“I’m emotionless. I’m here to win. I need to be who I am. I don’t care what anybody else does. I’m going to have a lot of fun. I’m going to be undeniable. I want to win this shit, and I’m going to make it.”
Overview
Held from November 23 to 27, 2022, in Taiba, Ceará, Brazil, the 2022 Copa Kitley GKA Kite-Surf & Hydrofoil-Freestyle World Cup Taiba served as the grand finale of the three-week “Copa Kitley” festival (following the Twin-Tip Freestyle World Cup and the GWA Wingfoil World Cup) and the final stop of the 2022 Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour. Featuring both the second and final stop of the Kite-Surf World Tour (Men & Women) and the standalone Hydrofoil-Freestyle World Championship, the double-header crowned three 2022 World Champions in the waves and trade winds of Praia da Taíba.
Location, Conditions, and the Hybrid Scoring Format
While the Twin-Tip Freestyle finale two weeks earlier took place on the flat waters of Taiba Lagoon, the Kite-Surf and Hydrofoil-Freestyle divisions were contested on the open ocean swells of Taiba’s main beach (Praia da Taíba).
Throughout the week, 18-to-25-knot Cross Onshore winds combined with 4-foot (chest-to-head-high) waves, creating ideal ramps for both vertical wave riding and high-flying aerials.
Whereas the season opener in Dakhla was judged on “100% Pure Wave,” the Taiba Kite-Surf finale utilized a hybrid “Wave & Strapless Freestyle” format to reward the most complete riders: each heat combined a rider’s best two out of 10 wave scores with their single best strapless freestyle trick out of five attempts (for a maximum of 30 points).
Meanwhile, the 13-rider winner-takes-all Hydrofoil-Freestyle World Championship counted each competitor’s best three out of 12 trick attempts during seven-minute heats (for a maximum of 30 points).
Kite-Surf World Title Scenarios and Key Contenders
Entering the second and final stop of the 2022 Kite-Surf season, Dakhla winners James Carew and Capucine Delannoy led the standings.
In the 28-man draw, defending 2021 World Champion James Carew (Australia) was chased by 2016 World Champion Matchu Lopes (Spain / Cape Verde), Dakhla runner-up Sebastian Ribeiro (Brazil), and Dakhla 4th-place finisher Mohammed Ali Beqqali (Morocco).
In the 16-woman draw, 16-year-old Capucine Delannoy (France) needed only to reach the semifinals (Top 4) to clinch her maiden Kite-Surf World Title outright ahead of Canada’s Frances Kelly and Sweden’s Johanna-Catharina Edin. Adding further intrigue, three-time Twin-Tip Freestyle World Champion Bruna Kajiya crossed over into the strapless division just days after claiming runner-up in the 2022 Freestyle standings.
Highlights and Epic Battles
1. Men’s Kite-Surf Early Rounds & Quarterfinals: Gabriel Benetton’s 24.40-Point Blitz
Taking full advantage of the hybrid format, France’s Camille Delannoy and Spain’s Kiko Roig landed clean “Double front roll” in the early rounds, with Kiko Roig knocking out title contender Mohammed Ali Beqqali in Round 3.
The standout performer of the opening days was young Brazilian charger Gabriel Benetton. In Round 5 against Canada’s Reece Myerscough, Gabriel Benetton combined a “Double Front Roll Shuvit” with loose, progressive surfing to post the highest heat total of the tournament at 24.40 points. He then edged out his childhood idol and title contender Sebastian Ribeiro in a photo-finish quarterfinal to reach the final four.
In the other quarterfinals, Pedro Matos defeated Camille Delannoy, Matchu Lopes held off Bulgaria’s Nicola Abadjiev, and reigning champion James Carew defeated Brazil’s Leonardo Guerreiro—narrowing the world title race to a two-man battle between James Carew and Matchu Lopes entering the semifinals.
2. Women’s Kite-Surf Quarterfinals: Capucine Delannoy Clinches the Crown and Bruna Kajiya Shines
In Women’s Quarterfinal Heat 1, crossover star Bruna Kajiya pulled off a major upset by defeating pure wave specialist Marcela Witt, while Switzerland’s Camille Losserand and local Ceará favorite Kesiane Rodrigues won Heats 2 and 3.
Quarterfinal Heat 4 delivered a direct title showdown between rankings leader Capucine Delannoy and her lone remaining challenger, World No. 2 Frances Kelly. Locking in a clutch final wave in the dying seconds, Capucine Delannoy defeated Frances Kelly to advance to the semifinals—clinched her first-ever GKA Kite-Surf World Championship and her second World Title of 2022 alongside her June Big Air crown.
3. Hydrofoil-Freestyle: Ironman Maxime Chabloz and Charles Brodel’s World-First Combo
In the 13-man Hydrofoil-Freestyle World Championship, Dominican veteran Alex Soto lit up Day 1 with an unhooked 7.77-point “Sent Frontmobe,” while Australia’s Ryan Parsons turned heads with slashy wing-sliding front roll.
Competing in his third consecutive discipline in three weeks in Taiba (after finishing 2nd in Twin-Tip Freestyle and 3rd in GWA Wingfoil), Swiss ironman Maxime Chabloz was inspired by Alex Soto to throw high-altitude unhooked dangle passes on the foil on his way to the semifinals.
In the semifinals, however, defending World Champion Charles Brodel (France) made history against Maxime Chabloz by landing the first “Contra Loop Front Roll Board-off” in hydrofoil competition to book a final showdown against Alex Soto (who defeated 18-year-old Frenchman Maxime Desjardins in the other semifinal).
Show Detailed Competition Results (Spoiler Alert)
“Oh, I feel like a fucking two-time world champ, baby! This heat was insane. My leash came off, first time in my life. Never happened before. I thought I landed the first one, it felt so clean, but I didn’t. I swapped boards three or four times, kites, leashes, and meanwhile Gabriel’s ripping, you know… Pressure is a privilege, brings out the best in us.”
— James Carew
■ Men’s Kite-Surf Semifinals & Final: James Carew Overcomes a Detached Leash to Seal Back-to-Back Titles
Men’s Semifinal 1 pitted Matchu Lopes against Brazilian standout Pedro Matos, with Matchu Lopes needing a win to keep his title hopes alive. Although Matchu Lopes opened with a 6.50-point unhooked “Backside 360,” Pedro Matos answered with a 6.73-point “Late Front Shuvit” and tore apart the steep high-tide sections with fins-out frontside hacks to win 21.66 to 19.23—officially crowning James Carew the 2022 GKA Kite-Surf World Champion on the beach.
Minutes later in Semifinal 2 against Gabriel Benetton, newly crowned two-time champion James Carew faced sudden chaos when his safety leash detached for the first time in his life during an opening “Backside 313” attempt, forcing him to swim to shore as his kite washed away. Swapping kites, boards, and leashes three or four times while Gabriel Benetton built a lead, James Carew refused to fold—stomping a massive 8.43-point “Backside 313” on his final attempt to snatch a 23.50-to-17.93 comeback victory (while Gabriel Benetton defeated Matchu Lopes 17.50 to 13.78 in the mini-final for 3rd place).
In the Men’s Grand Final, James Carew capped off an undefeated 2022 season by overpowering newly crowned Brazilian national champion Pedro Matos to claim his second straight victory of the year.
■ Women’s Kite-Surf Semifinals & Final: Kesiane Rodrigues Wins an All-Brazilian Final by 0.06 Points
In the women’s semifinals, Bruna Kajiya defeated Camille Losserand in Heat 1, while local standout Kesiane Rodrigues knocked out newly crowned World Champion Capucine Delannoy in Heat 2 to set up an all-Brazilian final (with Capucine Delannoy defeating Camille Losserand in the mini-final for 3rd place).
“Yeah, it’s just crazy, I have no words. I couldn’t dream about anything better, you know, this year. I got two world titles, it was my goal, it was my dream, and I made it, and I’m just so happy.”
— Capucine Delannoy
The Women’s Grand Final between Kesiane Rodrigues and Bruna Kajiya kept the Brazilian crowd on the edge of their seats until the final calculation.
Although Bruna Kajiya locked in the highest single wave score of the heat to take a mid-heat lead, Kesiane Rodrigues rallied on her closing rides to edge out Bruna Kajiya by an astonishing margin of just 0.06 points—celebrating her maiden GKA World Cup victory on home waters (and propelling her to 2nd overall in the 2022 World Championship standings).
“From beginning to the end, I’ve been training in each step of the way, focusing and understanding what I really needed to get to this point. And that’s it; when you have focus, faith and determination, things happen.”
— Kesiane Rodrigues
■ Hydrofoil-Freestyle Final: Charles Brodel Completes an Undefeated Season
In the mini-final, Switzerland’s Maxime Chabloz defeated Maxime Desjardins to claim 3rd place—completing a remarkable treble of podium finishes across Twin-Tip Freestyle, Wingfoil, and Hydrofoil in three consecutive weeks in Taiba.
In the Grand Final against Alex Soto, defending champion Charles Brodel repeatedly stomped his world-first “Contra Loop Front Roll Board-off” alongside massive “Kiteloop Backroll Board-offs” to secure his second consecutive GKA Hydrofoil-Freestyle World Title (and his second world crown of 2022 alongside his Tarifa Big Air title).
[Men’s Kite-Surf Final Results]
1st: James Carew (Australia)
2nd: Pedro Matos (Brazil)
3rd: Gabriel Benetton (Brazil)
4th: Matchu Lopes (Spain / Cape Verde)
[Women’s Kite-Surf Final Results]
1st: Kesiane Rodrigues (Brazil)
2nd: Bruna Kajiya (Brazil)
3rd: Capucine Delannoy (France)
4th: Camille Losserand (Switzerland)
[Hydrofoil-Freestyle Final Results (2022 World Championship Standings)]
1st: Charles Brodel (France) *2022 World Champion
2nd: Alex Soto (Dominican Republic)
3rd: Maxime Chabloz (Switzerland)
4th: Maxime Luan Desjardins (France)
[2022 GKA Kite-Surf Overall World Championship Standings Top 3]
• Men’s Overall Ranking: 1st James Carew (Australia) *2022 World Champion (2nd consecutive) / 2nd Matchu Lopes (Spain / Cape Verde) / 3rd Pedro Matos (Brazil)
• Women’s Overall Ranking: 1st Capucine Delannoy (France) *2022 World Champion / 2nd Kesiane Rodrigues (Brazil) / 3rd Frances Kelly (Canada)
🔗 Related Link: Events – GKA Kite World Tour
Search Aliases: 2022 Taiba Copa Kitley GKA Kite-Surf, 2022TaibaCopaKitleyGKAKite-Surf, Hydrofoil-Freestyle World Cup, Hydrofoil-FreestyleWorldCup