set itself apart from the other nominees’ moves. This trick requires a tremendous amount of risk factor and technical ability. Giel is without a doubt, a well-deserved winner of this award. 

• “To be here with all these legends just felt insane, I don’t think I have ever felt anything like this.” 

After the announcement of the move of the year, we moved on to the social contribution of the year award which was presented by Jaime Herraiz. 

This is about celebrating riders who have shared the beauty of the sport,not only in the kitesurfing world but also outside of it. It’s about giving back to the sport that riders have gained so much joy from. 

The Nominees for the Social Contribution of the Year Award were as follows: 

• Willow River Tonkin 
• Graham Howes 
• Mitu Montiero 
• Lewis Crathern 
• Marcella Witt

Willow River-Tonkin was the winner of the Social Contribution of the Year award!

Willow is much more than just a  ‘professional kitesurfer’. Willow has been a part of countless charity ventures and uses his social media as a platform to showcase his fundraisers and encourage people into the crazy world of kitesurfing. The ultaristic kitesurfer took the well deserved win for this award! 

Rookie of the year award was all about those groms. This award wants to celebrate all the amazing young talent we have in kitesurfing.

The Nominees for rookie of the year award were as follows:

• Fin Flugel 
• Daivide Ribeiro 
• Keanu Mertens 
• Pierfrancesco Rizzelo 
• Maxime Luan Desjardin 
• Robbie Stewart 
• Guilherme Costa

Fin Flugel took home the win for the Rookie Of The Year Award 

From freestyle to big air, surfing to winging… this kid is a jack of all trades, master of all! It seems like everyone has had their eye on Fin at this event as he has been on the water performing for us in front of the GKA Testing site at Valdevaqueros beach. His progression has skyrocketed over the last few months and we are excited to see what is to come of this kitesurf prodigy.

Our final, most prestigious award of the year, the one everyone had been waiting for, was rider of the year award.

This award is not just looking at the talent and skill of a rider but also what they are doing for sponsors, what projects they have been working on, and most importantly, how they present themselves as a rider.

The Nominees for female rider of the year award were as follows:

Female Rider Of the Year Award Nominees: 

• Mikali Sol 
• Capucine Delannoy 
• Pippa Van Earsal 
• Angely Boullot 
• Bruna Kajiya 
• Rita Arnaus 
• Jalou Langeree 
• Marcela Witt

Mikali Sol Won Female Rider Of the Year Award

Mikali Sol is without question one of the most talented riders the GKA has ever seen. Her progression has been unmatchable by any other rider as she pushes womens kitesurfing to the next level! Not only does Mikali put in hard work on the water but she also works very hard for her sponsors and puts in a tremendous amount of effort on photoshoots and projects! We look forward to seeing what more Mika has to offer in the future! 

Male Rider Of the Year Award Nominees: 

• Airton Cozzolino 
• Marc Jacobs
• Giel Vlugt 
• Charles Brodel 
• James Carew 
• Maxime Chablos 
• Janek Grezegorzewski 
• Jesse Richman 

Giel Vlugt Takes Home Male Rider Of The Year Award

This really is a special night for Giel Vlugt as he is also taking the win for Rider Of the Year. Not only is Giel a truly tremendous athlete but he is also a great representative of the sport, always showing up for everything with a big smile on his face! He has helped showcase the true radicalness of kitesurfing to the world and is the well deserved winner of this award.

Report By: Holly Keenan   Photos by: Samuel Cardenas

Today the Hydrofoil Big Air Competition got underway at the sunny shores of Valdevaqueros! Finals have been completed here at Bibo Beach here in Tarifa and Charles Brodel from France has become the first Official Qatar Airways GKA Big Air Hydrofoil World Champion!

Hydrofoil Big Air Format:

This morning we had a skippers meeting with the judges explaining the format for the day. 

The heats were run for a duration of seven minutes with three minute transitions in between. 

Riders had 10 trick attempts with 3 tricks counting towards their overall score. They also had an overall impression score as well, so it was important for riders to show style and expertise throughout the whole duration of the heat.

We had eight riders competing in this event with a mix of new and old faces to the competition! 

Riders entered into the Hydrofoil Big Air Competition were as follows: 

Charles Brodel 

Maxime- Luan Desjardins 

Joselito Del Rosario

Maxime Chabloz

Jamie Overbeek 

Alex Soto

Fin Flugel

 Charles Brodel from France has become the first Official Qatar Airways GKA Big Air Hydrofoil World Champion!

He won a tightly contested final against the Dutch high flyer Jamie Overbeek who himself had an incredible day, including a 10 point score for huge trick in round 3. Maxime Chabloz finishes third with Alex Soto from the Dominican Republic in 4th. We have just completed the official podium with more stories and information to follow!

REWATCH THE LIVESTREAM HERE

Check all the live scores from all the previous heats on the GKA events page!

Report By: Holly Keenan   Photos by: Samuel Cardenas

It looks like this weekend is building up to be a busy one with the GKA Awards happening tonight and Hydrofoil big air competition commencing tomorrow! 

Amongst the kiteboarding industry, there are a group of truly talented individuals and tonight the GKA Awards, in collaboration with Qatar Airways is set to celebrate these vibrant mix of athletes. 

The Awards will be taking place at Teatro Municipal Alameda, in the heart of Tarifa, with over 230 guests attending.

We are delighted to have some very special guests joining us such as Senior vice president of Discover Qatar, Steve Reynold, the Mayor of Tarifa and Ceo of the GKA World Tour, Jorgen Vogt.

Just as a quick reminder, here are a list of the GKA award nominees:

Womens’ Move of the Year Nominees: 

Mikali Sol – Slim 7 

Capucine Dellannoy – Double Frontroll

Therese Taabbel – Heart Attack

Pippa Van Earsal – Double Backroll Megaloop 

Karolina Winkowska -Crail Grab front to blind

Camille Losserand – Strapless Back Roll tiktok 

Moona Whyte x2 – Multiple turns on wave and Barrel

Alice Ruggio – Megaloop late backroll 

Mens Move Of the Year Nominees:

Maxime Chablos – Back Mobe 7 

Andrea Principi – S-Loop 

Joshua Emanuel – Super Loop 

Airton Cozzolino – Strapless 315 

Charles Brodel – Board-off Kiteloop on a foil

Camille Delannoy – Strapless Triple Frontroll

Giel Vlugt – S-loop 

Gianmaria Coccoluto – Backside 319 

Tom Bridge – Blind Backside 5 

Janek Grezegorzewski – Front Roll Contra Board-off

Jesse Richman – Kite release Wave Ride 

Male Rider Of the Year Award Nominees: 

Airton Cozzolino 

Marc Jacobs

Giel Vlugt 

Charles Brodel 

James Carew 

Maxime Chablos 

Janek Grezegorzewski 

Jesse Richman 

Female Rider Of the Year Award Nominees: 

Mikali Sol 

Capucine Delannoy 

Pippa Van Earsal 

Angely Boullot 

Bruna Kajiya 

Rita Arnaus 

Jalou Langeree 

Marcela Witt

Rookie Of the Year Award Nominees: 

Fin Flugel 

Daivide Ribeiro 

Keanu Mertens 

Pierfrancesco Rizzelo 

Maxime Luan Desjardin 

Robbie Stewart 

Guilherme Costa 

Best Social Contribution of the Year Award: 

Willow River Tonkin 

Graham Howes 

Mitu Montiero 

Lewis Crathern 

Marcella Witt 

To read more about the contenders for the GKA Awards check out the offical Tarifa Event Magazine 

Womens’ Move of the Year Nominees: 

Mikali Sol – Slim 7 

Capucine Dellannoy – Double Frontroll

Therese Taabbel – Heart Attack

Pippa Van Earsal – Double Backroll Megaloop 

Karolina Winkowska -Crail Grab front to blind

Camille Losserand – Strapless Back Roll tiktok 

Moona Whyte x2 – Multiple turns on wave and Barrel

Alice Ruggio – Megaloop late backroll 

Mens Move Of the Year Nominees:

Maxime Chablos – Back Mobe 7 

Andrea Principi – S-Loop 

Joshua Emanuel – Super Loop 

Airton Cozzolino – Strapless 315 

Charles Brodel – Board-off Kiteloop on a foil

Camille Delannoy – Strapless Triple Frontroll

Giel Vlugt – S-loop 

Gianmaria Coccoluto – Backside 319 

Tom Bridge – Blind Backside 5 

Janek Grezegorzewski – Front Roll Contra Board-off

Jesse Richman – Kite release Wave Ride 

Male Rider Of the Year Award Nominees: 

Airton Cozzolino 

Marc Jacobs

Giel Vlugt 

Charles Brodel 

James Carew 

Maxime Chablos 

Janek Grezegorzewski 

Jesse Richman 

Female Rider Of the Year Award Nominees: 

Mikali Sol 

Capucine Delannoy 

Pippa Van Earsal 

Angely Boullot 

Bruna Kajiya 

Rita Arnaus 

Jalou Langeree 

Marcela Witt

Rookie Of the Year Award Nominees: 

Fin Flugel 

Daivide Ribeiro 

Keanu Mertens 

Pierfrancesco Rizzelo 

Maxime Luan Desjardin 

Robbie Stewart 

Guilherme Costa 

Best Social Contribution of the Year Award: 

Willow River Tonkin 

Graham Howes 

Mitu Montiero 

Lewis Crathern 

Marcella Witt 

To read more about the contenders for the GKA Awards check out the offical Tarifa Event Magazine 

Green light for the Hydrofoil Big Air Competition Tomorrow!

With the current forecast, we are hopeful to be able to run the hydrofoil big air competition tomorrow as the Poinente winds are set to increase! The competition will be taking place at Valdevaqueros so make sure to tune in to the livestream to keep up with all of the action! 

Report By: Holly Keenan   Photos by: Samuel Cardenas

With Spanish politicians, GKA riders and brand exhibitors all gathered together; we were able to commence the official opening ceremony for the Qatar Airways GKA Big Air World Championships!

We had more than two decades of kiteboarding legends present at the official opening ceremony, and It was amazing to have so many old and new faces show up at this event. 

The Kitesurfing Legends Assemble

The GKA media team were lucky enough to talk with one of these kitesurfing legends, Jaime Herraiz. Jaime was one of the early innovators in the kitesurfing world and truly helped bring the sport to life. He has played a vital role in organizing the Qatar Airways GKA Big Air World Championships, and we found out a little bit about why this event means so much to him.

“It means a lot to me to have the GKA Big Air World Championships hosted in Tarifa. We work hard to place Tarifa at the forefront of the kitesurfing industry and show that this is one of the best places in the world to showcase a Big Air competition. Balneario offers the perfect conditions for riders to showcase their best manoeuvres.” 

Increase In Prize Money 

In other exciting news, we are happy to announce that the World championship winners’ prize money has increased for 2022 following the GKA’s new partnership with Qatar Airlines. An extra €22,000 was added to Freestyle Twintwip, Kite-surf and Hydrofoil disciplines. The increase in prize money will take effect at this event ( The Qatar GKA World Championships in Tarifa) and onwards into all the 2022 events.

Riders To Keep A Close Eye On For This Event

As the strong Levante winds are yet to make an appearance, we have had plenty of time to catch up with some of the favourites for this event here in Tarifa. 

Giel Vlugt (NL) – Twintip Big Air

One rider on everyone’s radar at the moment is the Dutch sender, Giel Vlugt. This man recently stormed the big air scene after winning the BAKL Full Power Tarifa Event and landing the first-ever S-Loop. 

Nevertheless, what makes Giel a stand-out rider from the rest is his ability to progress at such an unprecedented rate. Giel has only been training big air for two years now, and he is already one of the most impressive riders on tour. I was curious to find out what his expectations were for this event.

 “I haven’t set many expectations for myself at this event apart from showing what I am capable of doing. Of Course, I want to end up first, but you never know, it’s a competition, there are a lot of big names, and I plan to go and give my everything and see where it takes me.” 

Aaron Hadlow (UK) – Twintip Big Air

From upcoming talents to long-time legends, it was great to have the one and only Aaron Hadlow back on the GKA World Tour. 

“It’s been a little while since I have been on tour, but since the GKA Big Air Championships are here in Tarifa and it’s a one-time event, I thought I would give it a go! 

I know the level is high here, and the young guys are pushing it, but if I thought I didn’t have a chance of making it to the top, then I wouldn’t be here doing it. I am still completely in love with the sport, and I still have the competitive drive, so I am eager to get out on the water and compete.”

Camille Losserand (CH) – Kite-Surf Big Air 

The Swiss female kite-surfer Camille Losserand is lucky enough to call the competition spot her backyard! Camille has been living and training in Tarifa, and her level has improved dramatically over the previous months. She believes her local knowledge of the competition spot could be to her advantage. 

“I cannot wait to compete in Balneario, my home spot, and I feel very confident in these conditions. I have also been pushing a few different tricks at Balneario, and I am excited to showcase them during the competition and hopefully stick the landings!”

Judging Criteria For The Qatar Airways GKA Big Air World Championships 

Judges have taken a slightly different format for this event here in Tarifa. They have decided to award each competitor’s trick scores on a scale from 0.1 to 10.0, broken into one- hundred increments. An overall impression score may be used in addition to the trick scores counting towards the final heat result. Criteria of variety, “wow” factor, smoothness, innovation, tricks landed vs crashes, and commitment impact the Overall Impression score. 

Judges are looking for height and amplitude, technical difficulty and, most importantly, commitment to a trick.

What To Expect Over The Next Coming Days 

We are on hold for the Qatar GKA Big Air Championships as we are waiting for the strong Levante winds to kick in to provide optimal conditions for our big air riders. Nevertheless, the forecast looks promising from Tuesday onwards next week, so make sure to tune into our Livestream, which will cover the entirety of the competition.

 In the meantime, riders continue to enjoy the light Poniente winds, cruising around on foils and winging equipment. 

Here’s how to stay up-to-date with all the events happening.

1. Follow our instagram account for behind the scenes action and event updates
2. Subscribe to our newsletter for end-of-day reporting
3. Check out our youtube channel for daily highlight videos once the competition begins!

Report By: Holly Keenan   Photos by: Samuel Cardenas

First Day of The Visit Qatar GKA Kite Expo 

This year the Qatar Airways GKA Big Air World Championships is being hosted alongside the Visit Qatar GKA Expo, running from the 21st to the 26th of June and the GKA Awards night on the 25th of June. 

Yesterday saw the opening of the Visit Qatar GKA Expo and registration day for all the riders. The sun was blazing over Valdevaqueros, setting the perfect stage for riders and brand exhibitors to assemble.

The Qatar Airways GKA Big Air World Championships is the biggest Kitesurfing event ever staged!

We have over 61 accomplished riders from all over the world ready to compete at this monumental event.

It was great to see everyone in such high spirits and united with the same goal of showcasing all that kitesurfing has to offer. 

Catch Up with the Brand Exhibitors

With 23 brand exhibitors at this event, there was plenty of newly released equipment to be tried and tested by the public! 

We were lucky enough to catch up with some brand representatives to find out just how important this event was for them. 

Philip Becker, Duotone Marketing Manager:

“The GKA Expo is unique regarding the scale of the event and how the GKA has made a huge effort to get everyone in the kitesurfing community together. Tarifa is also the mecca of kitesurfing, making it the ideal place for annual meetup.”

Klaus Warkentin, Business Development Director at North Kiteboarding:

“The combination of having an expo linked to a big air event is inspiring for us. Interaction with the consumer is critical, so events like this are so important.

Brands can show their products directly to customers and deliver a 360-degree experience with staff, riders and products. 

We hope this event will continue to grow each year and open doors to a period where our community shows the world the beauty and potential of our sport.” 

Possible Challenges 

With a competition of this magnitude comes big expectations, which means a lot of pressure is resting on the event organizers’ shoulders.

 According to the GKA Event Organizer, Tom Hartmann, one of the biggest challenges they face is having all the crew and riders on standby for three weeks, with everyone needing to be ready to go as soon as the conditions are optimal.

 As this is primarily a big air event, the riders require around 30 knots to run the twin-tip and strapless Big Air competition and around 25 knots to run the hydrofoil. The GKA has set aside a three-week waiting period so that they can wait for the perfect conditions. 

The forecast is looking light for the coming days, providing riders with a perfect opportunity to enjoy the GKA Kite Expo and work with the brands to showcase all the new and exciting kitesurfing equipment.

 The official Opening Ceremony for The Qatar Airways GKA Big Air Champions will take place on Thursday, the 24th of June, so if you are in Tarifa, make sure to head over to Valdevanquros; To celebrate the start of a monumental event! 

Here’s how to stay up-to-date with all the events happening.

1. Follow our instagram account for behind the scenes action and event updates
2. Subscribe to our newsletter for end-of-day reporting
3. Check out our youtube channel for daily highlight videos

We have also created an official Tarifa event magazine to keep you up to date with everything you need to know about the Qatar Airways GKA Big Air World Championships event.

Scroll down to open the official Tarifa Event Magazine