Overview
This is the final event of the GKA Air Games held in Fehmarn, Germany, in 2018. This event marked the crowning of the first-ever Air Games World Champions in GKA history.
Location and Conditions
Tens of thousands of spectators gathered on the south coast of Fehmarn, turning the beach into a massive festival. The first half of the event was plagued by extremely light winds, leading to a tense waiting game where the completion of the event was in doubt. However, on the final day, strong winds blew in, resulting in a grueling and high-speed operation to complete all heats at once.
Format and Athletes
The competition utilized the Air Games format, a fusion of big air and freestyle. The men’s fleet featured riders like Carlos Mario, Jesse Richman, Aaron Hadlow, and Lewis Crathern. The women’s side saw 14-year-old Mikaili Sol competing alongside Hannah Whiteley and Pippa van Iersel.
Highlights and Key Moments
The men’s final was a fierce duel between Jesse Richman, attacking with height and death-defying megaloops, and Carlos Mario, who flawlessly blended handle passes into incredibly high big air jumps. Carlos Mario claimed a narrow victory in front of the massive crowd. In the annual title race, the men’s division saw Carlos Mario and Jesse Richman tied on points, but Carlos Mario secured the inaugural championship crown via countback. Mikaili Sol also won the women’s event to become the first female champion. With this result, both Carlos Mario and Mikaili Sol achieved the unprecedented double crown of winning both the pure freestyle world tour and the GKA Air Games world titles in the same year.
Show detailed event results (Spoiler Alert)
[Fehmarn Event Men’s Division]
1st: Carlos Mario
2nd: Jesse Richman
3rd: Aaron Hadlow
4th: Lewis Crathern
[Fehmarn Event Women’s Division]
1st: Mikaili Sol
2nd: Hannah Whiteley
3rd: Pippa van Iersel
4th: Pauline Valesa
[Year-End Men’s Rankings]
1st: Carlos Mario
2nd: Jesse Richman
3rd: Maxime Chabloz
[Year-End Wemen’s Rankings]
1st: Mikaili Sol
2nd: Hannah Whiteley
3rd: Pippa van Iersel
Search Aliases: 2018 GKA Fehmarn, 2018GKAFehmarn, 2018 GKA Air Games in Fehmarn, 2018GKAAirGamesinFehmarn