Overview
Held in November and December due to unprecedented pandemic delays, the 2021 Red Bull King of the Air kicked off with massive upsets as absolute legends were sent straight to the elimination rounds. This year went down in history as a dramatic event where a veteran rider finally broke through his long-standing barrier, claiming his long-sought first victory on his 32nd birthday.
Location and Conditions
The stage was Kite Beach in Cape Town, South Africa. Traditionally holding its waiting period in January and February, the event was moved to late November and early December for the first time in history. The infamous “Cape Doctor” winds howled with fury, crossing paths with giant swells to deliver extreme conditions. Coincidentally, this timing worked perfectly for Southern Hemisphere riders like Marc Jacobs, who had spent the Southern Hemisphere’s windy season training relentlessly.
Format and Riders
An elite roster of 18 flying gladiators gathered from around the globe. Alongside past champions, a new generation of fearless riders including Janek Grzegorzewski, Giel Vlugt, and Stig Hoefnagel entered the fray. The event showcased diverse styles, with Tom Bridge impressing in wake boots, and female rider Angely Bouillot bravely competing against the men, scoring the highest single trick score (6.92) of her Round 1 heat.
Highlights and Showdowns
The event was filled with upsets from Round 1. Rookie Stig Hoefnagel narrowly defeated 3-time champion Kevin Langeree via the impression score, sending past kings into the perilous Round 2 elimination battles. Furthermore, Janek Grzegorzewski shocked the crowd by landing a “Contra board-off double late front,” earning a massive 9.4—the highest single score in KOTA history at the time.
In Round 3, Liam Whaley dominated with the highest heat score of the event, an incredible 34.98. Meanwhile, rookie Giel Vlugt pulled off a massive upset against 2-time champ Aaron Hadlow, and Kevin Langeree emerged victorious in a battle of legends against Nick Jacobsen.
The Semi-Final clash between Marc Jacobs and Liam Whaley was widely dubbed the “People’s final.” While Liam (23.62) slightly outscored Marc (23.58) in pure trick points, Marc secured a dramatic comeback victory through his superior impression score, which evaluates the heat’s overall performance.
Riding port tack (left foot forward) off Cape Town’s kickers heavily favors regular footers, making it extremely difficult for a goofy-footed rider (right foot forward) to conquer KOTA. However, goofy-footed Marc Jacobs had spent years undergoing grueling training to perfect his switch-stance takeoffs specifically for this event.
In the final heat, while the other two finalists (Kevin and Stig) managed around 9 trick attempts, Marc displayed beast-like stamina, jumping relentlessly to land 14 to 16 tricks. Boasting a staggering 93% landing rate across the entire event (45 out of 48 tricks landed), his blood, sweat, and tears culminated in an explosive performance, crushing Kevin by nearly a 5-point margin.
The “Mystic Move Of The Day,” awarded for the most extreme trick, went to Liam Whaley for his colossal “Frontroll Kiteloop Board-off”.
Show Detailed Event Results (Spoilers)
Men’s Open Division Final
1st: Marc Jacobs (32.28) *First goofy-footer to win KOTA
2nd: Kevin Langeree
3rd: Stig Hoefnagel
Heat Ladder
Round 1 (1st to R3, 2nd & 3rd to R2)
Heat 1: 1st Stig Hoefnagel / To R2: Kevin Langeree, Tom Bridge(FO)
Heat 2: 1st Liam Whaley / To R2: Airton Cozzolino, Edgar Ulrich(FO)
Heat 3: 1st Aaron Hadlow / To R2: Joshua Emanuel, Arthur Guillebert(FO)
Heat 4: 1st Janek Grzegorzewski / To R2: Lewis Crathern, Val Garat(FO)
Heat 5: 1st Marc Jacobs / To R2: Lasse Walker, Giel Vlugt(FO)
Heat 6: 1st Nick Jacobsen / To R2: Angely Bouillot, Mike McDonald(DNS)
Round 2 (Elimination)
Heat 7: Winner Giel Vlugt / Eliminated Lewis Crathern
Heat 8: Winner Tom Bridge / Eliminated Airton Cozzolino
Heat 9: Winner Lasse Walker(Walkover) / Eliminated Mike McDonald(DNS)
Heat 10: Winner Edgar Ulrich / Eliminated Angely Bouillot
Heat 11: Winner Kevin Langeree / Eliminated Arthur Guillebert
Heat 12: Winner Joshua Emanuel / Eliminated Val Garat
Round 3 (Quarter-Finals)
Heat 13: Winner Stig Hoefnagel / Eliminated Lasse Walker
Heat 14: Winner Liam Whaley / Eliminated Edgar Ulrich
Heat 15: Winner Giel Vlugt / Eliminated Aaron Hadlow
Heat 16: Winner Joshua Emanuel / Eliminated Janek Grzegorzewski
Heat 17: Winner Marc Jacobs / Eliminated Tom Bridge
Heat 18: Winner Kevin Langeree / Eliminated Nick Jacobsen
Semi-Finals
Heat 19 (SF 1): Winner Stig Hoefnagel / Eliminated Giel Vlugt
Heat 20 (SF 2): Winner Marc Jacobs / Eliminated Liam Whaley
Heat 21 (SF 3): Winner Kevin Langeree / Eliminated Joshua Emanuel
🔗 関連リンク: https://www.redbull.com/int-en/red-bull-king-of-the-air-2021-report
Search Aliases: KOTA 2021, KOTA2021, Red Bull King of the Air 2021, RedBullKingoftheAir2021