GKA Freestyle Kite World Cup Qatar 2023 - Fuwairit Kite Beach

[Toby]

GKA News:

Freestyle Kite World Cup Qatar 2023 - Fuwairit Kite Beach

Starting tomorrow, this Freestyle kite event marks the start of this season’s Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour
31 January – 04 Feb 2023

The event is free to watch for visitors, who will be treated to an exhilarating display of freestyle kiting. The competition’s prize pool ensures that some of the world’s best kitesurfers are confirmed to attend, including men’s world number one Gianmaria Coccoluto and female world number one Mikaili Sol.

Chairman of Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr Akbar Al Baker, said: “As the Official Tourism Partner of the Global Kitesports Association (GKA) Kite World Tour, Qatar Tourism welcomes GKA’s athletes and fans and invites them to enjoy an incredible event held at a state-of-the-art facility. We’re thrilled that the Visit Qatar GKA Freestyle Kite World Cup 2023 is coming to Qatar, following the huge success of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, as Qatar is quickly becoming a key destination for sports travel. This incredible event will only continue to build on that momentum.”

The news follows last year’s announcement that Qatar Tourism has become the Official Tourism Partner of the Global Kitesports Association (GKA) Kite World Tour for three years, with Qatar Airways becoming the GKA Kite World Tour’s Title Partner and Official Airline.

An easy hour’s drive north of Doha, Fuwairit Kite Beach is one of Qatar’s most exciting new attractions and an upcoming global kitesurfing hotspot. The resort, which opened to guests in October last year and is designed to reflect the laidback kitesurfing lifestyle, sits on white sands beside a shallow enclosed lagoon that enjoys consistent winds and warm, flat water – perfect conditions for kitesurfing. In addition to hosting large-scale competitions and events, Fuwairit Kite Beach offers accommodation and lessons for every type of visitor year-round, from those who are new to the sport through to seasoned professionals.
The Visit Qatar GKA Freestyle Kite World Cup 2023 will not be the only time this year that Qatar will host the world’s kitesurfing elite; the Visit Qatar GKA Freestyle Kite World Cup Finals 2023 will also be held in Qatar at the end of the year.

GKA Kite World Tour CEO, Dr Jörgen Vogt, said "The GKA Kite World Tour crew are thrilled to be able to open up the 2023 season with a super competitive Freestyle event at a fantastic, new and exciting location such as Fuwairit Kite Beach Resort in Qatar. Kiteboarding fans worldwide, as well as the competitors at the event, will once again see and experience the improving landscape for world class kiteboarding competition that our close partnership with the tour's title partner, Qatar Airways, and tourism partner, Qatar Tourism, continues to deliver."

[Toby]

Day One: Visit Qatar GKA Freestyle-Kite World Cup is here!

The riders are primed for the 2023 season launch today at Fuwairit Kite Beach in Qatar! Here's how to follow the event, including where to find the livestream when the action starts

Current update - 11.30am Qatar: First possible start 12.00

Round one of the 2023 Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour season kicks off today (Tuesday 31st January) with the Visit Qatar GKA Freestyle-Kite World Cup at Fuwairit Kite Beach resort with awesome, turquoise-clear lagoon conditions on the menu.

Monday saw kiteboarding's leading freestyle athletes from four continents officially register for the competition; all looking to make a solid start to this new season that's packed with World Cup events.

VARIETY COUNTS!
One important element to note is that this event also sees the introduction of some new Freestyle judging format changes, adding in extra variety and excitement. You can read more about those in the liveticker notes on the event live page HERE.

2022 was a big year for reigning women's World Champion, 18 year-old Mika Sol who further proved her competitive dominance by taking her fifth world freestyle title as well as her first big air World Championship last year. Now set on further broadening her approach to the sport, Mika has her sights firmly set on achieving at least ten world titles in her career. Read our interview with her HERE.

The men's reigning Champion is Gianmaria Coccoluto, who won his first GKA Freestyle-Kite World Championship in emphatic style at the final event of the 2022 season in Taiba, Brazil in November. The Italian put on one of the most spell binding performances ever seen in kiteboarding competition to claim his first title – read more in this interview with him HERE

[Toby]

First action today

[Baptiste_FR]

I cannot find Maxime Chabloz on the picture. Is he still competing in ski or is he present for the GKA event ?

[Toby]

Next livestream

[Toby]

Highlights day 1:

[Lom]

I cannot find Maxime Chabloz on the picture. Is he still competing in ski or is he present for the GKA event ?

Unfortunately, he is competing in ski. Hope to see him in Columbia

[Toby]

DAY TWO: Action Underway in Qatar and Women Reach the Finals

Report from yesterday's action - Wednesday 1st February - Qatar

Visit Qatar GKA Freestyle-Kite World Cup sees new format that rewards variety take effect

Thursday will be day three of the event with light winds expected, but Friday is forecast to have stronger northerly winds for an exciting finale.

As was forecast, conditions continued to deliver the lighter southerly winds on day two of the Visit Qatar GKA Freestyle Kite World Cup, though a positive start was made to the competition and the line-up for the women’s final is complete.

The riding fleet is very compact at this event with just 16 men and eight women. The level amongst the competitors is incredibly high, but with this reduced fleet the men started directly at the quarter final stage, with four heats of four riders. There would be no second chances to stay in the competition, so it was knock out from the beginning for the bottom two in each heat.

As the first event of the season, this event also sees the launch of some adjustments to the Freestyle judging format. The introduction of a new variety score is designed to help inspire new tricks and allows riders more freedom to add extra flow to their heat performances.

Recent years has also seen several riders sustain knee injuries while trying to push the possible number of handle-pass rotations harder and harder. This new scoring format that calls for more style, flow and variety should also help relieve some of that repetitive hardcore requirement.

DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS | NEW FREESTYLE FORMAT EXPLAINED

Head Judge Alvaro Onieva and Louka Pitot, a skilled rider from Mauritius, share insights on the new format of freestyle competition for 2023.





FORMAT

Essentially, there are seven points available for ‘variety’ which can be added to a rider’s best four trick scores from seven attempts in the heat. If they manage to land all four of those tricks in different trick families, they’ll earn an extra seven points. The variety score breakdown is:

Landing all four tricks from the same single family: 1 point
Two families: 2 points
Three families: 4 points
Four families: 7 points

MEN
In his first comeback event in over a year, Mauritian Louka Pitot pushed four time World Champion Carlos Mario in to second to win the opening heat and claim the highest score of the day too.

Louka said, “Yeah I’m pleased, it’s my first competition in a year and a half. I like the new format with variety. I didn’t want to come back and do the same things anyway, so I think it adds more fun.”

Head judge Alvaro Onieva confirmed, “We are already seeing positive effects from these format changes, with some riders immediately adding more creativity and flow in their tricks. For example Louka Pitot took the win at the end of the first heat precisely because of his higher variety score.”

On his approach, Louka said, “I was imagining what combos would be good to go together to show flow. I didn’t do my best yet for sure, but in the first heat of the day with a new format, and taking the win, it feels good.”

Also running high on inspiration to hit each family was last year’s title contender, Juan Rodriguez. The Colombian rolled back the years to the days when unhooked kite loops were all the rage, dropping a kite loop backside 315 in his quarter final heat, helping him secure the maximum available points for variety.

Judge Dani Jiminez commented, “Some riders who didn’t yet take an event win could find themselves in commanding situations if they have the right strategy. This is the first event with this format though, and it will take time to see the real developments play out, especially considering the short gap between last year’s final event in Brazil and this first event here in Qatar.”

Due to dropping winds, the men’s competition was put on hold during the last quarter final heat which featured current world champion, Gianmaria Coccoluto, and remains to be finished.

Manoel Soares, Karim Mahmoud, Juan Rodriguez and Valentin Rodriguez had already advanced to the semifinals.

WOMEN
A sand storm brought strengthening winds in the afternoon and the women took to the water for their semi-final heats. Despite the challenging conditions, the riders put in their all to reach the final.

Swede Nathalie Lambrecht finished with the highest heat score of the day, landing tricks from four different families for an overall score of 28.67.

Three-time World Champion Bruna Kajiya followed her through to the final in second place. The Brazilian claimed the women’s highest trick score with her first trick attempt of the day, a stomped KGB that earned 6.93 from the judges, proving excellent execution is still just as important as variety.

Lighter winds prevailed in the second semi-final, but Mikaili Sol and Claudia Leon managed to dominate and also moved on to the final.

LINE-UP: WOMEN'S FINAL

Claudia Leon (ESP)
Bruna Kajiya (BRA)
Nathalie Labrecht (SWE)
Mikaili Sol (BRA)

Thursday will be day three of the event with light winds expected, but Friday is forecast to have stronger northerly winds for an exciting finale.

[Toby]

A livestream from earlier today

[Toby]

Finals livestream