Overview
The 2018 season was a paradigm shift in the history of kiteboarding, full of ambition and evolution.
Alongside the traditional Kite-Surf (Wave & Strapless) discipline, a grueling new format called “Air Games” (Twin-Tip) was born, pushing the fusion of big air and freestyle to its absolute limits. Facing the capricious whims of Mother Nature—from raging seas to desperate, windless days—the riders continuously set new benchmarks in kiteboarding history.
First Half to Mid-Season: The Birth of Air Games and the Pursuit of Altitude
2018 Cape Verde
The Kite-Surf season kicked off at Ponta Preta, where perfect waves curled over the exposed reef. “This is like the Brazil of the surfing world right now, a breeding ground where rippers feed off each other,” the commentator noted of the fierce environment. In extremely light winds, with the women’s final moved to the northern spot of “Secrets,” Hawaii’s Moona Whyte edged out Jalou Langeree and burst with joy, saying, “Seeing these really nice waves and coming out on top, I’m really happy.” In the men’s division, 2016 World Champion Matchu Lopes suffered an early Round 4 upset against Brazil’s Pedro Matos, while Paulino Pereira scored two perfect 10s on Day 3. In the final, reigning champion Airton Cozzolino—who landed the first-ever grabbed Backroll off a wave in competition—finally defeated his longtime rival Keahi de Aboitiz for the first time in a heat to claim victory on home soil (followed by Sebastian Ribeiro in 3rd, Pedro Matos in 4th, and Mitu Monteiro in 5th).
2018 Dakhla
Round 2 of the Kite-Surf tour took place in Dakhla, Morocco. Utilizing a combo format of waves and freestyle across a full double elimination, the men’s single elimination semifinals saw Airton Cozzolino defeat Matchu Lopes and Keahi de Aboitiz eliminate Mitu Monteiro, setting up a second straight final between Airton and Keahi. In the double elimination final, Airton sealed the deal in the dying seconds with a flat 3 handle pass over Keahi to claim back-to-back wins (with Mitu Monteiro taking 3rd). In the women’s division, Jalou Langeree’s rigorous backhand training paid off as she prevailed in a super final rematch against Moona Whyte on her birthday, claiming her maiden GKA tour victory.
2018 Leucate
Slated to be the monumental season opener for the Air Games in Leucate, France. However, for the first time in the nearly 20-year history of the traditional international wind sports festival “Mondial du Vent,” the event was struck by a completely windless (no-wind) condition. Unable to meet competition standards, the event was mercilessly canceled, becoming a phantom contest.
2018 Portugal
Round 3 of the Kite-Surf tour in Viana do Castelo was plagued by rain and no wind, finally seeing a breeze on the last day but absolutely zero waves. With the format abruptly changed to “100% Freestyle,” Matchu Lopes broke new ground in the men’s final by landing the first-ever “Triple Frontroll” in competition history to defeat Airton Cozzolino, opening a new door for strapless riding on flat water and claiming his first win of the season. In the women’s division, Moona Whyte defeated Jalou Langeree with a more consistent average score to take her second win of the year.
2018 Tarifa
In the wind capital of Europe, a historic mega-event hosted both Kite-Surf and Air Games simultaneously. In the Kite-Surf division—which saw Barbados’s Simon Joosten knock out Keahi de Aboitiz in a Round 3 upset—Airton Cozzolino landed two clean handle passes in the final to defeat Matchu Lopes, while rising Spanish star Carla Herrera Oria dominated the women’s fleet in the absence of Moona Whyte and Jalou Langeree. Meanwhile, amidst the howling easterly “Levante” winds in the Air Games, Jesse Richman and Mikaili Sol dominated with overwhelming height to claim victory. As Aaron Hadlow stated about the tour’s purpose, “It’s about crowning the most overall rider,” true versatility was put to the test.
2018 Cabarete
The Air Games in the Dominican Republic were fueled by strong trade winds. While local Posito Martinez fed off the crowd’s passionate cheers to secure 3rd place, Carlos Mario and Mikaili Sol perfectly blended complex handle passes with big air to take the wins.
2018 Fuerteventura
The Kite-Surf division’s Strapless Freestyle and Big Air disciplines were held in Fuerteventura. Under extreme conditions with 35-knot gusts and flat water, the main freestyle event ran as a single 24-rider bracket including two women. In the final against Matchu Lopes, reigning champion Airton Cozzolino launched a massive 100-yard jump in the final seconds, earning the first-ever unanimous perfect 10 from all five judges in tour history. Claiming his fourth win in five events, Airton mathematically secured his second consecutive World Title right there in Sotavento. Furthermore, during the Big Air event won by James Carew, Airton set an insane strapless hangtime world record of 14.3 seconds. The commentator praised him: “When he wants something he goes for gold… he’s the pure inspiration of everybody.”
Mid-Season: The Title Race Picture
Passing the halfway mark through grueling back-to-back events, the title race was fiercely heating up heading into the second half of the season.
- Kite-Surf Division: In the men’s, defending champion Airton Cozzolino dominated the leaderboard with overwhelming power and hangtime, winning four of the first five events to mathematically lock in the World Title, while Keahi de Aboitiz, Matchu Lopes, and Mitu Monteiro battled fiercely for the remaining overall podium spots. In the women’s division, after early frontrunner Moona Whyte was sidelined by a back injury, Carla Herrera Oria—having competed in every stop and won in Tarifa—moved to the top of the rankings in a tight race against Jalou Langeree.
- Air Games Division: The men’s side saw “big air prodigy” Jesse Richman and “freestyle genius” Carlos Mario tied on points heading into the decisive final round in Fehmarn. On the women’s side, 14-year-old prodigy Mikaili Sol remained undefeated with untouchable dominance, within reach of the annual crown.
Second Half: Champion’s Awakening and the Birth of Legends
2018 Fehmarn
The final event of the Air Games. Watched by tens of thousands of spectators, the men’s final was a clash between Jesse’s megaloops and Carlos’s perfect handle passes. Carlos claimed a narrow victory in front of the massive crowd, securing the inaugural annual title via countback. Mikaili Sol also won the women’s event, and both riders achieved the unprecedented “double crown” of winning both the pure freestyle tour and the Air Games.
2018 Prea
At Round 6 of the Kite-Surf tour in Prea, Brazil, where strong winds over 30 knots blow daily, locally-raised 19-year-old Camille Delannoy caused a historic upset in the single elimination final by defeating reigning champion Airton. However, clawing his way back in the double elimination, Airton shifted into a completely different gear. Landing a historic, massive “boogie loop” (Kiteloop front roll) and scoring two perfect 10s in a single day, Airton forced a super final and edged out Camille after a tense judge score recount to secure a dramatic comeback victory.
In the women’s division, after suffering a shock first-round exit in the singles, Carla Herrera Oria fought all the way back in the double elimination to beat Jalou Langeree once and force a super final, but Jalou snatched a dramatic victory by landing a massive “rodeo” in the final minute, reclaiming the rankings lead and putting herself in prime position for the annual crown.
This event also saw Camille’s younger sister, Capucine Delannoy, make her world debut as a wildcard at just 12 years old. Despite her mother saying she would “just have a go,” Capucine confidently landed back rolls and displayed solid riding, sending shockwaves through the global scene.
2018 Torquay
The Kite-Surf season finale awaited in Australia, featuring freezing waters and heavy, powerful Southern Ocean swells. After days of waiting for wind, the final day became a grueling marathon starting at 5:00 AM. As the commentator described, “We’ve had clouds, we’ve had rain, turning into the sun, ending up with beautiful conditions with a perfect sunset.” After Sebastian Ribeiro knocked out champion Airton Cozzolino in the quarterfinals, Keahi de Aboitiz perfectly read his local waves in the final, scoring an event-high 8.1 to win on his birthday on home soil and overtake Matchu Lopes (who finished 3rd in the event) for 2nd place in the overall championship. In the women’s winner-takes-all final against Carla Herrera Oria, Jalou Langeree claimed victory to secure her third career World Title, and the turbulent 2018 season closed alongside a perfect sunset.
2018 Annual Final Rankings (Detailed Results / Spoilers)
2018 Kite-Surf Annual Final Ranking Top 10
Men
- Airton Cozzolino (ITA / CV)
- Keahi de Aboitiz (AUS)
- Matchu Lopes (SPN)
- Mitu Monteiro (CV)
- Camille Delannoy (FRA)
- Jan Marcos Riveras (DR)
- Pedro Matos (BRA)
- Paulino Pereira (POR)
- Sebastian Ribeiro (BRA)
- James Carew (AUS)
Women
- Jalou Langeree (NED)
- Carla Herrera Oria (SPN)
- Charlotte Carpentier (FRA)
- Johanna-Catharina Edin (SWE)
- Moona Whyte (USA)
- Ines Correia (POR)
- Odile Cavin (SUI)
- Lyde Heckroodt (RSA)
- Marie Gautron (FRA)
- Didi Lopes (CV)
2018 Air Games Annual Final Ranking Top 3
Men
- Carlos Mario (BRA)
- Jesse Richman (USA)
- Maxime Chabloz (SUI)
Women
- Mikaili Sol (BRA)
- Hannah Whiteley (GBR)
- Pippa van Iersel (NED)
Search Aliases: 2018 GKA Kite World Tour (Season Wrap-Up), 2018GKAKiteWorldTour(SeasonWrap-Up)