Overview
“Oh, it is what it is. And if the competition says that it’s on, it’s on. And you just need to switch your mind and go for it and do it with the conditions that are there at the moment.”
Held from May 26 to June 16, 2023 (with competition action taking place on June 2, June 5, and June 6), at Balneario in Tarifa, Spain, the 2023 Qatar Airways GKA Big Air Kite World Championships Tarifa crowned five official World Champions across three disciplines. While serving as a standalone World Championship for Big Air Hydrofoil (Men) and Big Air Surfboard (Men & Women), the Tarifa showdown also acted as the second and final stop of the 2023 Big Air Twin-Tip World Tour following the April opener at Lords of Tram in France. Paired with the glamorous second annual “Qatar Airways GKA Awards” gala at Tarifa’s Teatro Municipal Alameda on June 3, the event delivered some of the most dramatic moments in Big Air history.
Location and Conditions: Levante Gales at Tarifa’s Balneario
Staged at Balneario—the southernmost tip of Playa de los Lances where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic across the narrow Strait of Gibraltar—the venue is world-famous for the easterly “Levante” wind.
After an unseasonably calm start to the three-week waiting period, a 20-to-25-knot Levante arrived on June 2 to launch the Hydrofoil and Surfboard divisions, before cranking up to 30-to-40+ knots with steep wind-chop kickers on June 5 and 6 for the Twin-Tip and Men’s Surfboard finales.
Format, Competitors, and World Title Scenarios
Riders competed in the one-by-one sequence box format, with each athlete’s best three out of seven tricks from different trick families counting toward a 30-point maximum total. Following feedback from the GKA Big Air riders’ committee, the 2023 Tarifa Championships replaced the two-rider head-to-head final and mini-final with an all-in “Four-Rider Final” across all five divisions.
[Big Air Twin-Tip World Title Scenarios]
• Men: Following his opening-round victory in France, local Tarifa hero Liam Whaley (Spain) led the standings ahead of defending World Champion Andrea Principi (Italy, 2nd in France). Whichever of the two won in Tarifa would be crowned 2023 World Champion outright (even if Liam Whaley finished 2nd behind Andrea Principi to tie on points, the final-event tiebreaker would award the title to Andrea Principi). Meanwhile, 17-year-old Jamie Overbeek (3rd in France) needed to win Tarifa with both Liam Whaley and Andrea Principi finishing 3rd or worse, while Red Bull King of the Air champion Lorenzo Casati (4th in France) needed to win Tarifa with both top seeds finishing 4th or worse.
• Women: Rankings leader Mikaili Sol, Angely Bouillot (2nd in France), and Nathalie Lambrecht (3rd in France) all entered Tarifa with a mathematical shot at the World Title, while 2022 vice-champion Zara Hoogenraad sought individual event redemption on her home training waters.
Highlights and Epic Battles
1. Day 1 (June 2) & The 2nd Annual GKA Awards Night (June 3)
Competition opened on June 2 in 20-to-25-knot Levante winds with the Men’s Hydrofoil and Women’s Surfboard divisions, followed by Round 1 of Men’s Surfboard. In Hydrofoil Big Air, Jamie Overbeek (7.74-point “Kiteloop Front Roll Board-off”) and three-time reigning champion Charles Brodel led the charge into the four-man final.
On Saturday night (June 3), the entire industry gathered at the Teatro Municipal Alameda for the 2023 Qatar Airways GKA Awards: Gianmaria Coccoluto claimed “Male Rider of the Year,” Mikaili Sol won “Female Rider of the Year,” Andrea Principi took “Men’s Move of the Year” (for his 50-knot double loop board-flip in France), Zara Hoogenraad won “Women’s Move of the Year,” Gabriel Benetton was named “Rookie of the Year,” South Africa’s Graham Howes received the “Social Contribution Award” for his mental health and community initiatives, and Cape Verdean pioneer Mitu Monteiro received a standing ovation for the “Lifetime Achievement (Legend) Award.”
“It’s impossible to put into words what this meant to my people, but I still remember the image of people waiting for me at the airport. Is it true that I’m a legend? I’m not sure. But if my success helped others, I consider myself to have won.”
— Mitu Monteiro
2. Days 2 & 3 (June 5–6): Martyna Konkel’s Shaka from the Hospital and Baby Shark’s Upset Over Aaron Hadlow
On June 5, building 25-to-28-knot winds saw the Men’s and Women’s Twin-Tip fleets complete Round 1, highlighted by Angely Bouillot’s opening statement in the women’s draw and Jeremy Burlando’s 23.50-point heat total (three 7.7+ scores) in the men’s.
When 30-to-40-knot Levante gales arrived on Finals Day (June 6), Poland’s Martyna Konkel suffered a heavy leg injury crashing on a 6-meter kite in Women’s Round 2—later lifting everyone’s spirits by sending a photo from her hospital bed flashing a smiling shaka sign to the riders and crew.
Men’s Round 3 (the head-to-head Round of 16 deciding the eight semifinalists) produced a string of shockers:
In Heat 3, New Zealand veteran Marc Jacobs switched down to a double-loop kite mid-heat and stomped a buzzer-beating 7.63 on his seventh attempt to eliminate title contender Jamie Overbeek.
In Heat 5, 5X World Champion Aaron Hadlow squared off against lightweight Brazilian charger Josué “Baby Shark” Ferreira. Riding in his landmark 35-knot element, Aaron Hadlow landed a 98-meter-distance, 7.00-point “Contra Loop Double Front Roll Board-off” and a “Contra Loop Backroll Board Spin” to hold a 0.9-point lead entering the final exchange. Despite being exhausted from earlier crashes and offshore body-drags, Josué “Baby Shark” Ferreira needed a 7.35 on his seventh and final attempt—and launched a massive “Kiteloop Backroll Board-off” for 7.50 points, edging Aaron Hadlow by just 0.19 points.
Meanwhile, Cohan van Dijk dropped two double loops for a 25.03 heat total to defeat fellow Dutchman Stijn Mul in Heat 7, and local hero Liam Whaley held off South Africa’s Jason van der Spuy (23.63 pts) in Heat 8.
Show Detailed Competition Results (Spoiler Alert)
“I’m so happy to be two-times world champion. I’m here with my family and they’re all here watching me and so proud of me. Super-stoked. It was tricky in the final because the wind was gusty and I was crashing, two or three times. So I told myself to ‘stay calm, find the gusts and believe’ and I became world champion.”
— Andrea Principi
■ Hydrofoil & Surfboard Divisions: Titles for Charles Brodel and Camille Losserand, and James Carew’s Celebration Heartbreak
• Men’s Big Air Hydrofoil: France’s Charles Brodel rode a flawless final, sealing a 22.80-point victory with a final-attempt “Contra Loop Front Roll” to claim his fourth career Hydrofoil World Title by roughly one point over runner-up Jamie Overbeek, with Dominican veteran Joselito del Rosario in 3rd and Maxime-Luan Desjardins in 4th.
• Women’s Big Air Surfboard: Switzerland’s Camille Losserand threw down a repertoire of new strapless aerials in the four-woman final to capture her first career World Title ahead of reigning Kite-Surf champion Capucine Delannoy in 2nd, Mikaili Sol in 3rd, and Barbara Sgardello in 4th.
• Men’s Big Air Surfboard: Two-time Kite-Surf World Champion James Carew dominated the four-man final with an 8.46-point single trick to clinch his first Big Air Surfboard World Title ahead of Tarifa wildcard Marc Garriga (19.52 pts, including a 7.34 “Contra Loop Front Roll”), Kiko Roig in 3rd, and German teenager Keanu Merten in 4th.
Moments after winning the World Championship, however, disaster struck: while throwing a celebratory jump with a kiteloop in shallow water right in front of the beach, James Carew landed hard and broke his leg—requiring an immediate ambulance trip to the hospital and leaving the top step of the podium empty at the prize-giving.
■ Women’s Twin-Tip Final: Mikaili Sol Claims Her 7th Career World Championship at Age 18
In the four-woman Twin-Tip Final (Mikaili Sol, Nathalie Lambrecht, Zara Hoogenraad, and Angely Bouillot) in 30-to-34-knot winds, Mikaili Sol built a commanding early lead with a textbook “Boogie Loop” with an added rotation.
Even after suffering a massive crash attempting a straight-down “Double Loop” on a 6-meter kite late in the heat, Mikaili Sol’s early scores held firm—giving the 18-year-old phenom a two-for-two season sweep, back-to-back Big Air Twin-Tip crowns, and her seventh career senior World Title ahead of Nathalie Lambrecht (2nd in the event and 2nd overall), Zara Hoogenraad (3rd in the event), and Angely Bouillot (4th in the event, 3rd overall).
■ Men’s Twin-Tip Semifinals: Cohan van Dijk Drops 26.90 Points to Knock Out Local Favorite Liam Whaley
In the four head-to-head men’s semifinals in 35-to-40-knot winds, Lorenzo Casati (riding a 5m kite) edged Jeremy Burlando (24.67 pts) in Semifinal 1, Andrea Principi posted an astonishing 27.33 points to defeat Marc Jacobs (25.33 pts) in Semifinal 2, and Giel Vlugt (23.74 pts) ended the giant-killing run of Josué “Baby Shark” Ferreira in Semifinal 3.
Semifinal 4 produced the upset of the tournament as rankings leader Liam Whaley faced Dutch powerhouse Cohan van Dijk. Opening with a massive “Double Boogie Loop” on a 7-meter kite before switching down to a 6-meter for an 8.83-point kite-level “Double Kite Loop Board Off,” Cohan van Dijk amassed a 26.90-point total. Forced to gamble on sizing down to a 5-meter kite he had never ridden before, Liam Whaley fought back to reach 25.93 points—falling just short on his final attempt and seeing his world title hopes dashed on his home beach.
“Up against Liam Whaley, the world champion, I knew I had to do my own thing. Lucky enough I had the gusts, the height and the extremity and got to the final. The final was incredible. Just being there for me was already winning, I couldn’t be more happy.”
— Cohan van Dijk
(In a comical backstage moment immediately after Liam Whaley’s elimination, a GKA videographer mistakenly ran up to Andrea Principi on the beach to congratulate him on being World Champion—before Andrea Principi’s parents urgently reminded him that Lorenzo Casati could still steal the crown if Casati won the final and Principi finished 3rd or 4th).
■ Men’s Twin-Tip Grand Final: A 25.57-Point Deadlock Decided by Andrea Principi’s 9.07 Single Trick
The four-man Men’s Twin-Tip Grand Final (Andrea Principi, Cohan van Dijk, Lorenzo Casati, and Giel Vlugt) delivered the closest finish in Big Air history.
As clouds rolled in and the wind turned gusty, Cohan van Dijk came out blazing, locking in three big early scores for a 25.57-point lead while Andrea Principi crashed on his opening attempts.
Refusing to panic, 18-year-old Andrea Principi hunted down the mega-uplift corner upwind by the jetty and launched his signature “Contra Loop Double Front Roll Board-off” to the moon—stomping the landing for a 9.07-point score, the highest single trick of the final.
While Cohan van Dijk crashed on his closing attempts trying to upgrade with a low double loop, Andrea Principi added his third counting score to finish on 25.57 points—an exact tie with Cohan van Dijk.
Decided by the rulebook tiebreaker (highest single trick score in the final), Andrea Principi’s 9.07 clinched both the Tarifa event victory and his second consecutive GKA Big Air World Championship ahead of Cohan van Dijk in 2nd, Lorenzo Casati in 3rd, and Giel Vlugt in 4th.
[Men’s Big Air Twin-Tip Final Results (Event / Overall Standings)]
1st: Andrea Principi (Italy) — 25.57 pts (*Wins on 9.07 highest single score tiebreaker / 2023 World Champion)
2nd: Cohan van Dijk (Netherlands) — 25.57 pts
3rd: Lorenzo Casati (Italy) (*3rd Overall)
4th: Giel Vlugt (Netherlands)
(*Liam Whaley finished 2nd in the 2023 Overall World Championship Standings)
[Women’s Big Air Twin-Tip Final Results (Event / Overall Standings)]
1st: Mikaili Sol (USA / Brazil) — 2023 World Champion
2nd: Nathalie Lambrecht (Sweden) — 2nd Overall
3rd: Zara Hoogenraad (Netherlands)
4th: Angely Bouillot (France) — 3rd Overall
[Men’s Big Air Surfboard Final Results (Standalone World Championship)]
1st: James Carew (Australia) — 2023 World Champion
2nd: Marc Garriga (Spain) — 19.52 pts
3rd: Kiko Roig (Spain)
4th: Keanu Merten (Germany)
[Women’s Big Air Surfboard Final Results (Standalone World Championship)]
1st: Camille Losserand (Switzerland) — 2023 World Champion
2nd: Capucine Delannoy (France)
3rd: Mikaili Sol (USA / Brazil)
4th: Barbara Sgardello (Italy)
[Men’s Big Air Hydrofoil Final Results (Standalone World Championship)]
1st: Charles Brodel (France) — 22.80 pts (2023 World Champion)
2nd: Jamie Overbeek (Netherlands)
3rd: Joselito del Rosario (Dominican Republic)
4th: Maxime-Luan Desjardins (France)
Search Aliases: 2023 Qatar Airways GKA Big Air Kite World Championships Tarifa, 2023QatarAirwaysGKABigAirKiteWorldChampionshipsTarifa