“It’s been a very special event here, I have to say, and in my eyes it’s really set the standard for kiteboarding in the big air department in multiple disciplines. For the first time we could celebrate hydrofoil, which was just wonderful, we have just seen the strapless, we’ve had the twin tip… and the ladies for sure, for me, have now put a case out that there should now be a Queen of the Air—there should be ladies’ big air happening on par with men everywhere. There’s no excuse for it.”
Overview
The 2022 GKA Kite World Tour marked a full return to global competition and ushered in a new era of technical progression across every discipline. Welcoming Qatar Airways as the tour’s new title sponsor mid-season, the calendar spanned four continents—from the Caribbean coast of Colombia to Tarifa in Spain, Dakhla in Morocco, NEOM on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, and Taiba in Brazil. Highlighted by the inaugural standalone Big Air World Championships and the competitive double-kiteloop revolution, three brand-new Freestyle World Cup venues, Tom Bridge’s rulebook-shattering combo revolution, and nail-biting season finales, here is the complete chronicle of the 2022 season.
2022 Big Air Division: The First Standalone World Championships and the Double-Loop Era
From June 20 to July 6, Tarifa, Spain hosted the first standalone Big Air World Championship in GKA history: the 2022 Qatar Airways GKA Big Air World Championships Tarifa.
Contesting official World Titles simultaneously across all three disciplines—Twin-Tip, Strapless, and Hydrofoil—more than 60 elite riders from over 30 nations competed across two iconic beaches and wind regimes: 20-to-25-knot thermal Poniente winds at Playa de Valdevaqueros and 35-to-40+ knot cross-offshore Levante gales at Balneario.
The event shook the kiteboarding world as teenage prodigies brought double kiteloops and technical contra-loop combinations into head-to-head heats.
In Hydrofoil Big Air at Valdevaqueros, 16-year-old Dutch sensation Jamie Overbeek caught a second lift on an 18.5-meter “Kiteloop Late Backroll” for an 11-second flight and a perfect 10.0 score to reach the final against defending foil-kite master Charles Brodel.
When action moved to Balneario, four-time Freestyle queen Mikaili Sol made history in the Women’s Twin-Tip semifinals by landing the first women’s “Boogie Loop” and “Doobie Loop” in competition, while local hero Liam Whaley (edging 17-year-old Lorenzo Casati by 0.56 points in Semifinal 1) and 17-year-old Italian phenom Andrea Principi (defeating Dutchman Giel Vlugt in Semifinal 2) advanced to the Men’s Twin-Tip Grand Final. In the Strapless divisions, Brazilian tour rookie Gabriel Benetton knocked out reigning Kite-Surf World Champion James Carew on his way to a final clash against strapless pioneer Airton Cozzolino, while 16-year-old Capucine Delannoy and 18-year-old Tarifa-based Swiss rider Camille Losserand battled in the women’s final.
2022 Freestyle Division: Three Brand-New Venues and a 38.74-Point Comeback
“Everyone plays at home, everyone comes here for training. So we are super happy to have this event here… Yes, I have a lot of pressure. I’ve been working the last 10 years training every day for this. So now I’m there and I’m not going to give up. I give my best and I will do it.”
The 2022 Twin-Tip Freestyle World Tour featured three stops, each staged at a brand-new location on the GKA calendar.
Stop 1 in Colombia (March, Salinas del Rey) & Stop 2 in Saudi Arabia (October, NEOM)
At the season opener in Salinas del Rey (`2022 GKA Freestyle World Cup Colombia`), 11-year-old Pierfrancesco Rizzello and 12-year-old Finn Flügel made their tour debuts, and Italy’s Gianmaria Coccoluto landed a 9.30-point “Frontside 319” to eliminate defending World Champion Arthur Guillebert in the quarterfinals. Local favorite Juan Rodriguez claimed 3rd in front of a passionate Colombian crowd, while Brazil’s Manoel Soares defeated Carlos Mario for his maiden GKA victory (and Mikaili Sol triumphed over Bruna Kajiya and Rita Arnaus in the women’s final).
In October, the tour made its Saudi Arabian debut as the curtain-raiser for the “NEOM Beach Games 2022” (`2022 Qatar Airways GKA Freestyle-Kite World Cup Neom`), where butter-flat turquoise waters produced multiple 30+ point heats (alongside a special Big Air exhibition won by France’s Valentin Garat and Sweden’s Nathalie Lambrecht). Competing without a main kite sponsor, Manoel Soares went two-for-two in the men’s draw, while Spain’s Claudia León stunned Mikaili Sol by just 0.74 points (24.87 to 24.13) to capture her first career GKA World Cup win.
Stop 3 Finale in Brazil (November, Taiba Lagoon): Tom Bridge Breaks the System, Title Scenarios, and a Quarterfinal for the Ages
From November 8 to 12, the world’s best freestylers gathered at the legendary training ground of Taiba Lagoon for its first-ever World Cup (`2022 Copa Kitley GKA Freestyle-Kite World Cup Taiba`). In the early rounds, British maverick Tom Bridge returned from a six-year competitive hiatus to throw six never-been-done (NBD) tricks—including the first competitive “Blind Front Blind Mobe” and “Crow Mobe into Blind Slim Chance” combos—leaping over rocks and shallows and continuing unhooked combos right outside the competition box. Although the 2022 rules ignored the second trick of any combo and eliminated him in Round 4, Tom Bridge “broke the judging system” and directly inspired the GKA to introduce official Combo/Blind/Toeside families and the “Variety Score” for 2023.
Meanwhile, the championship race entered the finale under high-stakes math:
[Freestyle Finale World Title Scenarios]
• Men: Having won both Colombia and Neom, rankings leader Manoel Soares needed only to reach the semifinals (Top 8) in Taiba to clinch his maiden World Title outright regardless of anyone else’s finish. However, if Manoel Soares were eliminated in the quarterfinals or earlier (9th place tie or worse), World No. 2 Gianmaria Coccoluto, World No. 3 Juan Rodriguez, Carlos Mario, or defending champion Arthur Guillebert could snatch the World Championship by winning the event.
• Women: Rankings leader Mikaili Sol needed a top-three finish to guarantee her crown, whereas Neom winner Claudia León or Bruna Kajiya needed to win the event with Mikaili Sol finishing 4th or lower.
In Men’s Quarterfinal Heat 1, Gianmaria Coccoluto turned the championship upside down. After Manoel Soares crashed on his third attempt, Gianmaria Coccoluto followed a 9.07 and a 9.67 with back-to-back 10.00-point maneuvers (“Grabbed Front Blind Mobe 5” and “Backside 319”) for a historic 38.74 out of 40 points. Overtaken for 2nd place by local specialist Erick Anderson (who scored a 9.63 despite a dislocated finger), Manoel Soares was eliminated in 3rd place in the heat (9th overall)—leaving the world title to be decided on Finals Day.
2022 Kite-Surf Division: Mastering Pure Wave in Dakhla and Hybrid Action in Taiba
The two-stop 2022 Kite-Surf World Championship tested riders across two contrasting formats in Morocco and Brazil.
Stop 1 in Dakhla, Morocco (September–October): Firing Westpoint and a Local Fairytale
Contested under a “100% Pure Wave” format, the `2022 GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Dakhla` delivered three straight days of 3-to-4-foot right-hand point-break surf and strong winds.
Local Moroccan hero Mohammed Ali Beqqali electrified the beach by upsetting Gabriel Benetton and Pedro Matos to reach the semifinals. In the women’s final, 16-year-old Capucine Delannoy downsized her kite mid-heat to put Canada’s Frances Kelly in a combination situation and claim the outright Dakhla win she had shared at nightfall the year before. In the men’s final, defending World Champion James Carew dropped two 9-point rides to out-punch Duotone teammate Sebastian Ribeiro (who had posted an 18.57 heat total in Round 5).
Stop 2 Finale in Taiba, Brazil (November): Hybrid Scoring and Title Scenarios
Held from November 23 to 27 on the ocean waves of Praia da Taíba, the `2022 Copa Kitley GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Taiba` utilized a hybrid format combining each rider’s best two waves with their best strapless freestyle trick.
[Kite-Surf Finale World Title Scenarios]
• Men: Dakhla winner James Carew led the standings ahead of Sebastian Ribeiro, 2016 World Champion Matchu Lopes, and Mohammed Ali Beqqali. After Kiko Roig eliminated Mohammed Ali Beqqali in Round 3 and Gabriel Benetton (who posted the event’s highest score of 24.40 in Round 5) defeated Sebastian Ribeiro in the quarterfinals, the title race narrowed to a two-man duel entering the semifinals: James Carew would clinch back-to-back titles if he won his semifinal, or if Matchu Lopes failed to win the event.
• Women: Dakhla winner Capucine Delannoy needed only to reach the semifinals (Top 4) to seal her maiden Kite-Surf World Title ahead of Frances Kelly and Johanna-Catharina Edin—setting up a direct quarterfinal clash between No. 1 Capucine Delannoy and No. 2 Frances Kelly.
2022 Hydrofoil-Freestyle Division and Ecosystem Expansion
Staged alongside the Kite-Surf finale in Taiba, the 13-rider standalone `2022 Copa Kitley GKA Hydrofoil-Freestyle World Cup Taiba` pitted Swiss ironman Maxime Chabloz (competing in his third discipline in three weeks after Twin-Tip Freestyle and Wingfoil) and Dominican veteran Alex Soto against defending champion Charles Brodel, who unveiled the world’s first competitive “Contra Loop Front Roll Board-off.”
Beyond the main tour, 2022 also saw the inaugural “Visit Qatar GKA Kite Expo” and “GKA Awards” in Tarifa in June, followed in September by the “2022 Qatar Airways GKA Youth Kite World Cup Tarifa” at Tumbao—where rising stars Gabriel Benetton (U19 Strapless), Leonardo Casati (U14 Strapless), Camille Losserand (U21 Women’s Strapless), and Finn Flügel (U14 Freestyle) claimed youth titles while simultaneously challenging for senior World Tour podiums.
Show Detailed Competition Results (Spoiler Alert)
“I’m super stoked to see new faces on tour, man. This guy is young, he’s like pushing me, you know? Sometimes I needed a trick, I see everyone cheering for him, like, ‘Oh man, this guy’s gonna beat me!’ Then he motivates me to do something crazy and I landed, and man, I was super stoked, and super stoked for him to get his first podium too.”
— Airton Cozzolino
■ Season Climax Resolutions & World Champions
• Big Air (Tarifa): In Men’s Twin-Tip, 17-year-old Andrea Principi stomped a 10-point “Boogie Double Loop” in 40-knot winds to defeat local favorite Liam Whaley (who suffered a chaotic kite swap and misjudged the extended 8-minute final clock). Mikaili Sol won Women’s Twin-Tip, Airton Cozzolino walked off the water before the final buzzer to win Men’s Strapless, 16-year-old Capucine Delannoy won Women’s Strapless, and Charles Brodel won Hydrofoil Big Air.
• Freestyle (Taiba Finale): Mikaili Sol dominated her home lagoon with a 9.00-point “Stalefish Grab Slim 5” (31.67 pts total) to claim her fourth Freestyle World Title and sixth career crown at age 18 (with Bruna Kajiya landing a final-attempt Back Mobe to edge Rita Arnaus for 2nd in both the event and season rankings). In the Men’s Final, Gianmaria Coccoluto (32.83 pts) crashed on his seventh attempt, giving Maxime Chabloz a chance to win the event—and hand Manoel Soares the World Title—with a 6.86 or higher. When Maxime Chabloz’s final “Nose Grab Slim 7” scored 6.50 points (32.47 total, just 0.36 shy), Gianmaria Coccoluto won both his first GKA event and the 2022 Freestyle World Title by 50 ranking points.
• Kite-Surf & Hydrofoil (Taiba Finale): When Pedro Matos defeated Matchu Lopes in Men’s Semifinal 1, James Carew clinched his second straight Kite-Surf World Title. Despite losing his kite in a first-ever leash detachment in Semifinal 2 and swapping gear three or four times, James Carew stomped a last-minute 8.43-point “Backside 313” to beat Gabriel Benetton and went on to defeat Pedro Matos in the final. In the women’s draw, Capucine Delannoy defeated Frances Kelly in Quarterfinal 4 to clinch the 2022 Kite-Surf World Title (her second crown of the year), while Kesiane Rodrigues edged fellow Brazilian Bruna Kajiya by just 0.06 points in the final for her maiden GKA win. In Hydrofoil-Freestyle, Charles Brodel defeated Alex Soto in the final to remain undefeated for a second straight year, while Maxime Chabloz took 3rd to complete a historic three-discipline podium treble in three weeks.
“Competing here at home, I feel like it couldn’t be better, because Kesiane is shredding! I’m really happy for her, I’m really happy to be here, and you can wait for me next year!”
— Bruna Kajiya
[2022 GKA Overall World Champions & Final Standings]
■ GKA Freestyle (Twin-Tip) Overall Standings
• Men: 1st Gianmaria Coccoluto (Italy, 2,470 pts) *World Champion / 2nd Manoel Soares (Brazil, 2,420 pts) / 3rd Carlos Mario (Brazil, 2,070 pts) / 4th Maxime Chabloz (Switzerland) / 5th Juan Rodriguez (Colombia)
• Women: 1st Mikaili Sol (Brazil, 2,870 pts) *World Champion / 2nd Bruna Kajiya (Brazil, 2,440 pts) / 3rd Rita Arnaus (Spain, 2,310 pts) / 4th Claudia León (Spain) / 5th Estefania Rosa (Brazil)
■ GKA Kite-Surf (Wave & Strapless Freestyle) Overall Standings
• Men: 1st James Carew (Australia) *World Champion (2nd consecutive) / 2nd Matchu Lopes (Spain / Cape Verde) / 3rd Pedro Matos (Brazil) / 4th Gabriel Benetton (Brazil) / 5th Sebastian Ribeiro (Brazil)
• Women: 1st Capucine Delannoy (France) *World Champion / 2nd Kesiane Rodrigues (Brazil) / 3rd Frances Kelly (Canada) / 4th Camille Losserand (Switzerland) / 5th Johanna-Catharina Edin (Sweden)
■ GKA Big Air (Tarifa Standalone World Championships) Podiums
• Men’s Twin-Tip: 1st Andrea Principi (Italy) / 2nd Liam Whaley (Spain) / 3rd Giel Vlugt (Netherlands) / 4th Lorenzo Casati (Italy)
• Women’s Twin-Tip: 1st Mikaili Sol (Brazil) / 2nd Zara Hoogenraad (Netherlands) / 3rd Nathalie Lambrecht (Sweden) / 4th Michela Pilkenton (USA)
• Men’s Strapless: 1st Airton Cozzolino (Italy / Cape Verde) / 2nd Gabriel Benetton (Brazil) / 3rd Lorenzo Casati (Italy) / 4th Camille Delannoy (France)
• Women’s Strapless: 1st Capucine Delannoy (France) / 2nd Camille Losserand (Switzerland) / 3rd Mikaili Sol (Brazil) / 4th Monica Gilardoni (Italy)
• Hydrofoil: 1st Charles Brodel (France) / 2nd Jamie Overbeek (Netherlands) / 3rd Maxime Chabloz (Switzerland) / 4th Alex Soto (Dominican Republic)
■ GKA Hydrofoil-Freestyle (Taiba Standalone World Championship) Standings
• 1st Charles Brodel (France) *World Champion (2nd consecutive) / 2nd Alex Soto (Dominican Republic) / 3rd Maxime Chabloz (Switzerland) / 4th Maxime Luan Desjardins (France)
[2022 Season All 6 Events (+ Youth World Cup) Winners List]
1. 2022 GKA Freestyle World Cup Colombia (March, Salinas del Rey, Colombia)
• Men: Manoel Soares / Women: Mikaili Sol
2. 2022 Qatar Airways GKA Big Air World Championships Tarifa (June–July, Tarifa, Spain)
• Twin-Tip Men: Andrea Principi / Twin-Tip Women: Mikaili Sol
• Strapless Men: Airton Cozzolino / Strapless Women: Capucine Delannoy
• Hydrofoil: Charles Brodel
3. 2022 GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Dakhla (September–October, Dakhla, Morocco)
• Men: James Carew / Women: Capucine Delannoy
4. 2022 Qatar Airways GKA Freestyle-Kite World Cup Neom (October, NEOM, Saudi Arabia)
• Freestyle Men: Manoel Soares / Women: Claudia León
• Big Air Special Men: Valentin Garat / Women: Nathalie Lambrecht
5. 2022 Copa Kitley GKA Freestyle-Kite World Cup Taiba (November, Taiba Lagoon, Brazil)
• Men: Gianmaria Coccoluto / Women: Mikaili Sol
6. 2022 Copa Kitley GKA Kite-Surf & Hydrofoil-Freestyle World Cup Taiba (November, Taiba, Brazil)
• Kite-Surf Men: James Carew / Women: Kesiane Rodrigues
• Hydrofoil-Freestyle: Charles Brodel
*Bonus: 2022 Qatar Airways GKA Youth Kite World Cup Tarifa (September, Tarifa, Spain)
• Strapless: U19 Gabriel Benetton / U16 Javier Lopez Martin / U14 Leonardo Casati / U21 Women Camille Losserand / U19 Women Kaya Lehmann
• Freestyle: U19 Leleo Solitro / U16 Rafael Montero / U14 Finn Flügel
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Search Aliases: 2022 GKA Kite World Tour (Season Wrap-Up), 2022GKAKiteWorldTour(SeasonWrap-Up)