The Brazilian athlete Gabriel Benetton reflected on a remarkable year when he won the Kite-Surf world title and capped it with two Move of the Year trophies at the GKA Awards. The 20-year-old grabbed the title on his second year on tour. His consistency was the key, though he failed to win any events. Benetton is already training in Cape Verde for the season-opener in March, hoping for a repeat. But he told Ian MacKinnon he believed staying chilled and doing what he lovesβsurfingβis a big part of his plan.
Ian MacKinnon: Congratulations. You got the Kite-Surf world championship title and you got the two Moves of the Year? Quite a year. How do you feel about it now?
Gabriel Benetton: Super-good because I got the world title quite fast. You know, for two years only on the tour and I get the word title, it’s insane. Because I never won a single event. But I’m world champion and that’s super-great. I think it’s because I was super-constant and I ride good in all conditions.
Last year, we had 60 knots of wind in Germany, and I got a second place, and we had 12 knots in Morocco, with super-small waves, and I got fourth. In Ibiraquera, first there were ‘lefts’ and then later there were ‘rights’.
So I feel I’m a super-complete rider and that’s why I was able to become world champion. The main thing I liked to do since I started kiting, I like to train in everything. I like to train in the good, the bad; I like to train in the waves, I like to train freestyle.
I like to surf and I feel that surfing helps me a lot on all sides of kiting.
βHeat of my lifeβ
IM: Could you talk us through your season and how you felt?
GB: The first event was Cape Verde. I think it was the hardest event for me. Because I ride backside, it was hard. The wind’s super-offshore. But I was feeling super-good on that day and I had the heat of my life. I got I feel the best waves of my life for kite-surf. I got fourth there.
Then we moved on to Germany, which was crazy. Compared to Cape Verde, Germany was my best stop. It’s the best chance for me. It’s a mix of freestyle and mushy waves. But the forecast was looking nuclear. I was: let’s go, let’s go!
Then in round three the wind was so insane. I remember I was on the 7m kite. It was then I did the 10 point ride. I had the “three” in my mind and I was always thinking, when I have the conditions I’m gonna try it. Then I had the conditions. I remember I started the heat with a Double Front Shove-it and a Triple Front. I thought, okay, I already have my scores, I’m going to try it. I remember, the first try I landed it [Triple Front Shove-it]. It was like super-insane.
I remember just two years ago I looked at videos from Pedro Matos and he was doing doubles. I was, like, how are these guys doing this? I remember training two years ago and could not even land the Front Roll. I thought it’s impossible. But I landed the Triple Front Shove-it three or four times in training, then one in competition for the 10-point score. [That won Surfboard Freestyle Move of the Year at the GKA Awards.]
βCanβt get world titleβ
IM: Then you got another fourth place at the third event in Dakhla, Morocco?
GB: Dakhla is a good wave, but also super-hard for wind. It’s backside for me again. It’s also a bit offshore. But I was in the semi-final against James Carew and I almost beat him. Then I had a super-close mini-final against Airton Cozzolino. I was fourth, but I was super-stoked with that result.
But at that point I was thinking I can’t get like world title. But the rankings came out three days before the final stop in Ibiraquera and people were coming to me and saying I could be world champion.
In Ibiraquera, I started to feel a bit nervous. But my dad, and everyone, were, go, go. And the conditions were just getting better and better. I was feeling super-good on that day. I was almost in a “flow state”. Super calm, super-constant with myself.
I got on the water in the semi-finals, I didn’t know that if I won the heat, I would be world champion. Then everyone on the beach was running with the Brazilian flag. I was not understanding, I was like, okay, they’re happy that I’m close. I get to the beach and my father was like screaming:
you’re world champion. I just remember crying The world stopped for five minutes. That’s such a good feeling. Just super-happy.
IM: What are your plans and hopes for this year?
GB: My plan is that I want to be world champion again. Last year when I got the title I didn’t put a lot of energy into it. I was just doing it super-natural. Let’s do it and see what happens. This year, imagine what happens if I’m more focused and train. But at the same time I have a trip to Mexico where I’ll spend three months again just surfing and doing what I like. This year I have a little bit of a different mentality, I’ll put more energy into it.
edit: Ian MacKinnon
images: Svetlana Romantsova / Bianca Asher
