Overview
The 2025 Red Bull King of the Air delivered a monumental event in Big Air history. The final witnessed the first-ever sibling showdown between 20-year-old Lorenzo Casati and his 16-year-old brother Leonardo Casati, carving a new legend into the kiteboarding world. Lorenzo triumphed in this fierce battle to claim his second KOTA crown, completing a historic Triple Crown by winning the GKA World Title, Red Bull Megaloop, and KOTA all in the same year.
Location and Conditions
The event was held at Kite Beach in Cape Town, South Africa, universally recognized as one of the premier Big Air spots on the planet. The extreme winds and massive kickers typical of Cape Town pushed the world’s best riders to their absolute limits, setting a perfect stage to crown the ultimate king.
Format and Riders
The Men’s Open Division featured an elite roster including defending champion Andrea Principi, local hero Jason van der Spuy, and top contenders from around the globe. The competition utilized a three-rider heat tournament ladder, where heat winners advanced straight to Round 3, while second and third-place finishers battled through a grueling Round 2 dingle format. A highly competitive Women’s Division was also held simultaneously.
Highlights and Showdowns
This year’s event was defined by two historic upsets that completely redrew the Big Air landscape. In Round 3, Heat 18, overwhelming favorite and defending champion Andrea Principi was eliminated by Zac Adams in the biggest upset in tournament history. In the same round, Heat 13 saw local favorite Jason van der Spuy taken down by dark horse Parker Sage, sending shockwaves through the crowd.
Uncharacteristically light winds for KOTA played a pivotal role in the event’s narrative. The challenging conditions forced Luca Ceruti to make the unprecedented decision to compete on a foil kite, while heavily impacting power-oriented riders like Giel Vlugt, who struggled to unleash his explosive potential and suffered an unfortunate early elimination.
Rising above the chaos were the Casati brothers. Leonardo Casati, who broke the record for the youngest finalist at just 16 years and 5 months old, applied immense pressure on his older brother with fearless riding. However, Lorenzo’s championship experience shone through. He executed a critical Kite loop board-loop combo, and with just one minute left in the heat, Lorenzo went all-in and stomped a colossal KiteLoop Inverted 4X+ BackRoll Board Off, scoring 8.44 and pushing himself out of reach. Lorenzo demonstrated unbelievable precision, successfully landing 39 out of 40 tricks throughout the entire event.
The Women’s Division final was equally historic. Sweden’s Nathalie Lambrecht delivered a flawless performance in brutal conditions, successfully landing all 10 of her trick attempts to pull away from her rivals and secure the title.
Show Detailed Event Results (Spoilers)
Men’s Open Division Final (Heat 22)
1st: Lorenzo Casati (34.02)
2nd: Leonardo Casati (31.12)
3rd: Cohan van Dijk (27.18)
Women’s Division Final
1st: Nathalie Lambrecht (26.92)
2nd: Zara Hoogenraad (26.37)
3rd: Lana Herman (23.73)
Heat Ladder (Men’s)
Round 1 (1st to R3, 2nd/3rd to R2)
Heat 1: 1. Jason van der Spuy (28.34) / 2. Zac Adams (26.89) / 3. Kimo Verkerk (14.04)
Heat 2: 1. Timo Boersema (26.55) / 2. Luca Ceruti (26.14) / 3. Baptiste Jacquemain (11.12)
Heat 3: 1. Lorenzo Casati (33.33) / 2. Jeremy Burlando (26.45) / 3. Charles Brodel (14.26)
Heat 4: 1. Cohan van Dijk (25.62) / 2. Josh Gillitt (23.51) / 3. Eliott Bouton (13.70)
Heat 5: 1. Giel Vlugt (25.57) / 2. Stijn Mul (24.25) / 3. Shahar Tsabary (13.74)
Heat 6: 1. Andrea Principi (29.19) / 2. Leonardo Casati (24.44) / 3. Parker Sage (12.98)
Round 2
Heat 7: 1. Shahar Tsabary (26.40) / 2. Josh Gillitt (23.72)
Heat 8: 1. Luca Ceruti (25.53) / 2. Kimo Verkerk (19.50)
Heat 9: 1. Leonardo Casati (31.16) / 2. Baptiste Jacquemain (19.26)
Heat 10: 1. Zac Adams (30.82) / 2. Charles Brodel (24.32)
Heat 11: 1. Jeremy Burlando (32.32) / 2. Eliott Bouton (22.28)
Heat 12: 1. Parker Sage (27.50) / 2. Stijn Mul (23.86)
Round 3
Heat 13: 1. Parker Sage (31.60) / 2. Jason van der Spuy (30.64)
Heat 14: 1. Leonardo Casati (32.88) / 2. Timo Boersema (27.86)
Heat 15: 1. Lorenzo Casati (33.24) / 2. Luca Ceruti (28.42)
Heat 16: 1. Cohan van Dijk (29.56) / 2. Shahar Tsabary (26.78)
Heat 17: 1. Jeremy Burlando (34.02) / 2. Giel Vlugt (32.78)
Heat 18: 1. Zac Adams (33.36) / 2. Andrea Principi (32.18)
Semi-Finals
Heat 19: 1. Leonardo Casati (34.04) / 2. Parker Sage (33.16)
Heat 20: 1. Lorenzo Casati (34.34) / 2. Jeremy Burlando (33.68)
Heat 21: 1. Cohan van Dijk (30.88) / 2. Zac Adams (29.76)
🔗 関連リンク: https://www.redbull.com/int-en/events/red-bull-king-of-the-air
Search Aliases: KOTA 2025, KOTA2025, Red Bull King of the Air 2025, RedBullKingoftheAir2025