gka kite-surf world tour 2020 : 17 videos

It was day 3 at the GKA Freestyle Super Grand Slam here in Ilha do Guajiru and these are the highlights of men’s rounds 4 and 5 and women’s round 4! With stronger, gustier wind and more chop on the lagoon than yesterday, conditions were definitely a challenge for the riders today, but that did not stop them from showing the most impressive moves and highest scores we've seen in the competition so far!

No heats were run today, but we have winners nonetheless – winners in the waiting game for wind, that is. The ladies were more than ready to battle it out in semi-finals and finals today, but it wasn’t meant to be. Wind was too light to provide good conditions for our world class athletes, so after calling the first possible start for 9.30am but having to postpone the competition time and time again, the wind decided not to show up and the race direction decided not to run the competition to...

It’s a wrap on Day 5 of the GKA Freestyle Super Grand Slam here in Ilha Do Guajiru and we have got our Superkite Champions 2020! In slightly lighter winds on this final day of the competition, the focus of the judges was on quality and attention to detail when it came to the execution of the tricks. The level of riding at this event was just out of this world with some of the highest overall scores ever achieved in a competition, and tricks never landed in a contest before. Here are the...

Ilha do Guajiru delivers the goods for the first day of competition of the GKA Freestyle Super Grand Slam 2020 with perfect wind and water conditions in the tidal lagoon in front of Hura Beach. Vibes are high with all riders and crew as everybody tested negative for Covid in the morning in the compulsory test, meaning the event could be kicked off as planned. The organizers take pride in making sure all protocols are adhered to, the competition area is secured and access is only granted to...

Athletes had a very early start today, as the competition had to be scheduled according to the tides of the lagoon to ensure optimal riding conditions. First up were the men, and they were rewarded for getting up early with ideal conditions, flat water and steady wind so most competitors were on 11 to 13m kites. Here’s what went down in Hura Beach today: youngest competitor of the event Davi Ribeiro placed second in his first heat of the day, and it really showed that the 12-year-old Brazil...

Day 3 at the GKA SuperFoil Brazil 2020 - Hydrofoil Surf event in Fortaleza. Today was finals day here at the SuperFoil Brazil event. Our athletes have battled hard the last three days, to get their place in the Finals and Mini finals. We’ve seen some incredible action on the water and in the air too, the last Rounds of the competition were just as thrilling. In the mini finals Titouan and Maxime battled for the third place podium finish. The heat was exciting to watch as both riders put on a...

Today was the last day of the GKA SuperFoil event in Brazil and what an event it has been! After so many months without competitions it’s been so good to get an international group of athletes together and back on to the water, and what a spot we have chosen for it! Fortaleza has surprised us all, and has certainly delivered the conditions needed for a Hydrofoil Freestyle event! Today we held the first ever GKA Hydrofoil Super Session in Brazil, with just one round in which to choose the winn...

That's Day Two in the bag at the GKA SuperFoil 2020 Brazil. Good wind and nice waves have made for a great start to the main event. Getting through two complete rounds on the water and right into the semi finals in one day, we couldn’t have asked for more! The format for the elimination ladder in the SuperFoil Brazil event is a dingle elimination, which means the top riders from Round One are bumped directly into Round Three. In Round Two the runner up riders from Round One face each other, o...

The qualifiers for the GKA SuperFoil 2020 were run today in Fortaleza, Brazil. Day 1 of competitions started with heavy rain, which had cleared by midmorning, thankfully replaced by good wind and some moderate swell. Wind was averaging 15-20knots for most of the day. Format for the day was 5 minute heats, with 3 minute transitions in between. Judges were looking for perfect execution and technique, freestyle tricks and plenty of variety. It’s the first competition of its kind for the GKA and...

The Global Wing Sports Association is holding its first ever WingFoil event in Fortaleza, the SuperFoil Brasil 2020. On Day 1, it saw Balz Müller demonstrating that he is a master of not only freestyle, but at filling in his time in between tricks, with non-stop flowing dance-like moves on the water. The young athlete may come from a landlocked country, but today he proved that riding waves is no problem for a Swiss men. He performed outstandingly in both Waves and Freestyle, landing tricks h...

The Global Wing Sports Association is holding its first ever WingFoil event in Fortaleza, the SuperFoil Brasil 2020. On Day 1, it saw Balz Müller demonstrating that he is a master of not only freestyle, but at filling in his time in between tricks, with non-stop flowing dance-like moves on the water. The young athlete may come from a landlocked country, but today he proved that riding waves is no problem for a Swiss men. He performed outstandingly in both Waves and Freestyle, landing tricks h...

Last year we had barrelling waves here in Cape Verde, but this year it seems that the wind, and wave gods wanted to test our rider’s and team’s nerves, sending some challenging conditions our way. Lighter wind and a lack of swell, saw the crew pack up the event site not once, but twice, and move to a new location. Proof that we go to great lengths to bring you the best possible action here on the GKA Kite World Tour! Ines Correia and Peri Roberts, two event favourites faced each other in the...

Today we saw all the top seeds hit the water for the quarter finals on day 4 of the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup – Cape Verde 2020. Riders were battling it out in tough conditions for a place in the next round. In the men’s division scores were high across the board, making for some exciting, and very close results. In the first heat Titik Lopes CV and Pedro Matos BR were pushing each other to the limit, both riders proving themselves to be technical and powerful in the waves. Pedro won the heat w...

Today we’ve had higher scores, mixed conditions and some surprising results! The wind was slightly stronger at Kite Beach, but it came with a side onshore wave, making riding conditions tricky for our competitors. The day got off to a great start with Titik Lopes CV setting the bar for high scores in the first heat of the day, with a complete score of 10.24. He will go on to face Pedro Matos BR, the rider with the highest overall score from Day 1 in the first heat of the next round. Pedro sco...

The second day of the GKA Kite-Surf World Tour got off to a smooth start this morning at Kite Beach. The wind was (slightly) more favorable than yesterday, with around 25 knots blowing cross onshore, the swell was coming in a little bigger too. We ran a Pure Wave format with 14 minute heats, and three minute breaks in between. Men were riding 7-9m2 kites and women were riding 6-9m2 kites. The sun came out, the crowds were dancing and the riders were excited to get on the water! Titik Lopes CV...

The GKA Kite World Tour is in Cape Verde for the first event of the season. 30 men and a record 23 women registered for the event this morning at Ponta Preta, there are numerous new faces on the tour this year and we’re looking forward to introducing them to you in the coming days. Riders spent the afternoon warming up for tomorrow at Kite Beach, it looks likely that the event will be starting here, due to the conditions not being favorable at Ponta Preta. There was an autograph session at Po...

Today we decided to run a Pure Wave format, with best two waves counting to final scores, after judges decided conditions were not suited to a mixed format. Fourteen-year-old Charlie Martin RE dominated his heats, the youngster from Reunion showed impressive skill, with powerful hacks in the small waves and advanced to round 5. Judges were looking for riders who could adapt to the conditions of the day, and those that could link their turns in the mushy waves were scoring high. The smaller wa...