“Right on, thank you guys so much! It’s such an honor to win this award. It’s such a pleasure to see the GKA hosting an award like this. The handle pass in Cape Town was one of the craziest things I’ve ever done with a kite. I knew when I was in the air, I was like, ‘This is wild, it’s too good to not go for the second pass!’ And that was on my North Orbit 9-meter, my beautiful North Orbit. And yeah, I’m just really stoked to win this award.”
Overview
Broadcast across three episodes from July 26 to August 4, 2021, the “GKA Distance Battle: Aluula All-Time Big Air 2021” marked the second edition of the GKA’s virtual Distance Battle concept. Completely reimagined for 2021, the event invited riders to submit their single biggest and most radical Big Air maneuver filmed at any point across two decades of kiteboarding history. Drawing over 100 video submissions worldwide across five divisions—Men’s Twin-Tip, Women’s Twin-Tip, Men’s Strapless, Women’s Strapless, and Hydrofoil Freestyle—the show delivered a cross-generational aerial showdown.
The “All-Time Best Single Trick” Format and Aluula Innovation
As explained by GKA Tour Manager Tom Hartmann, the 2021 format shifted from the previous year’s five-minute continuous heat runs to an open “All-Time Single Trick” showcase.
Any rider—professional or amateur—could submit a video clip of their single biggest trick filmed anywhere in the world over the past 20 years of kiteboarding.
Title sponsorship came from Aluula, creator of the ultra-lightweight, high-rigidity composite material replacing traditional woven Dacron airframes after 25 years and cutting kite weight by more than half.
From over 100 entries, the GKA international judging panel screened and selected the top finalists for each division. Hosted by Jo Ciastula, three judges scored each finalist’s trick out of 10 points, with the highest average score crowning the Aluula All-Time Big Air Champion.
Strapless, Women’s Twin-Tip, and Hydrofoil Showdowns
Episode 1 (July 26): Men’s & Women’s Strapless Big Air
The opening episode showcased massive strapless aerials and kiteloops.
In the Women’s Strapless division, after waiting over two weeks for wind during the Brazilian low season, 15-year-old French rider Capucine Delannoy went out on the final day on a 6-meter North Carve and stomped a strapless kiteloop to take the win—building momentum right before her maiden live tour victory in Sylt.
In the Men’s Strapless division, “Cozzolino Airlines” Airton Cozzolino claimed the crown with a maneuver he had spent years perfecting: a massive backhand kiteloop followed by a double late backroll rotation in mid-air (“Kiteloop Double Late Backroll”).
“First win of the year! It’s like it’s been long since I competed, and this one was the Aluula All-Time Big Air, it’s like a virtual competition, and I managed to take the win with the craziest trick I did this year—was like a backhand loop with a double late rotation, and I’ve been training that trick for years and finally landed it in the competition. And yeah, words can’t describe how happy I’m feeling right now, it’s crazy!”
— Airton Cozzolino
Episode 2 (July 29): Women’s Twin-Tip & Men’s Hydrofoil Freestyle
The second episode featured the Women’s Twin-Tip and Men’s Hydrofoil Freestyle divisions.
France’s Big Air specialist Angely Bouillot won the Women’s Twin-Tip crown with a massive, fully powered “Laid-back Kiteloop” filmed during the Red Bull King of the Air in Cape Town on her 9-meter Core Kiteboarding GTS and Carved board—a welcome victory as she recovered from an injury sustained three months earlier.
“I heard that I won the contest, so I’m really happy, thank you very much! Your favorite move was the laid-back during the KOTA. At this moment I had my 9m GTS Core Kiteboarding and my Carver board. I don’t remember how many knots, but I had power for sure at this moment! I don’t know if you heard also, I hurt myself like three months ago, so I was a bit lost at this moment, but now I’m feeling ready and I wait for strong wind to see how I feel.”
— Angely Bouillot
In the concurrent Hydrofoil Freestyle Big Air division, France’s Charles Brodel topped the 10-man final, cementing his status as the discipline’s premier aerialist ahead of his World Title triumph in Fortaleza later that year.
“Hi everyone, I’m super stoked to win this event, and especially a Big Air event, which is a discipline that I want to push as far as possible in kite foiling. Many thanks to the GKA for organizing this competition and for the interest in kite foiling Big Air. I hope by seeing these top 10 tricks, it will encourage some people to join this new discipline.”
— Charles Brodel
Men’s Twin-Tip Final: Legends of the Past Meet the Future of Big Air
The finale in Episode 3 (August 4) brought together 10 elite finalists in the Men’s Twin-Tip division, blending iconic clips from the past with next-generation combos.
After British veteran Lewis Crathern opened the show with a 2017 Cape Town “Megaloop Late Backroll” (6.9 pts), 19-year-old Polish prodigy Janek Grzegorzewski blew the roof off the scoreboard. Launching in front of Lion’s Head in Cape Town, he stomped a “Contra Loop Double Front Roll Board-off” (a front-hand contra loop combined with a board-off and double front roll rotation, later dubbed the “Janek Loop”), earning scores of 9.9, 9.5, and 8.6 for a 9.30 average to seize the lead.
Next up, five-time World Champion Aaron Hadlow submitted his legendary 2015 Cape Town “Grabbed Megaloop KGB”—unhooking mid-megaloop with a grab and passing the bar behind his back—which still earned 9.8, 8.7, and 8.3 (8.90 average) to move into 2nd place.
The showcase continued with Dutch rider Maarten Haeger’s massive Tarifa “Boogie Loop,” New Zealand veteran Marc Jacobs dodging windsurfers on a “Kiteloop Backroll Board-off” (8.37 average), Denmark’s Nick Jacobsen sending a sky-high Cape Town “Boogie Loop” (7.50 average), 15-year-old Dutch talent Jamie Overbeek’s “Kiteloop Board-off” in Workum, Italian phenom Andrea Principi’s technical combo (8.70 average for provisional 3rd place), and the Netherlands’ Giel Vlugt boosting in Tarifa (7.10 average).
Show Detailed Competition Results (Spoiler Alert)
With Janek Grzegorzewski (9.30), Aaron Hadlow (8.90), and Andrea Principi (8.70) occupying the top three spots, the 10th and final rider to drop was American King of the Air champion Jesse Richman.
Riding a 9-meter North Orbit in nuking Cape Town winds, Jesse Richman boosted 21.6 meters into the sky on a massive kiteloop, executed an initial 360 dangle pass, and then used the lift of his recovery heli-loop to throw a second handle-pass in mid-air—landing without even getting his ankles wet for a legendary “Kiteloop Double Dangle Pass.”
The judges awarded 10.0, 9.5, and 10.0 for a near-perfect 9.83 average, overtaking Janek Grzegorzewski on the final clip to crown Jesse Richman the Men’s Twin-Tip Aluula All-Time Big Air Champion.
[Division Winners & Key Results]
■ Men’s Twin-Tip Big Air (Top 10 Finalists)
1st: Jesse Richman (USA) — 9.83 pts (10.0 / 9.5 / 10.0: Kiteloop Double Dangle Pass in Cape Town)
2nd: Janek Grzegorzewski (Poland) — 9.30 pts (9.9 / 9.5 / 8.6: Contra Loop Double Front Roll Board-off in Cape Town)
3rd: Aaron Hadlow (UK) — 8.90 pts (9.8 / 8.7 / 8.3: 2015 Grabbed Megaloop KGB in Cape Town)
4th: Andrea Principi (Italy) — 8.70 pts (8.8 / 8.5 / 8.9)
5th: Marc Jacobs (New Zealand) — 8.37 pts (9.5 / 7.3 / 8.3: Kiteloop Backroll Board-off)
• Other Finalists: Nick Jacobsen (Denmark, 7.50 pts), Giel Vlugt (Netherlands, 7.10 pts), Lewis Crathern (UK, 6.90 pts), Maarten Haeger (Netherlands), Jamie Overbeek (Netherlands)
■ Women’s Twin-Tip Big Air
Winner: Angely Bouillot (France) — Laid-back Kiteloop at Red Bull King of the Air
■ Men’s Strapless Big Air
Winner: Airton Cozzolino (Italy / Cape Verde) — Kiteloop Double Late Backroll
■ Women’s Strapless Big Air
Winner: Capucine Delannoy (France) — Strapless Kiteloop
■ Hydrofoil Freestyle Big Air
Winner: Charles Brodel (France)
Search Aliases: 2021 GKA Distance Battle, 2021GKADistanceBattle