watersports : 79 videos

After five days of the event at Fuwairit Kite Beach, race director Rui Meira closed the competition window. Although this is usually a windy time of the year, the light wind conditions meant that the final event of the season could not be played out to its full. Day one saw action from the women’s heats, although unfortunately, the final heat was not completed. The top four women reached the final to give a valid competition result, with Mikaili Sol (USA), Bruna Kajiya, Nathalie Lambrecht (SW...

The climactic final stop of the Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour 2023 is a thriller with the world title races in the Freestyle discipline still wide open after a season-long drama. The finals are held on the lagoon of Fuwairit Kite Beach Resort, with its mirror-flat waters and steady breezes. Bruna Kajiya (BRA), Mikaili Sol (USA) and Nathalie Lambrecht (SWE) advance to the women’s final. Bruna Kajia and Mikaili Sol are set for showdown in the decider for the coveted Freestyle crown in Qatar...

Here are the best scenes of the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup 2023 in Brazil! With so much at stake for numerous competitors, the final day of the Qatar Airways GKA Kite-Surf 2023 calendar was set to provide drama, tension, and excitement for both riders and fans beachside but also, around the globe.

With so much at stake for numerous competitors, the final day of the Qatar Airways GKA Kite-Surf 2023 calendar was set to provide drama, tension, and excitement for both riders and fans beachside but also, around the globe.

Day two at the Copa Kitley GKA Kite-Surf World Cup was an important day for all. With the world title race still fully up for grabs in both the men’s and the women’s divisions, those who weren’t quite on their game during yesterday’s heats would be looking to perform at better levels to advance through to the later stages in the competition. Conditions this morning were noticeably different, with more of a side-shore wind and lower tide, the sea state was a lot cleaner providing better wav...

With registration complete, 40 of the world’s best riders arrived in Ceara, North Brazil to compete at the final tour stop of the GKA calendar in Kite-Surf. With trade winds blowing consistently for 6 months of the year, Cauipe is born and bred for kitesurfers and today saw us get underway with the early rounds for both the men and the women. With a World Title on the line, the likes of Airton Cozzolino (ITA), Matcha Lopes (ESP), and Pedro Matos (BRA) will all be battling to lift that trophy....

It was all over in one day here in Brazil for the Copa Kitley GKA Hydrofoil-Freestyle Kite World Cup. With 12 riders registered for the competition and a World Title on the line, Charles Brodel (FRA) once again showed his dominance in this discipline with an outstanding display being far too much for the others to compete with. Brodel’s performance all day was faultless. In the driver’s seat from start to finish the French rider didn’t lose a single heat and in the final, it was no different....

It is the penultimate stop of the Freestyle-Kite discipline on the Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour 2023. The event takes place on Brazil's Cauipe Lagoon, which offers butter-flat, warm waters and consistent winds, making it perfect for freestyle kiting. Brazil’s Bruna Kajiya and former world champion Arthur Guillebert (FRA) take the win in two really tight finals. This freestyle stop of the world tour is loaded with kite-surfing action and thrill.

It is the penultimate stop of the Freestyle-Kite discipline on the Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour 2023. The event takes place on Brazil's Cauipe Lagoon, which offers butter-flat, warm waters and consistent winds, making it perfect for freestyle kiting. Brazil’s Bruna Kajiya cements her place at the top of the Freestyle rankings on the Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour. Former world champion Arthur Guillebert (FRA) takes the win in a tight final, which gives the Frenchman two top finishes h...

Anticipation levels were sky-high as the heavy hitters took to the playing field at the Copa Kitley GKA Freestyle-Kite World Cup Brazil, being fought out in near-perfect conditions on Cauipe’s storied lagoon.The leaders in the Freestyle discipline on the Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour, Brazil’s Carlos Mario and Bruna Kajiya, kept their dreams of adding another world title to their trophy haul alive when they advanced up the ladder. Battling on home waters, the Brazilian pair who have seven...

The Copa Kitley GKA Freestyle-Kite World Cup Brazil takes place in Cauipe from 8th to 11th of November 2023. The eagerly-anticipated fourth Freestyle stop on the Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour opened with a bang in the idyllic setting of Cauipe lagoon, Ceará, in north-eastern Brazil. On day one big opening performances from some athletes returning to the tour at the Copa Kitley GKA Freestyle-Kite World Cup Brazil served notice that there would be no easy victories for the top ranked riders.

It is the penultimate stop of the Kite-Surf discipline on the Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour 2023. Brazil’s Pedro Matos and the American Moona Whyte take the win at the GKA Kite Surf World Cup Dakhla, in Morocco. For Pedro Matos, this is the first event victory. On the other hand, the untouchable Moona Whyte wins the third Kite-Surf event of the season, additonally to winning the GWA Wingfoil World Cup Wave title a couple days ago.

The leaders in the race for the world title in the Kite-Surf discipline are set to clash in an early round of the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Dakhla, in Morocco, which could severely dent the loser’s hopes of lifting the crown. Top seeds Airton Cozzolino (ITA) and Matchu Lopes (ESP) are destined to battle in the fifth round of the world cup in the Oum Lamboiur break on the fringes of the Sahara desert. The Cape Verde-based Italian was on fire, slaying the shoulder-high surf like there was no tomo...

The GWA Wingfoil World Cup 2023 held its final wave event in Dakhla, Morocco. In front of the fantastic backdrop of the Sahara Desert, twenty-five men and five women from 9 nations around the world competed for the inaugural Wingfoil Wave World Championship title. The US’s Moona Whyte and Cape Verde’s Wesley Brito won the first-ever world titles in the Wave discipline. Nia Suardiaz made history by becoming the first woman in the competition to perform an Air 360 on a wave.

On the second day of the world cup in Dakhla, the third and concluding stop of the wave discipline on the GWA Wingfoil World Tour, the men again took to the water and began to fill the quarter-final berths. The young Corsican rider Noé Cuyala came out charging and rode out of his skin. The 16-year-old sensation racked up the biggest wave score—9.07 out of 10—and heat total to that point, exploiting better swells and growing breezes. Cape Verde’s Wesley Brito, the winner of the first stop in P...

Opening battles of last wave stop in Morocco throw up surprises as top ranked men face fight for survival. The young Corsican rider Noé Cuyala opened the event and his own account in style. The 16-year-old took down Spain’s Xavi Corr and Cape Verdean Hendrick Lopes (SUI). Lopes had the misfortune to be shown the door in round two, though he will battle again in the Kite-Surf world cup. Title contender and Cape Verde event winner, Wesley Brito (CPV), continued the theme, with a big heat that s...

The opening rounds in the FreeFly-Slalom discipline at the GWA Wingfoil World Cup Denmark saw the tour leaders come out on top, putting them in pole position for wins in Hvide Sande. Spain’s Nia Suardiaz slipped up in the first elimination round of the day when she could only manage a second place. It was only a temporary blip and she went on take the next six-from-six contests. An overall victory in Hvide Sande would land her the FreeFly-Slalom world title, doubling up on the Surf-Freestyle...

The Spanish teenager Nia Suardiaz clinched her first Surf-Freestyle world championship crown with a victory at the GWA Wingfoil World Cup Denmark, fought out amid the stunning backdrop of Hvide Sande’s dunes. The 16-year-old wingfoil prodigy has swept all before her this year and closed out the title even as two Surf-Freestyle stops still remain on the GWA Wingfoil World Tour. France’s reigning Surf-Freestyle world champion, Malo Guénolé, 18, kept himself in the race to retain his world tit...

The GWA Wingfoil World Tour 2023 will make its debut in Denmark with a Surf-Freestyle and FreeFly-Slalom World Cup event from September 3-9. The event will be held in Hvide Sande on the North Sea coast, a town in central western Denmark nestled in the dunes of Holmsland. This is the fifth round of competition in both disciplines, with only two stops left to determine the champions. Spain's Nia Suardiaz has shown remarkable ability, securing consecutive victories in both disciplines in the Can...

The climactic Day 7 marked the culmination of the U21 World Championships and iQGames Silvaplana, featuring the Medal Series as the decisive closing act. The day's forecast unfolded as predicted, with persistent rain casting an atmospheric backdrop for the final battles. The Medal Series served are the final series of races that decides on who will be crowned World Champion. In the men's fleet, Gaspard Carfantan of France clinched victory in the grand final, triumphantly securing the U21 Wor...

After 2 years the Defender GKA-Kite Surf World Cup is back in Sylt, Germany at the North Sea and finished the Men’s Kite-Surf Competition on Saturday. Spain’s 22 years old Kiko Roig staged a big upset, when he landed his first career win in tricky conditions on the North Sea. In the final the young Spaniard overhauled the favorite, former world champion, Italy’s Airton Cozzolino, who had been utterly dominant in his heats up to that point. In the final heat Cozzolino made a huge tactical e...

Day 6 of the U21 World Championships & iQGames Silvaplana (SUI) encountered a dynamic Day 6, marked by an intriguing set of slalom racing and rain. The day's action commenced with the first start at 12:00 PM, capitalizing on a robust yet variable wind that necessitated the choice of slalom racing due to its patchy and gusty nature, a testament to the varying wind strengths across the expansive lake. The day's racing itinerary initiated with the women's fleet embarking on 3 slalom races, foll...

The marathon, distinguished by its extended duration of around 1 hour, held a distinctive challenge. Due to the size of Lake Silvaplana, the race format necessitated five laps around the lake, encompassing a significant portion of the locale. the marathon is known for the "rabbit start," an exciting starting method where athletes follow behind a boat surging over the starting line, contributing to a spectacular start of the race. After five laps around Lake Silvaplana and approximately 50 mi...

A spectacular day of racing unfolded on Day 4 of the U21 Worlds & iQGames Silvaplana (SUI), characterized by impeccable sailing conditions that allowed for a total of 5 races in both the men's and women's fleets. The day dawned with the ideal wind speed ranging between 15 to 17 knots, accompanied by the sun's warmth, setting the stage for another day of racing. In the men's fleet, Gaspard Carfatan from France showcased remarkable skills, clinching victory in 4 out of the 5 races. This comman...

The mid-point stop of the kite-surf discipline on the Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour lands in Sylt, Germany. It comes shortly after the conclusion of the event at Rio de Janeiro’s Saquarema surf break. The rugged North Sea coastline of Sylt will provide a vastly different stage, presenting unique challenges that will likely be very distinct from the tropical setting of Rio. After two events, Moona Whyte, from the US, currently holds top spot in the rankings, while reigning world champion,...

The racing excitement at the Silvaplana event took an unexpected turn on Day 3 as the elusive Maloja wind failed to make its anticipated appearance. The initial forecast hinted at a possibility of northward winds, signaling that the renowned Maloja wind might not grace the event today. In response, the race committee presented two alternatives, both poised to offer captivating engagement to the athletes. The first option on the table was a speed challenge, brimming with enticing rewards in...

Reigning world champion Capucine Delannoy came from behind in the final of the Defender GKA Kite-Surf World Cup in Sylt, Germany, to take a narrow victory in the opening action of the event. The French 17-year-old squeezed out the win by less than a point in slightly tricky conditions on the North Sea, with the fluctuating breeze teasing the athletes. Delannoy had suffered successive defeats in recent finals and was overcome with emotion by her return to form.

In 2023 the Vanora ENGADINWIND by Dakine in Silvaplana, Switzerland plays host to the first ever iQ FOiL U21 World Championships, showcasing the class of windsurfing that was chosen to be part of the Olympic program in Paris 2024. 80 riders from 18 nations will race for the U21 World Champion title in the iQ FOiL windsurfing category. In the beautiful landscape the riders started with the slalom showing their best at beautiful conditions in Silvaplana, Switzerland. After the 1st racing day...

The winners in the GKA Freestyle Kite World Cup Dunkerque, in northern France, have been crowned after a difficult five-day competition when the fickle breezes teased the athletes but also sparked some big performances. Brazil’s Bruna Kajiya won the women’s competition on day two with stellar riding that takes her to the top of the rankings with just two more freestyle discipline stops remaining on the Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour.

The GKA Freestyle Kite World Cup France at Dunkerque has its winner of the women’s competition! Brazil’s Bruna Kajiya won her second crown of the year at the tour’s third stop at the after an almost flawless performance powered her through the strong field. Kajiya, at 36 the oldest women on the Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour, relished the victory even in the difficult conditions, giving her two stops from three with the next on her home waters in Brazil. The women’s final, late in the even...

Teenagers Nia Suardiaz and Malo Guénolé upended the form books when they lifted the crowns on the penultimate day of the Copa Kitley GWA Wingfoil World Cup Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Spain’s Suardiaz, 16, turned the tables and avenged her finals’ defeat at the first stop of the pure surfing wave tour in Cape Verde in March, when she was beaten by the US veteran, Moona Whyte. France’s Guénolé, 18, the current Surf-Freestyle world champion, was equally surprised to find himself top of the pile in...

Cozzolino, who represents Italy, was fully-focused on winning but also keen to avenge a defeat by Lopes in their last encounter in Cape Verde. Cozzolino landed a 7.83 for big open-faced carves. But Lopes had saved the best for last and scored the biggest wave of the competition—8.66— that took his heat total to 16.74 and gave him the win.

The Copa Kitley GKA Kite-Surf World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, moved up a gear as the contest got serious with the losing athletes sent packing after tough duels in the iconic Saquarema break. But the top seeds doing battle in the pure surfing world cup showed their class in the epic conditions of double head-high faces and 15 to 18 knots of cross offshore breezes. Cape Verdean Hendrick Lopes (SUI), Canada’s Reece Myerscough and France’s Clément Roseyro went to town on the wave faces in...

The Copa Kitley GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Brazil jumped back into life after two lay days with the men’s competition at Rio de Janeiro’s Saquarema break. But difficult conditions—a combination of light winds and a huge swell—saw just four heats completed before the race director called a halt to the proceedings on day six as the breeze faded. Some of the most experienced athletes, like Cape Verdean Matchu Lopes (SUI) and Charly Martin, from Reunion, coped well the huge 10-12ft faces and put s...

The day held to advance further through men’s round 3 until the wind dropped. A layday has been called for following day, so there is promised to be more action in two days. Cozzolino took the win with some big hacks in the pocket, with the day’s highest wave score so far of 7.03.

The opening of the Copa Kitley GKA Kite-Surf World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil opened with a bang. US-American Moona Whyte dominates the final and takes her second wave title in a row. Hawaii-based Moona Whyte (USA) again defeated the reigning Qatar Airways GKA Kite-Surf World Champion, 17-year-old Capucine Delannoy (FRA), in the final. It was a repeat of the tour’s first stop in Cape Verde in March, and with two wins from the five scheduled tour stops, Whyte is well on track to take the wo...

In the men’s final, local hero Wesley Brito (Cape Verde) starts with a big wave score right out of the gate, followed by an air 360 to add more pressure on his French rival Benoit Carpentier. He chases Brito and tries to level with his amazing start to the men’s final, however he ends up on Ponta Preta’s rocks instead and bursts his wing. Wesley Brito takes the win in an exciting final, while also proving to be the best athlete throughout the entire competition by getting the highest heat sco...

The world’s leading wingfoilers opened their accounts in a ground-breaking new surfing discipline in the first elimination rounds of the GWA Wingfoil World Cup on the Cape Verde island of Sal. Few of the athletes, who were excited to be part of the innovative pure wave format, could think of a better spot than the legendary Ponte Preta break to begin the new chapter in wingfoil’s evolution. The right hand break poses challenges for the 31 men and 10 women, from 10 nations, including the young...

On the final day of the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup in Cape Verde, the winners in kite surfing were crowned. Spain’s Matchu Lopes came from behind to seize victory in a clash for the ages in the opening round of the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup on the Cape Verde island of Sal. Lopes, who calls Cape Verde home, defeated his friend and mentor, Mitu Monteiro, in the final after three days of breath-taking action on the legendary Ponta Preta break. The duo were joined on the podium by another local legen...

On Day 2 of the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup in Cape Verde, the battle for the title comes to a head. Reigning world champion James Carew was dumped from the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup on the second day of the contest on Cape Verde in epic waves. The Australian, who had been hoping to land a third successive title, lost the final round of the day by only a fraction of a point to Cape Verde-based legend, Airton Cozzolino. The victory of Cozzolino, an Italian who calls the island home, drew wild cheeri...

The legendary waves of Cape Verde were firing for the first clashes of the opening GKA Kite-Surf World Cup 2023 which has drawn the globe’s top athletes to fight for honours.Forty-five riders—28 men and 17 women—travelled to the idyllic African island seeking the chance to open their claims for the 2023 kite-surf world title. The women’s competition kicked off the event. It began with a bang when Hawaii-based Moona Whyte opened her account with a stunning 8.0 wave, showing her poise with pow...

At the GWA Wingfoil World Cup New Zealand, the FreeFly Slalom final was held on the final day: Bastien Escofet (FRA) and Nia Suardiaz (ESP) were crowned the FreeFly Slalom winners for this first event of the season.

The mens final was a showdown between two of the youngest riders on tour. Our current World Champion Malo Guenole vs Chris Mac Donald. Both went trick for trick, with Chris opening with a 7.43 point Back Flip. Malo responded with an outstanding 8.63 point Front Side 7. Chris continued building scores, nailing a Front Side 7 and Front Flip, and just managed to steal the win from Mal by 0.8 points. An incredible final from two of the strongest athletes on tour. The womens final consisted of tw...

On day four of the GWA Wingfoil World Cup in New Zealand, the wind finally kicked in, allowing us to advance halfway through Men’s Round One with approximately 14 knots of wind. Lilian Juppet started the day by scoring a solid 6.77 Front Flip, allowing him to advance to the next round. Camille Bouyer landed a clean Back Flip, also scoring him 6.77 and solidifying his lead into Round 2. Our current World Champion, Malo Guenole, scored the highest score of the day with his 6.8-point wave. Local...

Despite the forecast looking positive, the wind did not show up until 4pm for day two of the GWA Wingfoil World Cup in New Zealand. The day was filled with alternative activities, including a Tow-in Surf Foil competition where the top riders participated.

The men’s seeding round consisted of 8 heats to determine the position of each rider in round 1. The conditions throughout the afternoon were certainly irregular as the AP flag went up several times, but with patience and determination, we managed to complete the full seeding round.