2022 Freestyle World Champions Crowned in Brazil

After three full power Freestyle events in the 2022 season, Mikaili Sol and Gianmaria Coccoluto were crowned as the Qatar Airways GKA Freestyle-Kite World Champions on Saturday 12th November in Taiba, Brazil.

Following earlier events in Salinas del Rey, and Neom, Saudi Arabia, the Copa Kitley GKA Freestyle-Kite World Cup Brazil was one of the most hotly contested and thrilling encounters ever seen in kiteboarding between the world’s top riders at what is most likely the best freestyle spot in the world.

Over the course of three days of action we saw world first manoeuvres dropped in competition for the first time, while the general level of riding at this event was at a jaw dropping level throughout.

Maxime Chabloz summed up best how the butter flat water and smooth 18 – 22 knot wind conditions made for the ultimate throwdown: “The level is insane. There’s nothing affecting a rider’s performance except their own skills. It’s just so good. Thank you to everyone who made this happen – Kitley and the Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour; just thank you.”

Brazilians Manoel Soares and Mikaili Sol were in the driving seats for the male and female titles respectively coming into the event. Having won both previous events this season, Manoel needed only to reach the semi-final stage for his first title, while Mikaili was looking for a top three finish to be assured of her sixth world championship.

Once the action began, however, it was clear that with every competitor able to perform to their maximum, anything could happen.

Follow the event as it unfolded in the daily highlight videos below:

Source: https://www.gkakiteworldtour.com/2022-freestyle-world-champions-crowned-in-brazil/