GKA Freestyle World Cup Cumbuco | Super Kite Brazil | The Finals

Report: Gemma Hamaini   All photos: Svetlana Romantsova

Finals day in Cumbuco, Brazil, was nothing short of spectacular! The top riders in the World gave a breathtaking performance for both the Men’s and Women’s finals. The battle for the Cumbuco podium positions was a fierce one, which saw the athletes give their all on the water.

Men’s Semi-finals

Men’s semi-final 2 was first in sequence, with the men riding on 13-14m kites. The judging criteria remains the same as previous days, with 7 trick attempts and the top 4 scores counting. Maxime Chabloz was once again unstoppable for the semi-final, locking down solid scores trick after trick. Gianmaria Coccoluto started strong but struggled towards the end of his heat, crashing his last 4 trick attempts. Juan Rodriguez also had a good start but was unable to keep the strong rhythm going on his final trick attempts. He, unfortunately, was unable to advance. Manoel Soares missed only one trick attempt and performed a well-executed array of tricks. He finished in 2nd position and clinched his spot in the final together with Maxime Chabloz. 

Men’s Finals

The finals saw Swiss rider Maxime Chabloz go up against the top three Brazilian riders: Carlos Mario, Erick Anderson, and Manoel Soares. The action was outstanding from the start, with each rider opening with massive tricks. Slim 7’s, Double Heart Attacks, and 319’s were all thrown out, and that was just the warm-up. All riders remained so close together in points right until the last round of tricks. The crowds on the beach of Cumbuco were going absolutely crazy for the final moments of the heat, where the podium positions would be decided. Carlos Mario left everyone speechless with his final trick, an outstanding Heart Attack 7 scoring a perfect 10 points. Carlos once again showed the World that he is the king of freestyle kiteboarding, and he is back on top. Maxime Chabloz was so close to claiming the win, but his final trick score fell slightly short, and he had to settle for second place here at this final event of the season. Erick Anderson finished in 3rd, delighted with his podium position, and Manoel Soares, who rode incredibly well during this ultra-competitive final, finished the event in 4th position.

“I’m really happy with second place,” said Maxime. “I mean, you always come here to win, but Brazil is such a challenging place to actually win. There are so many amazing riders here. The conditions are always good and everyone always shows their best. I’m definitely going to work hard for next year, and I will work on my big air skills.”

The final results for this event are: 

1st Carlos Mario

2nd Maxime Chabloz 

3rd Erick Anderson

4th Manoel Soares

Women’s Finals

The Women’s Final was an exciting mix, with our current World Champion Mikaili Sol looking to defend her title, going up against Rita Arnaus, Nathalie Lambrecht, and 3x former World Champion Karolina Winkowska. All four women rode consistently for the final, pushing each other to go further with each trick attempt. Mikaili Sol managed to gain a lead above her competitors, landing a Slim 5 scoring 9 points, as well as a massive 315 amongst her trick attempts. Rita Arnaus pulled together a spectacular heat, scoring 9 points for her powered Heart Attack. Karolina Winkowska landed several clean tricks proving how very experienced she is in competition. Her scores, however, were not quite enough to catch up to Mika and Rita. 

Mikaili finished the heat with a spectacular 317, scoring another perfect 10 points. It was an outstanding heat, where she cruised back to the beach as the 2021 GKA Freestyle World Champion and the winner of the GKA Freestyle World Cup Cumbuco. Yet another impressive accomplishment for this young athlete with a very bright future ahead of her. Rita Arnaus claimed 2nd place, a great reward for all of the hard work and commitment that she has put into her training this year. Karolina Winkowska claimed the 3rd podium position, an unreal come-back to her first freestyle competition in many years. Nathalie Lambrecht may not have made the podium, but she rode solidly for her first-ever final and finished this competition in 4th place.

For Mikaili Sol, it is yet another title, even though this final was a close call as Rita could have snapped up the win with her last trick attempt. “I was feeling a bit of pressure, and wasn’t getting the scores I wanted, “ explained Mikaili. “It all came down to Rita’s last trick, where she didn’t get the score she wanted. From there, the pressure was off, so I decided to go out and do a 317, and it was one of the best ones I have ever done in my life. I’m super stoked and happy for everything that has happened here at this event.”

“I felt really good,” said Rita. “That’s the most important part for me. I just wanted to do my best and enjoy the final to the maximum. I didn’t really realise that I was so close to Mika until my last trick, when I realised that I really had to just go for it. I went for a KGB, I missed the pop a little bit but I did my best. Mika is riding so well, it really inspires me to push myself. I hope to beat her one day, not too far away!”

The final results for this event are:

1st: Mikaili Sol

2nd: Rita Arnaus

3rd: Karolina Winkoska

4th: Nathalie Lambrecht

So once again, 17-year-old Mikaili Sol takes the win of both the GKA Freestyle World Cup Cumbuco together with the 2021 GKA Freestyle World Championship title, and Carlos Mario claimed the win today for this event, celebrating with hundreds of fans on the windy shores of Cumbuco. This location is always a spectacular place to finish the final event of the season. 

The action is not over yet, as we will again be LIVE tomorrow with a super-session. Be sure to follow our live-stream, live-ticker, and live-scoring on our website: www.gkakiteworldtour.com/live/

Check our Instagram stories for regular behind-the-scenes updates throughout the competition.