We had a light breeze of around 12-13 kts which was enough wind for the organisers to run a wing and foil exhibition, and to showcase the latest toys.
The light winds also provided us with the opportunity to catch up with the riders and find out how they spent their time and kept fresh during the pandemic.

JAMES CAREW

First on our list was the top dog and champion of the competition here in Sylt, James Carew (AUS). James managed to escape his home country and go chasing waves and wind around South America and Europe.

‘At the beginning of the pandemic, I decided not to stay in Australia because the rules were so strict and it would have been nearly impossible for me to travel out of Australia to train somewhere else. Instead, I decided to travel to the south of Brazil in search of some great swell so I would be able to focus on surfing for a change. After Brazil, I headed to Tarifa for a few months. In Tarifa, I was able to push my level in strapless freestyle as I was training with Airton who is one of the riders I truly admire. He was throwing down huge Boogie Loops and Board-Offs, really pushing the big air side of strapless freestyle. Seeing Airton doing all these crazy manoeuvres motivated me to try them too. By the end of Tarifa I felt pleased with my riding and I felt prepared to finally get back into competition.

Whilst I am very happy to take 1st place here in Sylt, winning is not everything for me. What I care about most when I compete is that I go out there and put on the best possible performance I am humanly capable of. Coming back off the water and knowing that I have done this is what matters to me most, regardless of whether I win or lose.’

CAPUCINE DELANNOY

The new queen of strapless freestyle Capucine Delannoy (FRA) has truly managed to set herself apart from the other girls here in Sylt. So, what’s her secret?

‘My brother Camille is my real inspiration and is the reason my level has improved so much. Training with him everyday is the main reason I have improved so quickly. I would often be watching him on the water landing triple front rolls whilst I was only landing one and I was thinking to myself  “I can’t be doing just one front roll when he is doing three”, so I decided to go for the double and I landed it.

My dad is also very supportive. He comes to every competition with us and he films us on the beach a lot so we can then go home and watch our tricks back. This can be extremely useful as it helps me to improve, by putting my kite a little higher or bending my knees more for example. Without this support from my father and my brother I really would not be at the level I am riding today.’

Capucine has been spending at least three hours on the water everyday, which is why her level in strapless freestyle has gone up exponentially. In Cape Verde last year Capucine placed 5th and now, in Sylt, she seems to be the strongest female rider we have on the GKA Kite-Surf Tour.

REECE MYERSCOUGH

Reece Myerscough (CAN) is another impressive rider we have been keen to catch up with as he did exceedingly well in the competition here in Sylt, making it to the semi finals. Reece spent his lockdown in the surf town of Torfino in Canada.

‘I liked the competition here in Sylt as these are the kind of conditions I am used to. The water is also warmer here than it is in Canada so you won’t hear me complaining about the cold! I was stoked on my performance at this competition, particularly because in the first round of my heat I broke my finger when the board smashed into it. Nevertheless, I carried on riding and still managed to make it to the final rounds.

Reece’s journey into kiteboarding was not the typical route. ‘My family owns Ocean Rodeo so I have been flying kites my whole life. I started competing when I was around 19 years old and honestly it has been such a crazy experience for me. It was a little intimidating when I first joined as I’ve only ever seen the top riders in videos but once you take that leap of faith and get into competition mode it’s worth it and all the riders are very welcoming.’

CATHARINA EDIN

In contrast to other riders who have been jetting round the world the Swedish sensation, Catharina Edin (SWE), took another approach to the pandemic and decided this was the perfect opportunity to go back to her roots in Sweden and move to Holland for training.

‘After I came back from the Cape Verde competition last year Tarifa, where I had been living, had gone into a complete lockdown, so I packed my bags and headed to safer grounds in Sweden. It was like the pandemic didn’t exist in Sweden as we could go wherever we wanted with no restrictions. I was making full use of this and staying active outside by either cycling or kiting every day. Cycling has been a great alternative to kiting for me as I have had two or three bad knee injuries in the past and cycling has helped speed up the healing process.

My first trip after nearly four months in Sweden was to Holland. The kite scene in Holland is really good as you have riders like Jalou Langeree and Ruben Lenten shredding on the water. When Jalou told me there was a space free in her house I jumped at the opportunity and packed my bags and moved to Holland!

Now I am training with Jalou regularly and I am already starting to see a big improvement in my riding. It was great to have a few months of downtime in Sweden but the kite scene is small and there are not many girls to share the sport with. However, in Holland, I can train with some of the best kiters in the world and enjoy the stoke of the sport with other female riders.’

PERI ROBERTS

Another audacious Aussie who has proven themselves this competition is Peri Roberts (AUS). Peri was lucky enough to escape the lockdowns in Australia and spend the winter months training in the picturesque location of Maui.

‘I originally went to Maui to shoot the product launch for Naish but then I decided to stay there as it was too hard to get back to Australia. For the first month in Maui I was busy shooting but once that had finished I could simply relax and embrace the Island lifestyle. I was living the dream. Kiting, training, and exploring all that the beautiful Island has to offer. 

It was a struggle to stay in Maui for too long as my visa only lasted three months. So to solve this problem I headed over to Mexico and chased some insane 20ft swell’s which completely pushed me out of my comfort zone. After being in Mexico for a few weeks I started to feel extremely sick and was hospitalised as I had a picked up a viral stomach infection. Luckily, just after a day of being in the hospital, I was able to leave Mexico city and head back to more familiar grounds.

After returning to Maui they announced that they would be holding a GKA Kite-Surf event here in Sylt. This meant I had six weeks to go into full, beast mode and learn some new strapless freestyle tricks.’

Growing up in the surfers’ paradise of Newcastle, Peri has only ever trained wave riding and proved her exceptional skills in Cape Verde where she took home second place. Nevertheless, Peri did not fail to impress in Sylt as she had an impressive repertoire of freestyle moves showing that all her training in Maui had payed off.

We had a light breeze of around 12-13 kts which was enough wind for the organisers to run a wing and foil exhibition, and to showcase the latest toys.
The light winds also provided us with the opportunity to catch up with the riders and find out how they spent their time and kept fresh during the pandemic.

JAMES CAREW

First on our list was the top dog and champion of the competition here in Sylt, James Carew (AUS). James managed to escape his home country and go chasing waves and wind around South America and Europe.

‘At the beginning of the pandemic, I decided not to stay in Australia because the rules were so strict and it would have been nearly impossible for me to travel out of Australia to train somewhere else. Instead, I decided to travel to the south of Brazil in search of some great swell so I would be able to focus on surfing for a change. After Brazil, I headed to Tarifa for a few months. In Tarifa, I was able to push my level in strapless freestyle as I was training with Airton who is one of the riders I truly admire. He was throwing down huge Boogie Loops and Board-Offs, really pushing the big air side of strapless freestyle. Seeing Airton doing all these crazy manoeuvres motivated me to try them too. By the end of Tarifa I felt pleased with my riding and I felt prepared to finally get back into competition.

Whilst I am very happy to take 1st place here in Sylt, winning is not everything for me. What I care about most when I compete is that I go out there and put on the best possible performance I am humanly capable of. Coming back off the water and knowing that I have done this is what matters to me most, regardless of whether I win or lose.’

CAPUCINE DELANNOY

The new queen of strapless freestyle Capucine Delannoy (FRA) has truly managed to set herself apart from the other girls here in Sylt. So, what’s her secret?

‘My brother Camille is my real inspiration and is the reason my level has improved so much. Training with him everyday is the main reason I have improved so quickly. I would often be watching him on the water landing triple front rolls whilst I was only landing one and I was thinking to myself  “I can’t be doing just one front roll when he is doing three”, so I decided to go for the double and I landed it.

My dad is also very supportive. He comes to every competition with us and he films us on the beach a lot so we can then go home and watch our tricks back. This can be extremely useful as it helps me to improve, by putting my kite a little higher or bending my knees more for example. Without this support from my father and my brother I really would not be at the level I am riding today.’

Capucine has been spending at least three hours on the water everyday, which is why her level in strapless freestyle has gone up exponentially. In Cape Verde last year Capucine placed 5th and now, in Sylt, she seems to be the strongest female rider we have on the GKA Kite-Surf Tour.

REECE MYERSCOUGH

Reece Myerscough (CAN) is another impressive rider we have been keen to catch up with as he did exceedingly well in the competition here in Sylt, making it to the semi finals. Reece spent his lockdown in the surf town of Torfino in Canada.

‘I liked the competition here in Sylt as these are the kind of conditions I am used to. The water is also warmer here than it is in Canada so you won’t hear me complaining about the cold! I was stoked on my performance at this competition, particularly because in the first round of my heat I broke my finger when the board smashed into it. Nevertheless, I carried on riding and still managed to make it to the final rounds.

Reece’s journey into kiteboarding was not the typical route. ‘My family owns Ocean Rodeo so I have been flying kites my whole life. I started competing when I was around 19 years old and honestly it has been such a crazy experience for me. It was a little intimidating when I first joined as I’ve only ever seen the top riders in videos but once you take that leap of faith and get into competition mode it’s worth it and all the riders are very welcoming.’

CATHARINA EDIN

In contrast to other riders who have been jetting round the world the Swedish sensation, Catharina Edin (SWE), took another approach to the pandemic and decided this was the perfect opportunity to go back to her roots in Sweden and move to Holland for training.

‘After I came back from the Cape Verde competition last year Tarifa, where I had been living, had gone into a complete lockdown, so I packed my bags and headed to safer grounds in Sweden. It was like the pandemic didn’t exist in Sweden as we could go wherever we wanted with no restrictions. I was making full use of this and staying active outside by either cycling or kiting every day. Cycling has been a great alternative to kiting for me as I have had two or three bad knee injuries in the past and cycling has helped speed up the healing process.

My first trip after nearly four months in Sweden was to Holland. The kite scene in Holland is really good as you have riders like Jalou Langeree and Ruben Lenten shredding on the water. When Jalou told me there was a space free in her house I jumped at the opportunity and packed my bags and moved to Holland!

Now I am training with Jalou regularly and I am already starting to see a big improvement in my riding. It was great to have a few months of downtime in Sweden but the kite scene is small and there are not many girls to share the sport with. However, in Holland, I can train with some of the best kiters in the world and enjoy the stoke of the sport with other female riders.’

PERI ROBERTS

Another audacious Aussie who has proven themselves this competition is Peri Roberts (AUS). Peri was lucky enough to escape the lockdowns in Australia and spend the winter months training in the picturesque location of Maui.

‘I originally went to Maui to shoot the product launch for Naish but then I decided to stay there as it was too hard to get back to Australia. For the first month in Maui I was busy shooting but once that had finished I could simply relax and embrace the Island lifestyle. I was living the dream. Kiting, training, and exploring all that the beautiful Island has to offer. 

It was a struggle to stay in Maui for too long as my visa only lasted three months. So to solve this problem I headed over to Mexico and chased some insane 20ft swell’s which completely pushed me out of my comfort zone. After being in Mexico for a few weeks I started to feel extremely sick and was hospitalised as I had a picked up a viral stomach infection. Luckily, just after a day of being in the hospital, I was able to leave Mexico city and head back to more familiar grounds.

After returning to Maui they announced that they would be holding a GKA Kite-Surf event here in Sylt. This meant I had six weeks to go into full, beast mode and learn some new strapless freestyle tricks.’

Growing up in the surfers’ paradise of Newcastle, Peri has only ever trained wave riding and proved her exceptional skills in Cape Verde where she took home second place. Nevertheless, Peri did not fail to impress in Sylt as she had an impressive repertoire of freestyle moves showing that all her training in Maui had payed off.

Only good vibes here in Sylt, where the maelstrom of the last few days has been replaced with summer sunshine. Having crowned our champions of the main event, the riders could now relax and have fun on the water. 

With clear skies and a lighter breeze, it was perfect for the Best Trick competition to be held. But first the expression session provided the riders with a chance to showcase the crazy maneuvers they have been working on during the off season and for the riders to see what tricks they might need to add to their repertoire to get onto the top spot of the podium next time round.

For the Best Trick comp the judges decided to run fifteen minute heats, with one best trick counting… The ultimate strapless showdown. As the wind was looking lighter than previous days the judges were looking at technicality in tricks rather than height.

First up in the men’s heat we had Airton Cozzolino (ITA), Kiko Torres (ESP), Elvis Nunes (CPV) and Hendrick Lopez (CHE). Airton was back with vengeance after his big loss yesterday in the semi finals; he skyrocketed into this first heat smashing out a massive Flat 3 off a wave scoring a 9.

Then – when we thought we had seen the best he had on offer – he attempted a Flat 7 off a wave! Everyone on the beach held their breath, but unfortunately he couldn’t quite stick the landing. Considering this is a trick that top twintip riders struggle to land though, he was forgiven… And hopefully, we’ll see him pull it off in Denmark.

In the second heat of the men’s round we had Camille Delannoy putting on a great show, landing a very clean double Front Roll and a spectacular Kiteloop Tic Tac taking him through to the finals.

In the finals of the men’s expression session we saw Matchu Lopes really upping his game after his disappointment yesterday… He was going for some huge Flat 3s showing that he is more than capable of taking on the legendary Cozzolino.

“I landed a flat 3 many years ago but I hadn’t attempted it in a while as I have been working on other maneuvers. The expression session was the perfect time to try it though as we had light wind with small kickers! After a few attempts the muscle memory started to come back to me and I was stoked to land one.”

It was a close call between the two shredders but Airton was hungry for the win and, in the ongoing battle between the two groundbreaking riders, came out on top this time around 

Final Standings in the mens division:

1. Airton Cozzolino (ITA)
2. Matchu Lopes (ESP)
3. Camile Delannoy (FRA)

In the women’s best trick competition we had Clemence Derrien (FRA) pull off some impressive maneuvers with a super stylish front roll board off.

But it was Capucine Delannoy (FRA) who was showing us why she is the worthy winner of this event as she landed a flawless frontroll one foot. Capucine has clearly been training hard over the previous months as she has completely dominated here in Sylt. 

Final standings in the women’s division:

1. Capucine Delannoy (FRA)
2. Clemence Derrien (FRA)
3. Catharina Edin (SWE)

With the bar raised once again, and the progression of the strapless side of the sport continuing to blow minds! Tomorrow will be a well earned rest day for the riders and on Saturday the forecast is looking good to run a surf competition.

 Make sure to check out the highlight video from today’s best trick competition below!

Only good vibes here in Sylt, where the maelstrom of the last few days has been replaced with summer sunshine. Having crowned our champions of the main event, the riders could now relax and have fun on the water. 

With clear skies and a lighter breeze, it was perfect for the Best Trick competition to be held. But first the expression session provided the riders with a chance to showcase the crazy maneuvers they have been working on during the off season and for the riders to see what tricks they might need to add to their repertoire to get onto the top spot of the podium next time round.

For the Best Trick comp the judges decided to run fifteen minute heats, with one best trick counting… The ultimate strapless showdown. As the wind was looking lighter than previous days the judges were looking at technicality in tricks rather than height.

First up in the men’s heat we had Airton Cozzolino (ITA), Kiko Torres (ESP), Elvis Nunes (CPV) and Hendrick Lopez (CHE). Airton was back with vengeance after his big loss yesterday in the semi finals; he skyrocketed into this first heat smashing out a massive Flat 3 off a wave scoring a 9.

Then – when we thought we had seen the best he had on offer – he attempted a Flat 7 off a wave! Everyone on the beach held their breath, but unfortunately he couldn’t quite stick the landing. Considering this is a trick that top twintip riders struggle to land though, he was forgiven… And hopefully, we’ll see him pull it off in Denmark.

In the second heat of the men’s round we had Camille Delannoy putting on a great show, landing a very clean double Front Roll and a spectacular Kiteloop Tic Tac taking him through to the finals.

In the finals of the men’s expression session we saw Matchu Lopes really upping his game after his disappointment yesterday… He was going for some huge Flat 3s showing that he is more than capable of taking on the legendary Cozzolino.

“I landed a flat 3 many years ago but I hadn’t attempted it in a while as I have been working on other maneuvers. The expression session was the perfect time to try it though as we had light wind with small kickers! After a few attempts the muscle memory started to come back to me and I was stoked to land one.”

It was a close call between the two shredders but Airton was hungry for the win and, in the ongoing battle between the two groundbreaking riders, came out on top this time around 

Final Standings in the mens division:

1. Airton Cozzolino (ITA)
2. Matchu Lopes (ESP)
3. Camile Delannoy (FRA)

In the women’s best trick competition we had Clemence Derrien (FRA) pull off some impressive maneuvers with a super stylish front roll board off.

But it was Capucine Delannoy (FRA) who was showing us why she is the worthy winner of this event as she landed a flawless frontroll one foot. Capucine has clearly been training hard over the previous months as she has completely dominated here in Sylt. 

Final standings in the women’s division:

1. Capucine Delannoy (FRA)
2. Clemence Derrien (FRA)
3. Catharina Edin (SWE)

With the bar raised once again, and the progression of the strapless side of the sport continuing to blow minds! Tomorrow will be a well earned rest day for the riders and on Saturday the forecast is looking good to run a surf competition.

 Make sure to check out the highlight video from today’s best trick competition below!

It was another insane day of intense action on the water as stormy Sylt continued to deliver the goods. The competition started bright and early, with the women’s heats straight on the water and back into the North Sea. 

With the waves bigger and better lined up, the judges elected to change the format slightly from the previous day, with the two best strapless freestyle tricks and two best waves counting towards the riders final scores. 

The conditions started off around 25 knots with the wind forecast to increase throughout the day: perfect conditions for the finals of the GKA Kitesurf World Cup to go down. So, how did it go down? 

First up, in the women’s division, we had the Aussie shredder Peri Roberts (AUS) versus the female star of the competition so far, Capucine Delannoy (FRA).

In previous events, we have seen Peri Roberts claiming some high scores in the wave category,  whilst Capucine is more renowned for her repertoire of strapless wizardry. With both two best waves and the two best strapless freestyle tricks counting, it was anyone’s game. 

The women had their competition faces on and were ready to battle it out for the top spot on the podium. Capucine was off to a flying start, nailing her signature double frontroll, the first of these maneuvers to be landed in the women’s competition, a legit NBD. Was she done with this? Of course not… She followed this by sticking a huge front roll board off and scoring a 9.5!

Meanwhile, Peri Roberts was focusing her attention on the waves, seeking out the cleaner waves and linking some nice turns and kicking up plenty of spray, ultimately there weren’t the waves for her to match Capucine prowess in the air, and Capucine was unstoppable and claimed 1st place with a total score of 25.8. 

Final Standings in the Women’s division:

1. Capucine Delannoy (FRA)
2. Peri Roberts (AUS)
3. Charlotte Carpentier (FRA)
4. Catharina Eden (SWE)

After two days of non-stop action, we have crowned our champions of the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup in Sylt. The forecast is looking windy for tomorrow so we are hoping to run the best trick competition. Make sure to tune into the social media pages tomorrow as more action will be coming your way!

It was another insane day of intense action on the water as stormy Sylt continued to deliver the goods. The competition started bright and early, with the women’s heats straight on the water and back into the North Sea. 

With the waves bigger and better lined up, the judges elected to change the format slightly from the previous day, with the two best strapless freestyle tricks and two best waves counting towards the riders final scores. 

The conditions started off around 25 knots with the wind forecast to increase throughout the day: perfect conditions for the finals of the GKA Kitesurf World Cup to go down. So, how did it go down? 

First up, in the women’s division, we had the Aussie shredder Peri Roberts (AUS) versus the female star of the competition so far, Capucine Delannoy (FRA).

In previous events, we have seen Peri Roberts claiming some high scores in the wave category,  whilst Capucine is more renowned for her repertoire of strapless wizardry. With both two best waves and the two best strapless freestyle tricks counting, it was anyone’s game. 

The women had their competition faces on and were ready to battle it out for the top spot on the podium. Capucine was off to a flying start, nailing her signature double frontroll, the first of these maneuvers to be landed in the women’s competition, a legit NBD. Was she done with this? Of course not… She followed this by sticking a huge front roll board off and scoring a 9.5!

Meanwhile, Peri Roberts was focusing her attention on the waves, seeking out the cleaner waves and linking some nice turns and kicking up plenty of spray, ultimately there weren’t the waves for her to match Capucine prowess in the air, and Capucine was unstoppable and claimed 1st place with a total score of 25.8. 

Final Standings in the Women’s division:

1. Capucine Delannoy (FRA)
2. Peri Roberts (AUS)
3. Charlotte Carpentier (FRA)
4. Catharina Eden (SWE)

After two days of non-stop action, we have crowned our champions of the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup in Sylt. The forecast is looking windy for tomorrow so we are hoping to run the best trick competition. Make sure to tune into the social media pages tomorrow as more action will be coming your way!

Sunday 27th June

Report: Holly Keenan / All photos: Lukas Stiller / Video: Mintautas Griga

Day 1 of competition here in stormy Sylt and we were flying through the heats!  The stage was set for the competition to commence and the howling winds blew the riders straight into action.

After 14 years of competing, the pioneer of strapless freestyle and all-round legend, Mitu Monteiro announced that he will not be joining us on the tour this year. The veterinarian is idolized by many of the younger riders on the tour and is without a doubt, the biggest inspiration, behind the strapless freestyle tricks we see today. Whilst his cheerful personality will be missed greatly on the tour this year, we wish him all the best in his new endeavours and hope to see him return to the tour in the future. 

With 25- 30knt winds forecast over the next two days the judges decided they wanted to get through as many heats as possible to make the most out of the awesome conditions.

The judges decided on a mixed format, meaning the 2 best strapless freestyle moves and the 2 best waves would count towards the riders final scores.

The riders were suited and booted and ready to battle it out in the stormy conditions that awaited them. In the men’s competition we had 26 riders entered and on the women’s we had 10 riders.

We started the competition with men’s dingle elimination, running round 1 and 2 heats, 10 minute heats with a 3-minute transition time.

The standout in round 1 was for sure the young German rider, Keanu Martens (GER). At only 15 years old Keanu is the youngest male competitor in the competition and he is definitely one to keep your eye on.

Keanu was on fire pulling off a huge backroll tic-tac at the beginning of the heat and ending with a big kite loop board off. Keanu managed to take the heat win over the local German rider, Alex Middeler.

Moving on to round 3 and one of the most notable riders in this round had to be the Italian shredder, Francesco Cappuzzo (ITA). Just one day previous to arriving at the competition here in Sylt,  Cappuzzo won GWA European WingFoil Race in Switzerland! Today Cappuzzo proved to us that he is the ultimate waterman, battling it out in the stormy conditions and advancing through to round 6.

We caught up with Capuzzo to find out more about how he was finding the competition so far. “I was stressed in the first heat of the day as we had not competed in a while and I also had high expectations for myself after winning the European wing foil race. But after finishing my second heat I felt less stressed and I am now prepared to battle it out in the heats to come”.

In Round 4 we had the Australian shredder James Carew (AUS) take centre stage. Carew was pulling of some sensational moves and putting on a spectacular show for the spectators. James started off the heat with a huge Kiteloop Frontroll scoring a solid 8.33. After a few crashes James managed to pull things together. He went on to land the biggest trick of the competition so far, scoring a whopping 9.67 on a F360 off a wave! James Carew easily took the win in Round 4 with the highest score of the event so far at 35.28!

On to the women’s division and we had a spectacular heat between the 3x Twintip freestyle World Champion, Karolina Winkowska (POL),  rising star, Capucine Delannoy (BRA) and local shredder, Susanne Schwarztrauber (DEU).

Before the heat commenced, we caught up with Winkowska to find out what drew her back into the competition, in particular the Kite-Surf GKA events.

“I have been riding waves and strapless freestyle for years but mainly just for my own enjoyment. In the winters I have been travelling around Australia finding good swell and catching waves. I have always wanted to compete in Kite-Surf events but didn’t feel I was ready to compete. After the pandemic heat and there were no events planned I was missing the competition buzz and riding with other girls. So when I saw the GKA was running an event in Sylt I decided to enter and have fun on the water with all the other riders and just enjoy competing again!

The heat started with Karolina pulling off a solid brackroll board off, but Capucine was quick to answer back with an even bigger front roll board off! Capucine continued to pull off some powerful moves, putting on a great show for the spectators. It was Capucine who took the win and will advance straight through to round 5.

The forecast is looking epic for tomorrow so we are excited for another day of action a head of us!