“We’re testing out the new freestyle format. This format is basically to give a variety score at the end of the heat, and really reward what variety is about. Because at the moment, the last 10, 15 years, we haven’t seen much innovation into the discipline, and we saw how guys were getting injured… Main reason why we needed to change the format is because we felt a demand, not only from the riders, also from the industry, but also for the general show, that they need to see something new and something that engages more with the general public. And eventually that will also reduce the injuries.”
Overview
Held from January 31 to February 4, 2023, in Fuwairit, Qatar, the 2023 Visit Qatar GKA Freestyle-Kite World Cup Fuwairit served as the opening stop of the five-event 2023 Qatar Airways GKA Freestyle World Tour—and the first GKA World Cup ever hosted in Qatar. Staged on the butter-flat tidal lagoon of the newly opened Fuwairit Kite Beach Resort (FKB), the season opener debuted a groundbreaking rule change—the 7-point “Variety Score”—and delivered high-drama finals won by Brazilian legend Bruna Kajiya and reigning World Champion Gianmaria Coccoluto.
Location and Conditions: The Brand-New Fuwairit Kite Beach Resort
Located roughly an hour’s drive north of Doha on Qatar’s northeastern coast, the purpose-built Fuwairit Kite Beach Resort (FKB) fronts a natural, sandbar-protected tidal lagoon.
Offering chest-deep, mirror-flat water, the lagoon’s water level is dictated by the tide; organizers timed the competition heats around the early morning and afternoon high-tide windows as 15-to-22-knot northerly Shamal winds powered riders on 10-to-13-meter kites.
2023 Rule Revolution: The 7-Point Variety Score Inspired by Tom Bridge
To move away from repetitive “spin-to-win” double handle-passes, reduce knee and shoulder injuries, and reward creative expression, the GKA introduced the “Variety Score” for the 2023 season.
The rule change was directly catalyzed by British maverick Tom Bridge’s viral performance at the November 2022 season finale in Taiba, Brazil—where he threw six never-been-done tricks and linked unhooked combos over the rocks and outside the competition box, only for the old judging system to ignore the second half of his combos. In response, the GKA overhauled the rulebook over the winter.
While still counting each rider’s best four out of seven tricks (up to 40 points), the new system automatically awarded up to 7 bonus points at the end of the heat based on how many different trick families were represented in a rider’s top four counting scores (for a new maximum heat total of 47 points).
[Variety Score Breakdown & Trick Families]
• All 4 counting tricks from a single family: +1 pt
• 2 different trick families represented: +2 pts
• 3 different trick families represented: +4 pts
• All 4 counting tricks from 4 different families: +7 pts (Maximum)
*Trick families were structured across five main pillars (eight total categories): (1) Heelside (sub-divided into four families: Railey-based, Slim/S-Mobe/KGB, Hinterberger/Heart Attack, and Mobe/Double Half-Cab), (2) Toeside / Blind takeoffs, (3) Rewinds, (4) Combos, and (5) Kiteloops / Downloops.
Highlights and Epic Battles
1. Returning Mauritian Standout Louka Pitot and Karim Mahmoud Shine Under the New Format
Returning to competition after an 18-month injury layoff, Mauritian-French rider Louka Pitot immediately mastered the new rulebook.
In Men’s Quarterfinal Heat 1 on Day 2 (February 1), Louka Pitot linked fluid multi-trick combos and rewinds to hit four distinct trick families—earning the maximum 7-point Variety Score to defeat four-time World Champion Carlos Mario for 1st place in the heat.
In Quarterfinal Heat 2, Egypt’s Karim Mahmoud also secured a full 7-point Variety Score to advance alongside 2022 vice-champion Manoel Soares, while Colombians Juan Rodriguez and 2019 World Champion Valentin Rodríguez advanced from Heat 3, and reigning World Champion Gianmaria Coccoluto topped a wind-delayed Heat 4 on Friday morning with over 32 points.
2. Men’s Semifinals: Variety Points Propel Louka Pitot Into His First Career Final
In Friday morning’s Men’s Semifinal 1 (Valentin Rodríguez, Louka Pitot, Manoel Soares, and Karim Mahmoud), Colombia’s Valentin Rodríguez took 1st place, while Louka Pitot sat 3rd on pure trick scores—only for his full 7-point Variety Score to vault him past Manoel Soares into 2nd place and into his first-ever GKA Grand Final.
In Semifinal 2, Gianmaria Coccoluto shook off a slow early-morning start with a booming “KGB 5” in the second half of the heat to win with 34.54 points, advancing alongside Carlos Mario in 2nd ahead of Juan Rodriguez (27.84 pts).
3. Women’s Semifinals: Injury Heartbreak for Rita Arnaus and the Final Four
In Women’s Semifinal 1, Spain’s Rita Arnaus suffered a hard landing early in the heat and was forced to withdraw due to injury, while Sweden’s Nathalie Lambrecht stomped the highest-scoring women’s trick of the day (a powered “KGB”) to advance in 1st ahead of Brazil’s Bruna Kajiya in 2nd.
In Semifinal 2, reigning five-time champion Mikaili Sol and Spain’s Claudia León advanced to complete the four-woman final lineup.
Show Detailed Competition Results (Spoiler Alert)
“All I can say, it’s been a long time coming. And you know, the beauty of the sport, I love it so much that although I’ve been competing for so long, I get to feel this. I have tears in my eyes and I gave my all and I’m just so happy and blessed to be here… The girls killed it, Mika was like killing it, so nice to compete with her, Nathalie, my roommate that we’ve been having a great time, and also Claudia. So it’s a privilege to compete with these girls and to be able to be on number one again, I don’t even know what to say.”
— Bruna Kajiya
■ Women’s Grand Final: Bruna Kajiya Uses Full Variety Bonus to Upset Mikaili Sol
With a packed Friday crowd lining the beach at Fuwairit, the Women’s Grand Final (Bruna Kajiya, Mikaili Sol, Nathalie Lambrecht, and Claudia León) showcased the strategic weight of the new Variety Score.
Reigning champion Mikaili Sol opened with the highest single trick score of the final—an 8.07-point “Slim 5″—but then burned three attempts trying to stick a “Hinterberger 5,” leaving her with only three trick families completed (4 variety points).
Meanwhile, 35-year-old three-time World Champion Bruna Kajiya opened three-for-three with a textbook “Back Mobe,” “Backside 313,” and “Slim Chance,” methodically ticking off four different trick families to earn the full 7-point Variety bonus.
Needing a toeside maneuver on her seventh and final attempt to snatch victory, Mikaili Sol went for a “Crow Mobe” but missed the bar on the pass. With 31.86 points (including 7 variety points), Bruna Kajiya defeated Mikaili Sol (28.24 pts, 4 variety points) and Nathalie Lambrecht (26.56 pts, 7 variety points) for an emotional return to the top step of the podium, with Claudia León in 4th.
■ Men’s Grand Final: Gianmaria Coccoluto Edges Carlos Mario and Louka Pitot in a 0.60-Point Thriller
In the Men’s Grand Final (Gianmaria Coccoluto, Carlos Mario, Louka Pitot, and Valentin Rodríguez), all four finalists successfully hit four distinct trick families to earn the maximum 7-point Variety Score.
Despite arriving in Qatar after two months off the water following his Taiba world title triumph, Gianmaria Coccoluto rose to the occasion on his 10-meter kite—landing a double-grabbed (tail-to-nose) “Front Blind Mobe” and a clinical “Slim 7” to post 32.53 points.
Brazil’s Carlos Mario threw a massive “Double Hinterberger 5” to finish a razor-thin 0.43 points behind in 2nd with 32.10 points, while first-time finalist Louka Pitot finished just 0.17 points further back in 3rd with 31.93 points—putting the top three riders within 0.60 points of each other, with Valentin Rodríguez in 4th (28.43 pts).
“Well, I think this format is the best solution for us, for freestyle, to not make freestyle die, to make new people come in the tour. And yeah, all the riders, they have a bag of tricks that is huge. So it’s nice to see it in the comp. So I’m happy for this new format.”
— Gianmaria Coccoluto
[Men’s Division Final Results]
1st: Gianmaria Coccoluto (Italy) — 32.53 pts (Variety: 7 pts)
2nd: Carlos Mario (Brazil) — 32.10 pts (Variety: 7 pts)
3rd: Louka Pitot (France / Mauritius) — 31.93 pts (Variety: 7 pts)
4th: Valentin Rodríguez(Colombia) — 28.43 pts (Variety: 7 pts)
[Women’s Division Final Results]
1st: Bruna Kajiya (Brazil) — 31.86 pts (Variety: 7 pts)
2nd: Mikaili Sol (Brazil / USA) — 28.24 pts (Variety: 4 pts)
3rd: Nathalie Lambrecht (Sweden) — 26.56 pts (Variety: 7 pts)
4th: Claudia León (Spain)
🔗 Related Link: Qatar Airways Celebrates the Opening of Fuwairit Kite Beach Resort – GKA Kite World Tour
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