“At the beginning of the year, I had a bit of a down with freestyle. I didn’t really feel too much fun at the moment… But then, when Coach Nico came to Egypt, we started training and I really felt it again, felt the fun.”
Overview
The 2026 GKA Kite World Tour spanned eight events across six countries from February’s opener in Cape Verde to October’s finale in Brazil, crowning World Champions across four elite disciplines—Kite-Surf (Wave & Strapless), Big Air (Twin-Tip), Hydrofoil Big Air, and Freestyle—alongside the GKA Youth Kite World Championships. Highlighted by three brand-new tour destinations and a wave of teenage multi-discipline crossover athletes, 2026 stood out as a transformative season for competitive kiteboarding.
2026 Season Landscape: Three Brand-New Venues and Structural Evolution
A defining feature of the 2026 calendar was its expansion into emerging markets paired with condensed, high-stakes championship series across each discipline.
The season ignited in February at Ponta Preta on Sal Island, Cape Verde, for the Kite-Surf opener, before howling Tramontana winds fueled the Big Air Twin-Tip opener at Lords of Tram in Le Barcarès, France, in late March. In late May, the GKA Kite World Tour landed in Mexico for the very first time in Nuevo Nayarit (Bahía de Banderas) to kick off the Freestyle campaign, followed just three days later by a grueling transatlantic back-to-back trek to another debut venue: Borkum Island in Germany’s North Sea.
In mid-June, Greece hosted its first World Cup in 15 years as Mykonos (Korfos Beach) staged the Big Air Twin-Tip finale with a record-breaking 70,000-euro prize purse backed by Capital.com and the local Mykonos community. In late August, the tour headed to northern Germany for the GKA Youth Kite World Championships in St. Peter-Ording, followed immediately by the Defender GKA Kite World Cup Sylt—where 50,000 spectators witnessed both the Kite-Surf season finale and the one-off Hydrofoil Big Air World Championship. Finally, in late October, the tour returned to Ilha do Guajiru in Ceará, Brazil, for the first time since 2020 to close out the Freestyle season at the “World Kite Fest.”
The Rise of the Multi-Discipline Crossover Generation and Technical Progression
On the water, 2026 was defined by a fearless generation of crossover riders competing—and winning—at the highest level across multiple disciplines.
Teenage Multi-Discipline Standouts:
Germany’s Finn Flügel (16–17) exemplified this versatility: in addition to winning the Mexico Freestyle opener and taking third in Borkum, he finished runner-up at the Lords of Tram Big Air opener, runner-up at the Hydrofoil Big Air World Championship in Sylt, and won the U19 Youth World Title. Similarly, Italian/Spanish brothers Lorenzo and Leonardo Casati competed across Twin-Tip Big Air, Kite-Surf, and Hydrofoil Big Air, while 19-year-old New Zealander Hugo Wigglesworth excelled in both Hydrofoil and Twin-Tip Big Air, and 15-year-old Bulgarian phenom Aya Kasabova claimed podiums in both Women’s Big Air and Hydrofoil Big Air alongside the U19 Youth crown.
“Board Flip Osmosis” Evolution and Tactical Foil Kite Deployment:
Technically, the new-school Big Air “Board Flip Osmosis” (releasing the board behind the back in mid-air and re-catching it with the same hand) evolved rapidly across both twin-tip and hydrofoil competition, culminating in Finn Flügel’s “Double Osmosis” (two consecutive behind-the-back board passes in a single jump) in Sylt. On the equipment front, ram-air foil kites (such as the Flysurfer Sonic) crossed over from hydrofoiling into high-stakes Twin-Tip Big Air heats at Lords of Tram and Mykonos, while rider gear hacks—most notably Hugo Wigglesworth coating his kite lines with Vaseline to maintain steering control during 6+ rotation spins—sparked widespread intrigue.
The Next Generation: GKA Youth Kite World Championships in St. Peter-Ording
Held from August 19 to 23 in St. Peter-Ording, Germany, as part of the historic California Kitesurf Masters, the 2026 GKA Youth Kite World Championships drew 65 to 70 junior athletes from 18 nations. With nearly 100,000 spectators visiting the festival and over 1,000 testers trying out new gear at the industry’s largest Kite Expo, the event utilized a pioneering hybrid format blending Freestyle, Big Air, and Airstyle so riders could adapt their approach to the shifting North Sea conditions.
U19 Divisions:
In U19 Boys, Finn Flügel held off Hungary’s Benedek Szente (2nd) to claim the title on home water: “Challenging conditions with the rain and stuff, always changing conditions, but we had to be ready for everything with the new format—freestyle, big air, mixed airstyle. So yeah, it was super fun for me actually.” In U19 Girls, 15-year-old Aya Kasabova outdueled Antonia Spittel, Lina Richter, Kailani Friedrich, and Maya Keran, winning two of the three finals to take the crown.
U16 & U14 Divisions:
In U16 Girls, Alice Malesa swept all three finals by locking in three safe scores early before unleashing high-risk maneuvers. In U16 Boys, after Gonzalo Capella won the single elimination, Tommy Borghi clawed his way up the double-elimination ladder and won two consecutive finals to snatch the world title. Meanwhile, Nian Martinez swept both the single and double eliminations to win U14 Boys ahead of comeback standout Tommaso Caglini.
World Title Scenarios Across All Four Disciplines
Each of the four elite disciplines entered its final event of 2026 under distinct championship scenarios:
- Kite-Surf Division (2 Men’s Stops / 1 Women’s Stop): With reigning 2025 champion Pedro Matos taking a year-long sabbatical, fading daylight at the Cape Verde opener resulted in a shared victory between James Carew (Australia) and Sebastian Ribeiro (Brazil), with Gabriel Benetton (Brazil) and Matchu Lopes (Spain/Cape Verde) sharing third—leaving 50% of the men’s season on the line in Sylt. Because the women’s draw in Cape Verde was cancelled due to light wind, the Women’s Kite-Surf World Title became a winner-takes-all showdown in Sylt.
- Big Air Twin-Tip Division (2 Stops): At the Lords of Tram opener, Dutchman Jamie Overbeek stomped the first Perfect 10.00 in GKA Big Air history to take the win, while seventh-seeded German Alessa Sophia Mensch defied 10% win odds to claim her maiden victory. Entering the Mykonos finale, Overbeek (1,000 pts) led Finn Flügel (870 pts), Leonardo Casati (770 pts), and Zac Adams (700 pts), while Mensch led eight-time World Champion Mikaili Sol.
- Hydrofoil Big Air Division (One-Stop World Championship): Contested as a standalone World Championship in Sylt, defending champions Hugo Wigglesworth (New Zealand) and Andrea Zust (Switzerland) put their crowns on the line from zero points against a deep international fleet.
- Freestyle Division (3 Stops): After Finn Flügel won in Mexico and Maxime Chabloz (Switzerland) won in Borkum to sit tied on points atop the standings, Flügel skipped the Brazilian finale due to elbow/shoulder inflammation and a date clash with the Taiwan Red Bull King of the Air Qualifier. That left Chabloz fending off Arthur Guillebert (France), Davi Ribeiro (Brazil), and Karim Mahmoud (Egypt) in Ilha do Guajiru, while two-for-two opener winner Bruna Kajiya (Brazil) needed only to reach the final (top four) on home water to clinch her seventh World Title.
Show Detailed Competition Results (Spoiler Alert)
2026 Championship Resolutions and New World Champions
1. Big Air (Twin-Tip): 17-Year-Old Leonardo Casati’s Maiden Crown and Mikaili Sol’s 9th Title
At the June finale in Mykonos, rankings leader Alessa Sophia Mensch fell in Semi-Final 1, allowing Mikaili Sol to clinch her ninth career World Title the moment she advanced from Semi-Final 2 before stomping her newly learned “Shark Attack” to win the final with 22.54 points.
On the men’s side, after Finn Flügel and Zac Adams were eliminated in the quarterfinals, Jamie Overbeek defended second place in his semi-final (22.94 pts) to lock his minimum season total at 1,700 points—meaning Leonardo Casati (770 pts) had to win the final to take the crown. In the final, older brother Lorenzo Casati (23.10 pts) trailed Leonardo (23.77 pts) by just 0.67 points, knowing that overtaking his brother would hand the season title to fourth-placed Overbeek. On the final rotation, both Casati brothers rode back to the beach together and intentionally timed out, sealing the Mykonos win and the 2026 Big Air World Championship for 17-year-old Leonardo Casati.
2. Kite-Surf: Capucine Delannoy’s 5th Consecutive Sylt Win and James Carew’s Last-Minute Miracle
In August at Sylt, France’s Capucine Delannoy outdueled Switzerland’s Camille Losserand in the women’s final to capture her fifth consecutive Sylt crown and her fifth career GKA Kite-Surf World Title.
In the men’s draw, after Airton Cozzolino injured his ribs during his miraculous quarterfinal buzzer-beater against Keanu Merten and was forced to withdraw from the semi-finals, James Carew clinched his fifth career World Title before the final even began. In the ensuing final against Gabriel Benetton, Carew overcame a mid-heat line tangle by stomping an unhooked Frontside 313 for 8.67 points in the final 30–45 seconds, edging Benetton by 0.2 points to win the event in unforgettable style.
3. Hydrofoil Big Air: Back-to-Back Titles for Hugo Wigglesworth and Andrea Zust
Balancing emergency department medical shifts with competition, Switzerland’s Andrea Zust rode with trademark consistency to win the women’s final in Sylt and defend her Hydrofoil Big Air World Title. In the men’s final, 17-year-old Finn Flügel threw down an 8.93-point Double Osmosis on his way to 31.80 points, but 19-year-old New Zealander Hugo Wigglesworth answered with a 9.07-point Inverted Boogie Loop Board-off and a late kite switch to a 12m foil kite to secure his second consecutive Hydrofoil Big Air World Championship.
4. Freestyle: Maxime Chabloz’s Double Comeback and Bruna Kajiya’s Perfect 7th Title Season
At October’s season finale in Ilha do Guajiru, Brazil, title contenders Davi Ribeiro (via a trick-category duplication error) and Arthur Guillebert both fell in Round 3. In Semi-Final 2, Maxime Chabloz mathematically clinched his second career GKA Freestyle World Title as soon as Hironobu Nakano locked in fourth place, before stomping a seventh-attempt Double Half Cab Mobe to overtake best friend Gianmaria Coccoluto for a spot in the final. Chabloz then landed a final-trick Slim 7 (7.67 pts) in the final to edge Egypt’s Karim Mahmoud by 0.29 points (30.05 to 29.76), claiming both the event win and the 2026 crown.
“The more the door was opening, the more I felt like it was just going to slam close on my face, but wow, it just feels amazing.”
— Maxime Chabloz
In the women’s division, Bruna Kajiya secured her seventh career Freestyle World Title upon advancing to the final, then defeated Claudia León and rookie finalist Phoebe Rocher to complete an undefeated three-for-three “perfect season.” Adding to the celebration, her partner James Carew—already crowned the 2026 Kite-Surf World Champion two months earlier in Sylt—served as Kajiya’s caddy on the beach in Brazil, making the pair reigning 2026 World Champions together.
“I reckon I’m the better caddy, hey. But for sure when I’m caddying Bruna, I don’t have to do much. But when she caddies me, she’s got to do a lot… I think she’s just better! She’s so, so chill watching her compete, like she starts a little easy and then ramps it up like she’s doing right now. And then me, it’s always like a buzzer beater, I’m changing kite, changing board, it’s a mess!”
— James Carew
2026 GKA Kite World Tour Champions & Full Event Results
[2026 GKA World Champions Across All 4 Disciplines]
・Freestyle: Maxime Chabloz (SUI / 2nd Title) & Bruna Kajiya (BRA / 7th Title)
・Big Air Twin-Tip: Leonardo Casati (ITA/ESP / 1st Title) & Mikaili Sol (BRA/USA / 9th Career Title)
・Kite-Surf: James Carew (AUS / 5th Title) & Capucine Delannoy (FRA / 5th Title)
・Hydrofoil Big Air: Hugo Wigglesworth (NZL / 2nd Consecutive) & Andrea Zust (SUI / 2nd Consecutive)
[2026 GKA Youth Kite World Champions]
・U19 Division: Finn Flügel (GER) & Aya Kasabova (BUL)
・U16 Division: Tommy Borghi & Alice Malesa
・U14 Division: Nian Martinez
[2026 Full Event-by-Event Results]
1. GKA Kitesurf World Cup Cape Verde 2026 (Feb 16–21 / Sal Island, Cape Verde)
・Men: 1st James Carew & Sebastian Ribeiro (Joint Winners) / 3rd Gabriel Benetton & Matchu Lopes (Joint 3rd)
・Women: Competition Cancelled (Insufficient Wind)
2. Lords of Tram GKA Big Air Kite World Cup 2026 (Mar 28–29 / Le Barcarès, France)
・Men: 1st Jamie Overbeek / 2nd Finn Flügel / 3rd Leonardo Casati / 4th Zac Adams
・Women: 1st Alessa Sophia Mensch / 2nd Mikaili Sol / 3rd Lana Herman / 4th Zara Hoogenraad
3. GKA Freestyle Kite World Cup Mexico 2026 (May 26–29 / Nuevo Nayarit, Mexico)
・Men: 1st Finn Flügel / 2nd Arthur Guillebert / 3rd Maxime Chabloz / 4th Leo Verrecchia
・Women: 1st Bruna Kajiya / 2nd Claudia León / 3rd Martyna Konkel / 4th Aleksa Sanchez
4. GKA Freestyle Kite World Cup Borkum 2026 (Jun 3–7 / Borkum Island, Germany)
・Men: 1st Maxime Chabloz / 2nd Davi Ribeiro / 3rd Finn Flügel / 4th Karim Mahmoud
・Women: 1st Bruna Kajiya / 2nd Claudia León / 3rd Kaya Lehmann / 4th Francesca Bagnoli
5. Capital.com GKA Big Air Kite World Cup Mykonos 2026 (Jun 16–21 / Mykonos, Greece)
・Men: 1st Leonardo Casati / 2nd Lorenzo Casati / 3rd Shahar Tsabary / 4th Jamie Overbeek
・Women: 1st Mikaili Sol / 2nd Aya Kasabova / 3rd Francesca Maini / 4th Sarah Sadek
6. GKA Youth Kite World Championships St. Peter-Ording (Aug 19–23 / St. Peter-Ording, Germany)
・U19 Boys: 1st Finn Flügel / 2nd Benedek Szente
・U19 Girls: 1st Aya Kasabova
・U16 Boys: 1st Tommy Borghi / 2nd Gonzalo Capella
・U16 Girls: 1st Alice Malesa
・U14 Boys: 1st Nian Martinez / 2nd Tommaso Caglini
7. Defender GKA Kite World Cup Sylt 2026 (Aug 25–30 / Sylt, Germany)
・Men’s Kite-Surf: 1st James Carew / 2nd Gabriel Benetton / 3rd Matchu Lopes / 4th Airton Cozzolino
・Women’s Kite-Surf: 1st Capucine Delannoy / 2nd Camille Losserand / 3rd Kaya Lehmann / 4th Charlotte Carpentier
・Men’s Hydrofoil Big Air: 1st Hugo Wigglesworth / 2nd Finn Flügel / 3rd Lorenzo Casati / 4th Marten Koblischke
・Women’s Hydrofoil Big Air: 1st Andrea Zust / 2nd Kailani Friedrich / 3rd Aya Kasabova / 4th Ola Markowska
8. GKA Freestyle Kite World Cup Ilha do Guajiru (Oct 20–24 / Ilha do Guajiru, Brazil)
・Men: 1st Maxime Chabloz / 2nd Karim Mahmoud / 3rd Anthar Racca / 4th Erick Anderson
・Women: 1st Bruna Kajiya / 2nd Claudia León / 3rd Phoebe Rocher / 4th Francesca Bagnoli
Search Aliases: 2026 GKA Kite World Tour, 2026GKAKiteWorldTour(SeasonWrap-Up)