Overview
“Well, I feel really good. My first heat of the year here in Borkum, I feel really good to be back on the tour. I hope I can get to the final and get the trophy again and I’m really motivated and super chill, relaxed, so I think it’s going to happen.”
The GKA Freestyle Kite World Cup Borkum 2026 was held from June 3 to 7, 2026, on Borkum Island, Germany, as the second of three stops on the 2026 GKA Kite World Tour Freestyle calendar. Marking the first time the GKA Kite World Tour ever landed on Borkum Island, the competition kicked off just three days after the season opener in Mexico, taking the fleet from tropical Pacific beaches straight to the North Sea in a grueling back-to-back schedule.
Location and Conditions
Located in the North Sea off northwestern Germany near the Dutch border, Borkum is the largest of the East Frisian Islands. Normally a tranquil island known for its natural beauty and numerous watersports stations, hosting an international World Cup for the first time was a landmark moment for both the island and the region.
Just days removed from the tropical heat of Nuevo Nayarit, athletes endured two long days of transatlantic travel to face wetsuit temperatures and choppy North Sea waters. Blessed with sunshine and a strong, steady wind forecast throughout the window, the venue delivered a demanding arena for elite freestyle kiteboarding.
Format and Participating Riders
The competition ran under the official GKA freestyle format, counting each rider’s top four trick scores from different categories out of seven attempts.
The men’s division featured Mexico winner and 16-year-old defending World Champion Finn Flügel (Germany), runner-up Arthur Guillebert (France), third-place finisher Maxime Chabloz (Switzerland), Brazil’s Davi Ribeiro, Egypt’s Karim Mahmoud, and Japan’s Hironobu Nakano. A major storyline was the return of two Italian heavyweights who had missed the Mexico opener: former World Champion Gianmaria Coccoluto and Matteo Dorotini, who returned after a five-month injury layoff.
The women’s division brought together Mexico winner Bruna Kajiya (Brazil), second-ranked Claudia León (Spain), Poland’s Martyna Konkel, and Italy’s Naïs Balbinot, joined by returning Italian standout Francesca Bagnoli and local German contenders Kaya Lehmann and Sabrina Lutz.
Highlights and Drama
Triumphant Italian Returns and Hironobu Nakano’s Maiden GKA Semi-Final
The returning Italian contingent made an immediate statement in the opening rounds. Former World Champion Gianmaria Coccoluto set the bar high from his very first heat, while Matteo Dorotini—back after five months out with injury—landed every trick in his routine to power into the semi-finals, noting afterward how special it felt to share the water with the fleet again after months of hard work.
One of the biggest breakthroughs of the early rounds came from Japan’s Hironobu Nakano. As Mexico finalists Finn Flügel, Arthur Guillebert, and Maxime Chabloz alongside Egypt’s Karim Mahmoud booked their places in the top eight, Nakano conquered the North Sea chop to advance past the quarterfinals for the first time in his career. Having previously been eliminated in the quarterfinal round time and again, an ecstatic Nakano celebrated his maiden GKA World Tour semi-final appearance on the beach: “I was always out in the quarterfinal, but finally I made it, I’m so happy!”
Women’s Rounds: Local Hero Kaya Lehmann Advances and Francesca Bagnoli’s “Dry Hair” Heat
In the women’s draw, Bruna Kajiya and Claudia León powered into the final with ease, while a fierce battle unfolded for the remaining two final berths.
Home rider Kaya Lehmann thrived in the familiar North Sea chop—remarking that the conditions actually felt quite warm compared to her usual sessions back home—and rode the energy of the German crowd all the way into the final. She was joined by Italy’s Francesca Bagnoli, who delivered a mistake-free return heat to advance without a single crash, joking on the beach that she still had dry hair coming out of the water.
Show Detailed Competition Results (Spoiler Alert)
Men’s Semi-Finals: Davi Ribeiro’s First Final and Karim Mahmoud’s Interference Call Comeback
In front of a packed beach on Finals Day, both Men’s Semi-Finals went down to the wire.
In Semi-Final 1 (Finn Flügel, Davi Ribeiro, Gianmaria Coccoluto, and Matteo Dorotini), Flügel cruised to first place, leaving a three-way battle for the second qualifying spot. Coming up clutch on his final exchanges, Brazil’s Davi Ribeiro edged out the Italian duo of Coccoluto and Dorotini to secure the first GKA World Cup final appearance of his career.
In Semi-Final 2 (Maxime Chabloz, Arthur Guillebert, Karim Mahmoud, and Hironobu Nakano), Switzerland’s Maxime Chabloz rode in a league of his own to lock in first place, while high drama decided second. After an interference call granted Egypt’s Karim Mahmoud one final trick attempt at the end of the heat, Mahmoud stomped his last-chance maneuver to overtake France’s Arthur Guillebert and book his spot in the final (with Hironobu Nakano capping his milestone run in the top eight).
Men’s Final: Maxime Chabloz Seals the Inaugural Borkum Crown with an 8.20-Point Combo
In the Men’s Final (Maxime Chabloz, Davi Ribeiro, Finn Flügel, and Karim Mahmoud), Maxime Chabloz—determined to bounce back from his third-place finish in Mexico—took command from his very first attempt.
While Finn Flügel and Karim Mahmoud struggled to keep pace in the challenging chop, Chabloz closed out the heat in style by stomping an 8.20-point combo on his final attempt to seal the victory and 1,000 championship points. First-time finalist Davi Ribeiro claimed a career-best runner-up finish in 2nd, while Finn Flügel took 3rd on home water ahead of Karim Mahmoud in 4th. The result left Chabloz (3rd in Mexico, 1st in Germany) and Flügel (1st in Mexico, 3rd in Germany) tied on points atop the world standings heading into the October season finale in Brazil.
Women’s Final: Bruna Kajiya Goes Two-for-Two as Kaya Lehmann Takes 3rd on Home Water
In the Women’s Final (Bruna Kajiya, Claudia León, Kaya Lehmann, and Francesca Bagnoli), reigning World Champion Bruna Kajiya delivered another masterclass to secure back-to-back victories and take a commanding lead in the 2026 title race. Claudia León claimed her second consecutive runner-up finish in 2nd, while Germany’s Kaya Lehmann held off Francesca Bagnoli (4th) to celebrate a 3rd-place podium finish in front of her home crowd.
Final Results
[Men’s Division]
1st: Maxime Chabloz (SUI)
2nd: Davi Ribeiro (BRA)
3rd: Finn Flügel (GER)
4th: Karim Mahmoud (EGY)
[Women’s Division]
1st: Bruna Kajiya (BRA)
2nd: Claudia León (ESP)
3rd: Kaya Lehmann (GER)
4th: Francesca Bagnoli (ITA)
Search Aliases: 2026 Borkum, 2026Borkum, Germany: GKA Kite World Tour, Germany:GKAKiteWorldTour