“So I was trying to play the Brazilian games. I thought Pedro was trying to get all the waves, you know. And then he was there waiting. And I said, okay, he’s waiting. I thought he was playing and I play, you know. And then he was coming, he turned around because he think I was trying to block him, but not. I take the first set and I tried to do my best, you know… As my dad and my family say, man, you have to be relaxed and smile, go down there and have fun and everything is going to come in your way, and I did it, you know!”
Overview
Held from October 27 to 31, 2021, in Dakhla, Western Sahara, Morocco, the 2021 GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Morocco served as the grand finale of the 2021 GKA Kite-Surf season. Following the windless cancellation in Denmark, this third counting stop (after 2020 Cabo Verde and 2021 Sylt) decided the 2021 World Championship crowns. The event delivered an unforgettable final chapter, featuring an Australian double crowning of World Champions, a vengeful event victory by Airton Cozzolino, and a women’s final that ended in a shared victory under pitch-black night skies.
Location and Conditions
The competition took place at Foum El Oued, the world-renowned right-hand point break directly in front of the West Point Hotel at the tip of the Dakhla peninsula. While famous for producing some of the longest peeling waves in the Atlantic, the 2021 edition tested competitors with fickle, marginal winds and shifting swells throughout the week.
With light cross-offshore winds averaging 10 to 15 knots, riders could not tacking back upwind after riding a wave into the bay. Instead, the contest turned into a grueling physical “conveyor belt” marathon: after every single wave, athletes had to hit the beach and sprint several hundred meters up the sand carrying their boards and flying kites to return to the takeoff point.
World Title Scenarios and Priority Rules
Contested under a dingle elimination format, the judging criteria was set to “100% Pure Wave” (counting the best two out of ten waves for a maximum of 20 points), with no strapless freestyle scores included.
Unlike later seasons from 2023 onward that introduced an upwind priority buoy and flag system, the 2021 season still operated under traditional wave priority rules: priority belonged to whichever rider positioned themselves furthest upwind at the top of the point or initiated the first turn on a swell. In marginal conditions with long lulls between sets, tactical positioning—holding the furthest upwind line to control wave selection or shadow and block an opponent, a mind game often dubbed “the Brazilian game”—played a decisive role.
With the season discard eliminated after Denmark’s cancellation, the mathematical scenarios for the World Titles were crystal clear.
In the men’s division, James Carew—holding back-to-back wins in Cabo Verde and Sylt—needed only to win his Round 5 heat and reach the quarterfinals (top 8) to clinch the 2021 World Title outright, regardless of what anyone else did. Only if James Carew lost in Round 5 would the door open for Pedro Matos, Airton Cozzolino, or Matchu Lopes to steal the crown by winning the event.
In the women’s division, rankings leader Peri Roberts held a similar match point: advancing through the quarterfinals into the semifinals (top 4) would guarantee her the World Championship ahead of challengers Capucine Delannoy, Charlotte Carpentier, and Johanna-Catharina Edin.
Heat Ladder Drama and Highlights
A Cruel Round 5 Draw and James Carew’s Crowning
When the swell and wind aligned on Day 4 for Men’s Round 5, the heat ladder dealt a cruel hand to two of the remaining title contenders: Cape Verdean best friends and former World Champions Airton Cozzolino and Matchu Lopes were drawn directly against each other in Heat 4. Dubbed the clash of the “two sharks from Cape Verde,” Airton Cozzolino posted an 8.83 and a 7.30 to eliminate Matchu Lopes before the quarterfinals.
Immediately following in Heat 5, James Carew took to the water against Reunion Island’s Charly Martin—the quietest rider on the beach, known for screaming like a rock star the moment he drops into a wave. Keeping his composure under immense pressure, James Carew locked in a 7.50 and a 7.63 (15.13 total) to defeat Charly Martin. Advancing to the quarterfinals, James Carew was officially crowned the 2021 GKA Kite-Surf World Champion, prompting commentator Jo Ciastula to sprint down from the broadcast booth with a cold beer to celebrate on the sand.
“Yeah, man. Yeah, I’ve been so hungry for this one. You know, I’ve been envisioning this moment, like I’ve been seeing this happening, you know, riding these waves and yeah. I mean, I really believe if you can see it and you can believe it, it’s gonna happen. So, you know, we made this happen… Now I’m a champion of the world, so we can focus on this now. I’m going for a two, three, four, five or whatever. Let’s go!”
— James Carew
Women’s Quarterfinal Showdown: Peri Roberts in Tears
That same afternoon, the women’s bracket produced a high-stakes quarterfinal showdown. Earlier in Round 4, France’s Charlotte Carpentier had edged out 2019 World Champion Carla Herrera Oria in a tense low-scoring battle (4.30 to 3.70). Waiting for Charlotte Carpentier in the quarterfinals was rankings leader Peri Roberts.
If Peri Roberts lost the heat, the title race would be thrown wide open for Charlotte Carpentier and Capucine Delannoy; if Peri Roberts won, the crown was hers. Riding in 10-to-12-knot marginal winds on an 11-meter kite, Peri Roberts powered through critical bottom turns to take the win and clinch the 2021 Women’s World Title, completing a historic Australian sweep of the 2021 Kite-Surf crowns. Entering the broadcast booth moments later, an emotional Peri Roberts broke down in tears of joy:
“I don’t even have words right now. I’m just, you know, this is something I have dreamt about and I just can’t believe that, you know, the moment’s here. I’ve been thinking about it, feeling it. God, it’s been a wild ride, I just, I can’t believe it.”
— Peri Roberts
Semifinal Battles: Brazilians and Best Friends Collide
With both annual crowns decided, the focus shifted to the Dakhla event trophy.
In the first men’s semifinal, Pedro Matos faced fellow Brazilian Sebastian Ribeiro. Although Sebastian Ribeiro took the early lead, Pedro Matos dropped a high 8-point ride late in the heat to secure his second consecutive final appearance.
The second semifinal pitted newly crowned World Champion James Carew against close friend Airton Cozzolino, who was determined to claim at least one event win in 2021. Riding completely stress-free, Airton Cozzolino locked in an 8.23 wave score to build a 1.6-point lead, holding off James Carew’s late barrel attempt to advance to the final.
Show Detailed Competition Results (Spoiler Alert)
On the final day, the men’s small final saw Sebastian Ribeiro face James Carew. Sebastian Ribeiro linked smooth, flowing turns early on, while James Carew’s final buzzer-beater wave scored an 8.50—falling just short of the 8.94 he needed—giving 3rd place to Sebastian Ribeiro.
The Men’s Grand Final was a direct rematch of the Sylt semifinal between Airton Cozzolino and Pedro Matos. Supported by his nephew Hendrick Lopes and teammates Yaris Dell’Omo and Francesco Cappuzzo on the beach runs, Airton Cozzolino engaged Pedro Matos in a tactical “Brazilian positioning game” out at the point. When Pedro Matos turned back thinking Airton Cozzolino was moving up to block him, Airton Cozzolino seized the opening set wave for a 7.40 and backed it up with another high score in the final minute, avenging his Sylt loss to claim the Morocco victory.
In the women’s semifinals, Brazil’s Marcela Witt defeated Johanna-Catharina Edin, while Capucine Delannoy posted the highest combined heat score of the women’s event to eliminate newly crowned champion Peri Roberts.
Kicking off after 6:00 PM against an orange-and-pink sunset with horses galloping along the shoreline, the Women’s Grand Final between Capucine Delannoy and Marcela Witt saw both riders catch a few opening waves before the wind died completely and pitch-black darkness enveloped the point. Forced to call off the heat, officials declared Capucine Delannoy and Marcela Witt joint winners in 1st place, while Peri Roberts and Johanna-Catharina Edin shared 3rd place.
[Men’s Division]
1st: Airton Cozzolino (Italy / Cape Verde)
2nd: Pedro Matos (Brazil)
3rd: Sebastian Ribeiro (Brazil)
4th: James Carew (Australia) *Crowned 2021 World Champion
[Women’s Division]
1st: Capucine Delannoy (France) / Marcela Witt (Brazil) *Joint Winners due to darkness
3rd: Peri Roberts (Australia) / Johanna-Catharina Edin (Sweden) *Joint 3rd (Peri Roberts crowned 2021 World Champion)
[2021 GKA Kite-Surf Final Overall Rankings Top 5]
• Men: 1st James Carew / 2nd Airton Cozzolino / 3rd Pedro Matos / 4th Matchu Lopes / 5th Reece Myerscough
• Women: 1st Peri Roberts / 2nd Capucine Delannoy / 3rd Johanna-Catharina Edin / 4th Charlotte Carpentier / 5th Marcela Witt
Search Aliases: 2021 GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Morocco, 2021GKAKite-SurfWorldCupMorocco