Winners crowned at Youth Worlds in Tarifa

Young guns land titles at one-stop Youth World Championships in Twin-Tip Freestyle and Surfboard divisions

Qatar Airways GKA Youth Kite World Championships Tarifa
5-8 September, 2024 | Valdevaqueros Beach

A clutch of up-and-coming young guns have been crowned at the Qatar Airways GKA Youth Kite World Championships after four days of epic action in the kiteboarding mecca of Tarifa, southern Spain.

World titles were presented in the Twin-Tip Freestyle and the strapless-freestyle Surfboard categories in the boys and girls in the U14, U16 and U19 age groups.

Fifty-five young athletes from 13 nations around the world journeyed to compete at Valdevaqueros beach in Tarifa, the third straight year the renowned kiteboarding spot has hosted the Youth Worlds.

In a break from the action, kiteboarding’s stars of the future were involved in seminars, conducted by the likes of Britain’s Polly Crathorne, to help guide them in their budding careers.

Casati rides high

The young athletes also conducted a beach clean-up, part of the GKA’s efforts to raise awareness about the environmental challenges the world faces, and the need to protect and preserve our ocean playground.

There were many standout performances. But among the most notable was that of Leonardo Casati (ITA), the brother of Lorenzo, who romped away with the U16 Boys’ Surfboard title. Leonardo Casati, 15, reached the final of the senior Qatar Airways GKA Big Air Kite World Championships in Gran Canaria in July.

Another competitor on the senior Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour, Germany’s Finn Flügel, won the 16 Boys’ Twin-tip Freestyle crown, making it back-to-back titles. It came days after the 15-year-old took a remarkable third place at the GKA Freestyle Kite World Cup in Dunkerque, France.

Turned the tables

But in the U19 Men’s Twin-tip Freestyle division, Spain’s Rafael Montero turned the tables on Antoine Ollivier, of France. Montero got the win, avenging last year’s defeat by Ollivier, by a tiny margin.

France’s Noah Nicolas had no such problems in the U19 Men’s Surfboard discipline. Nicolas doubled up on his title haul with another win, a feat pulled off by Bulgaria’s Aya Kasabova, who again won the U16 Girls’ Twin-tip Freestyle title.

In the U19 Women’s Twin-tip Freestyle, Phoebe Rocher moved up from third place last year to take the title in 2024. That gave France a total of seven podium places, though they were outdone by Spain’s 10 places.

words: Ian MacKinnon
images: Samuel Cárdenas

Qatar Airways GKA Youth Kite World Championships 2024 results

U14 Boys’ Twin-tip Freestyle
1 Henry Gerhardt (AUS)
2 Gonzalo Capelo (ESP)
3 Figo van Ekeren (NED)
4 Carlos Montans (ESP)

U14 Boys’ Surfboard
1 Rodrigo Vargas (ESP)
2 Juan Moreno (ESP)
3 Finn Kyngdon (AUS)
4 Carlos Montans (ESP)

U16 Boys’ Twin-tip Freestyle
1 Finn Flügel (GER)
2 Pedro Alexander (BRA)
3 Ben Gerhardt (AUS)
4 Léo Schlichter (FRA)

U16 Boys’ Surfboard
1 Leonardo Casati (ITA)
2 Santiago Montero (ESP)
3 Pierfrancesco Rizzello (ITA)
4 Ben Gerhardt (AUS)

U19 Men’s Twin-tip Freestyle
1 Rafael Montero (ESP)
2 Antoine Ollivier (FRA)
3 Baptiste Jacquemain (FRA)
4 Eliot Panet (FRA)

U19 Men’s Surfboard
1 Noah Nicolas (FRA)
2 Domi Moreno (ESP)
3 Javier Lopez (ESP)
4 Johannes Sarny (AUT)

U16 Girls’ Twin-tip Freestyle
1 Aya Kasabova (BUL)
2 Annie Branton (GBR)
3 Elena Kyngdon (AUS)

U19 Women’s Twin-tip Freestyle
1 Phoebe Rocher (FRA)
2 Ella Nowodzinski (FRA)
3 Vera Vasquez (ESP)
4 Charlotte Losserand (SUI)

Spot Information

Tarifa
Tarifa, the kitesurfing capital of Europe, has grown immensely in popularity after it became a windsurfing hub in the 1980s. The Andalusian town in southern Spain still retains its old-world charm.

Wind
It is blessed with strong Levante and Poniente breezes that make it a magnet for windsports’ devotees. The Levante blows from the land, cross-offshore from the left. It can be strong, from 30 knots to 50 knots, often blowing for five days straight. The Poniente is more mellow, blowing cross-onshore from the right. It is cooler and more frequent in summer, and can blow from 15 knots to 25 knots for two or three days in a row. Tarifa often sees both winds during competitions, creating intense conditions.

Conditions
Although Tarifa can get good wave conditions in the winter months, in summer expect wind chop that provides superb ramps for Twin-Tip freestylers to boost off. Landings can be tricky in the gustier, stronger Levante winds and choppy waters. But that’s all part of the game—separating the best from the rest.