The 2024 Red Bull King of the Air marked a new chapter in kiteboarding history. Absolute champion Andrea Principi, who achieved a historic Triple Crown the previous year by winning the GKA World Title, Red Bull Megaloop, and KOTA, returned to defend his title. Furthermore, the event introduced the first-ever Women’s Division, symbolizing the evolution and expansion of the Big Air discipline.
Location and Conditions
The event took place at Kite Beach in Cape Town, South Africa. While Day 1 saw some action, light winds caused a prolonged waiting period, pushing the final showdown to the very last possible day of the window. On Day 2, the infamous “Cape Doctor” wind arrived, delivering extreme conditions with gusts exceeding 40 knots and massive 3-meter swells. To maximize the prime wind window, heat durations were shortened from 10 to 8 minutes, and the final to 13 minutes, driving a rapid and intense pace.
Format and Riders
The Men’s Open Division featured 18 elite riders. Winners of Round 1 advanced directly to Round 3, while second and third-place finishers battled through a grueling one-on-one dingle format in Round 2. A notable challenge in KOTA history was also seen with Charles Brodel competing on a foilboard. The newly established Women’s Division brought together six of the world’s best female riders to compete for the historic inaugural crown.
Highlights and Showdowns
In Round 1, Zac Adams unleashed an innovative kiteloop rotational boardflip, earning the “Mystic Most Extreme Move of the Day.” The central narrative of the event was the highly anticipated clash between Lorenzo Casati, seeking redemption after losing his title the previous year, and Andrea Principi, fighting to cement his legacy with back-to-back wins. Both riders delivered extraterrestrial performances throughout the event. In the semi-finals, Andrea executed a massive rodeo board off contra loop, scoring an incredible high score to dominate his heat. In another semi-final, local hero Luca Ceruti edged out Stijn Mul in a nail-biting finish, becoming the first South African to reach a KOTA final. However, the ultimate showdown was effectively a fierce duel between Andrea and Lorenzo.
The final took place under fading light. Fueled by vengeance, Lorenzo perfectly landed an unhooked dangle pass in the dying moments, pushing the champion to the absolute limit. Yet, refusing to yield, Andrea retaliated with his signature technical and explosive maneuvers, landing a contra loop back tornado board off and a Doobie Loop board off. This brutal battle pushed the limits of Big Air and culminated in a historic, razor-thin margin of just 0.18 points.
In the Women’s final, Francesca Maini recovered from an early mistake to land high-scoring kite loop board offs and boogie loops, engaging in a fierce battle for the crown with Zara Hoogenraad.
Show Detailed Event Results (Spoilers)
Men’s Open Division Final
1st: Andrea Principi (29.24)
2nd: Lorenzo Casati (29.06)
3rd: Luca Ceruti (22.56)
Women’s Division Final
1st: Francesca Maini (28.52)
2nd: Zara Hoogenraad (25.08)
3rd: Pippa van Iersel (21.44)
Heat Ladder (Women’s)
Round 1
Heat 1: 1. Francesca Maini / 2. Jasmine Cho / 3. Angely Bouillot
Heat 2: 1. Pippa van Iersel / 2. Zara Hoogenraad / 3. Nathalie Lambrecht
Round 2
Heat 3: Winner: Zara Hoogenraad / Eliminated: Angely Bouillot
Heat Ladder (Men’s)
Round 1 (1st to R3, 2nd/3rd to R2)
Heat 1: 1. Zac Adams / 2. Giel Vlugt / 3. Clement Huot
Heat 2: 1. Jamie Overbeek / 2. Cohan van Dijk / 3. Nathan Texier
Heat 3: 1. Lorenzo Casati / 2. Jason van der Spuy / 3. Josh Gillett
Heat 4: 1. Timo Boersema / 2. Charles Brodel / 3. Marc Jacobs
Heat 5: 1. Luca Ceruti / 2. Edgar Ulrich / 3. Parker Sage
Heat 6: 1. Andrea Principi / 2. Stijn Mul / 3. Lukas Gramstrup
Round 2
Heat 7: Winner: Charles Brodel / Eliminated: Parker Sage
Heat 8: Winner: Cohan van Dijk / Eliminated: Clement Huot
Heat 9: Winner: Edgar Ulrich / Eliminated: Lukas Gramstrup
Heat 10: Winner: Stijn Mul / Eliminated: Nathan Texier
Heat 11: Winner: Giel Vlugt / Eliminated: Josh Gillett
Heat 12: Winner: Marc Jacobs / Eliminated: Jason van der Spuy
Round 3
Heat 13: Winner: Zac Adams / Eliminated: Edgar Ulrich
Heat 14: Winner: Stijn Mul / Eliminated: Jamie Overbeek
Heat 15: Winner: Lorenzo Casati / Eliminated: Shahar Tsabari
Heat 16: Winner: Marc Jacobs / Eliminated: Timo Boersema
Heat 17: Winner: Luca Ceruti / Eliminated: Cohan van Dijk
Heat 18: Winner: Andrea Principi / Eliminated: Giel Vlugt
Semi-Finals
Heat 19: Winner: Lorenzo Casati / Eliminated: Zac Adams
Heat 20: Winner: Luca Ceruti / Eliminated: Stijn Mul
Heat 21: Winner: Andrea Principi / Eliminated: Marc Jacobs
Search Aliases: KOTA 2024, KOTA2024, Red Bull King of the Air 2024, RedBullKingoftheAir2024