With a final prize giving and rider beach cleanup, Big Air World Championship 2024 season is put in perspective
Qatar Airways GKA Big Air Kite World Championships
9—13 July, 2024 | Salinas de Tenefé
After two wind-whipped days of championship competition, the GKA Big Air Kite riders basked in the sun before Saturday’s prize giving. Surrounded by the salt pans of Salinas de Tenefé, they were joined by Canarian environmentalists to learn about the fragile ecosystems of the region and clean up the beaches they shared the last few days.
An incredible authentic, hot paella was served in the historic salt store and the champions finally stood high on the podiums at the prize giving ceremony. The Qatar Airways GKA Big Air Kite World Championships showcased a new level of epic jumps and tricks that a new generation will bring into 2025.
Protecting land and sea
More than a hundred kilos of plastic bottles and wrappings, cans and other trash, gathered by the GKA riders and friends, was weighed and stacked onto the winners’ podium at the event site to bring attention to the ever-present challenge of managing our impact on the earth’s health.
Though it seems dusty and barren, Salinas de Tenefé is an environmentally sensitive area with its essential indigenous saladares bushes that live only off the ocean humidity and keep the reddish-grey soil in place. Here is where the land meets the sea and it is a spot where a little effort does a ton of good for the regions ocean health.
“These are important spots for the athletes. They see the garbage coming from all parts of the planet,” said Octavio Aleman Arroyo, from the Canarian Foundation for Sustainable Development and Recycling, who gave a talk on the harmful effects of microplastics in the ocean and stopping the problem near the source with recycling efforts.
“We have to put some effort into the problem,” said Aleman Arroyo. “If you don’t, you will be surfing in garbage since the problem increases every day.” He added that educating all the marine user groups including fishing, tourism and watersports is part of his foundation’s mission to keep trash out of the ocean where it’s ingested by fish and eventually makes its way into the human food chain.
A relaxed finale
A cheering, tight-knit group of extreme kiters, family and friends crowded around the sun-filled patio at the afternoon’s prize giving to show support for the winners. The week’s competition produced both event winners and the overall women’s and men’s Qatar Airways GKA Big Air Kite World Champions. Zara Hoogenraad (NED) won both in the women’s division, as did Jeremy Burlando (ESP) in the men’s.
Even though they were eliminated before the event finals, both Pippa van Iersel (NED) and Jamie Overbeek (NED) had enough points from their Big Air season event wins to finish third and second in the world respectively.
With the 2024 Big Air title race settled, the riders will go back to training in their different disciplines while looking to the future and attacking a new level of Big Air tricks and hang time.
2024 Qatar Airways GKA Big Air Kite World Championships Gran Canaria event results
Women
1 Zara Hoogenraad (NED)
2 Francesca Maini (GBR)
3 Lana Herman (SLO)
4 Alice Ruggiu (ITA)
Men
1 Jeremy Burlando (ESP)
2 Lorenzo Casati (ESP)
3 Stino Mul (NED)
4 Leonardo Casati (ITA)
2024 Qatar Airways GKA Big Air Kite World Championships
Men
1 Jeremy Burlando (ESP)
2 Jamie Overbeek (NED)
3 Lorenzo Casati (ESP)
Women
1 Zara Hoogenraad (NED)
2 Francesca Maini (GBR)
3 Pippa van Iersel (NED)
words: GKA Media
images: Svetlana Romantsova
