Overview
“The conditions are pretty good, I mean we have flat water which is super nice, the wind is a bit gusty but the flat water kind of balances it out.”
Held from October 18 to 23, 2022, in the futuristic Red Sea region of NEOM in northwestern Saudi Arabia, the 2022 Qatar Airways GKA Freestyle-Kite World Cup Neom served as the second stop of the three-event 2022 GKA Freestyle World Tour—and the first GKA World Cup ever staged in Saudi Arabia. Serving as the curtain-raiser for the multi-sport “NEOM Beach Games 2022,” the event combined turquoise butter-flat water with 20-to-30-knot winds for both the main freestyle tournament and a special Big Air exhibition.
Location, Conditions, and the NEOM Beach Games 2022
Located on Saudi Arabia’s northwestern coast directly across the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, NEOM shares the same trade-wind corridor that made Egyptian spots like El Gouna world-famous. Throughout the competition window, brisk 25-to-30-knot morning winds moderated into ideal 20-to-25-knot afternoon sessions over crystal-clear flat water.
Staged as the opening event of the “NEOM Beach Games 2022″—which also featured international triathlon, 3×3 basketball, beach soccer, and mountain biking—riders stayed together in a dedicated Athlete Village across four days of action.
Format and Key Contenders
The main Freestyle competition counted each rider’s best four out of seven trick attempts (for a maximum of 40 points). In addition, a 30-knot morning gale on Finals Day (Day 4) prompted organizers to stage an extra “Big Air Special Event” (counting the best two out of five jumps).
The men’s fleet was led by Colombia season-opener winner Manoel Soares—who remarkably arrived in Saudi Arabia still without a main kite sponsor, flying to the event courtesy of title sponsor Qatar Airways via Doha’s new Fuwairit Kite Beach—alongside defending 2021 World Champion Arthur Guillebert, four-time World Champion Carlos Mario, Switzerland’s Maxime Chabloz, Italy’s Gianmaria Coccoluto, Colombians Juan Rodriguez and 2019 World Champion Valentin Rodríguez, and France’s Valentin Garat (returning from a ruptured pectoral tendon), as well as regional riders Rashid Al-Mansoori of Qatar and Hamza Nassar of Egypt.
The 12-woman field featured undefeated four-time World Champion Mikaili Sol, three-time World Champion Bruna Kajiya, Spain’s Rita Arnaus and Claudia León, Sweden’s Nathalie Lambrecht, and returning Italian standout Francesca Bagnoli.
Highlights and Epic Battles
1. High-Wind Early Rounds and Standout Performances by Bruna Kajiya and Nathalie Lambrecht
Days 1 and 2 opened in challenging 25-to-30-knot winds.
In Men’s Round 3 and the Quarterfinals (Round 5), Gianmaria Coccoluto broke the 31-point barrier with an 8.77-point “KGB 7” and an 8.03-point “KGB 5,” while Maxime Chabloz stomped a “Double Half-Cab Mobe.” In the final quarterfinal heat, Carlos Mario linked an 8.10-point “Heart Attack 7” and a 7.83-point “Slim 7” for a 30.83-point win to advance alongside Dominican charger Luis Alberto Cruz (eliminating 2019 World Champion Valentin Rodríguez).
In the women’s early rounds, veteran Bruna Kajiya battled overpowered conditions on her smallest kite to stick a clutch final-attempt maneuver, edging Sweden’s Nathalie Lambrecht—who impressed the judges with a 7.83-point toeside “Crow Mobe” and a “Pete Rose”—by just 0.3 points in a thriller.
“I’m like filled with joy right now and the shaking is coming down… it was really strong for the kite that I was in, I didn’t have a smaller one, I was battling the whole heat and I needed that score on the last trick so I went like all for it and it just felt like super radical.”
— Bruna Kajiya
2. 30-Point Men’s Semifinals and a “2 Spain vs. 2 Brazil” Women’s Final Lineup
After an overnight rain system brought nuking morning winds on Day 3, the semifinals got underway as the breeze settled into the sweet spot.
In Men’s Semifinal 1, Colombia’s Juan Rodriguez maintained his unbeaten heat streak with a 31.60-point victory, followed by Gianmaria Coccoluto in 2nd (29.86 pts) ahead of Luis Alberto Cruz (28.13 pts) and Matteo Dorotini (17.20 pts).
Men’s Semifinal 2 produced one of the highest-scoring heats of the season: defending World Champion Arthur Guillebert posted the highest heat total of the event at 33.97 points, while tour leader Manoel Soares landed a grabbed “Front Blind Mobe” and “Heart Attack 7” to advance in 2nd with 33.20 points—eliminating both Maxime Chabloz (who scored 31.94 pts in 3rd) and Carlos Mario (28.67 pts in 4th).
In the women’s semifinals, Bruna Kajiya topped Semifinal 1 with 26.16 points ahead of Spain’s Rita Arnaus (22.56 pts), while Mikaili Sol (22.58 pts) and Spain’s Claudia León (20.07 pts) advanced past Nathalie Lambrecht (18.37 pts) in Semifinal 2—setting up a 2-against-2 final between Spain (Claudia León and Rita Arnaus) and Brazil (Mikaili Sol and Bruna Kajiya).
Show Detailed Competition Results (Spoiler Alert)
“Oh my god, I really have no words now. I was waiting for so long for this moment, I’ve worked so hard with my training and my family who have supported me so much through ups and downs, this is for you… Well, all of you ladies did amazing, you are my freaking heroes!”
— Claudia León
■ Finals Day Morning: Big Air Special Event
With 30-knot winds howling on the morning of Day 4, organizers kicked off the day with the Big Air Special Event.
In the four-woman Big Air final, Sweden’s Nathalie Lambrecht unleashed a 9.00-point megaloop to overtake Hawaii’s Karlie Thoma for the win, with Spain’s Alexandra Torres in 3rd and Italy’s Naïs Balbinot in 4th.
In the 16-man Big Air bracket, France’s Valentin Garat boosted massive kiteloops to claim victory ahead of Dominican veteran Posito Martinez in 2nd and Egypt’s Hamza Nassar—cheered on by supporters from just across the Red Sea—in 3rd.
■ Men’s Freestyle Final: Manoel Soares Goes Two-for-Two
When the wind moderated for the afternoon Freestyle finals, Brazil’s Manoel Soares delivered a masterclass in consistency.
While Arthur Guillebert and Gianmaria Coccoluto suffered mid-heat crashes, Manoel Soares stomped the highest-scoring trick of the final on his fourth attempt—an 8.73-point “Heart Attack 7″—to build a commanding 31.43-point total.
On his final run, Arthur Guillebert locked in a tactical 6.07-point maneuver to reach 27.94 points, edging Gianmaria Coccoluto (27.19 pts) by 0.75 points for 2nd place, with Juan Rodriguez in 4th (13.17 pts).
Still competing without a main sponsor, Manoel Soares made it two wins from two starts in 2022. With 2,000 points in the bank, the victory meant that simply reaching the semifinals (Top 8—5th/7th place tie or better) at the final stop in Taiba, Brazil would mathematically guarantee Manoel Soares his maiden World Championship regardless of anyone else’s result; even if he were eliminated in the quarterfinals (9th place tie or worse), he would still be crowned World Champion unless one of his closest rivals won the Brazil event outright.
“I was very confident in Colombia, and here I just did my best, and I enjoyed it a lot… I’m very happy to be the champion once again here in Arabia. I want to thank everyone who was with us on the beach, and the guys from Brazil, always with us.”
— Manoel Soares
■ Women’s Freestyle Final: Claudia León Upsets Mikaili Sol by 0.74 Points for Maiden Win
The Women’s Grand Final (Claudia León, Mikaili Sol, Rita Arnaus, and Bruna Kajiya) delivered a historic upset.
Top qualifier Bruna Kajiya suffered a costly setback on her second attempt when her leash detached during a crash, forcing a kite swap that left her in 4th with 18.10 points.
Opening with a clean “Backside 313,” Spain’s Claudia León stunned the beach on her fourth attempt by stomping a 7.10-point “S-Bend to Blind (S-Mobe)” on the outside, followed by a grabbed “Slim Chance” right in front of the judges to post 24.87 points.
Needing a big final score to overtake the Spaniard, reigning champion Mikaili Sol landed a clean “Hinterberger Mobe 5” on her last attempt, but her 24.13-point total fell just 0.74 points short. In an emotional scene on the beach, Mikaili Sol and the entire women’s fleet rushed to celebrate Claudia León’s first-ever GKA World Cup victory (with Rita Arnaus taking 3rd on 20.97 pts).
[Men’s Freestyle Final Results]
1st: Manoel Soares (Brazil) — 31.43 pts
2nd: Arthur Guillebert (France) — 27.94 pts
3rd: Gianmaria Coccoluto (Italy) — 27.19 pts
4th: Juan Rodriguez (Colombia) — 13.17 pts
[Women’s Freestyle Final Results]
1st: Claudia León (Spain) — 24.87 pts
2nd: Mikaili Sol (Brazil) — 24.13 pts
3rd: Rita Arnaus (Spain) — 20.97 pts
4th: Bruna Kajiya (Brazil) — 18.10 pts
[Big Air Special Event Results]
• Men: 1st Valentin Garat (France) / 2nd Posito Martinez (Dominican Republic) / 3rd Hamza Nassar (Egypt)
• Women: 1st Nathalie Lambrecht (Sweden) / 2nd Karlie Thoma (USA / Hawaii) / 3rd Alexandra Torres (Spain) / 4th Naïs Balbinot (Italy)
🔗 Related Link: Qatar Airways GKA Freestyle-Kite World Cup Neom 19-23rd October – GKA Kite World Tour
Search Aliases: 2022 Neom Qatar Airways GKA Freestyle-Kite World Cup, 2022NeomQatarAirwaysGKAFreestyle-KiteWorldCup