Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

GKA Hydrofoil Freestyle World Cup Fortaleza at Superfoil Brazil - Day 1

by GKA Kite World Tour 17 Nov 2021 14:43 PST 17 November 2021

Hydrofoil freestyle is still a relatively new discipline that is evolving rapidly and allows riders to kite at unique locations where the wind is much lighter.

There are 12 men and four women of nine different nationalities registered to participate at this event this week, where the forecast is looking very positive for each day of competition. Last year it was Fred Hope from the USA who topped the podium and won the GKA Hydrofoil Freestyle Championship title, and this year he will again have to face accomplished athletes such as Charles Brodel and Maxime Desjardins who will each be looking for a podium finish here at this event. The men will be competing here for the GKA Hydrofoil Freestyle World Championship title.

"I started kiting at age 13. I rode a twin-tip, then switched to a surfboard, and then finally started hydrofoiling in 2015," said Fred Hope. "I started doing jumps, riding with straps, and then started riding strapless in 2017, and I never really went back. I love just trying to figure it out, as it's such a new discipline. I live in Hood River and then travel to Baja in the winters. They are both really great spots."

"I started kiting when I was 13 years old, and then started foiling just a few years ago," said Maxime Desjardins. "I started because my father and sister started. Then my sister's boyfriend, Charles Brodel, started doing Hydrofoil Freestyle which I thought looked really spectacular. I decided to try it and loved it. This is my first competition, and I want to show the world what I can do on the water. I think that this discipline is going to get bigger and bigger, as we can do so much in really light wind."

On the women's side there is Samuela Mule from Italy, Aurore Gineste from France, German rider Maike Elisa and Kylie Zarmati from the USA who will all go face to face to battle the podium positions. The women were released from the competition today, and they will commence during tomorrow's competition. As there are only 4 women registered to compete at this event, they will not be able to compete for a World Championship title, as that requires a minimum of 6 participants.

"I started hydrofoiling about 1.5 years ago," explained Maike Elisa. "I was living in Cabarete, and the wind was often quite light. This allowed me to ride with a lot less wind, and really have fun with it. I started and after a while, I really fell in love with this discipline. I was inspired to start with freestyle as there were so many good riders in Cabarete, such as Joselito del Rosario, who is also here competing. To see what is possible on a hydrofoil is amazing, because anything that you can do on a twin-tip or a surfboard, you can do on a hydrofoil as well."

"I started kiteboarding about 15 years ago, but I started hydrofoiling about 5 years ago, just because it looked like a really fun new thing to try," said Kylie Zarmati. "I got into freestyle because I want to inspire more women to get into it. I ride strapless and it's so fun. This is my first competition. Hydrofoiling is great as it gives you the opportunity to ride in much lighter wind."

Judging criteria

Rounds 1 and 2 for the men were completed for this first day of competition. The action commenced at 2.30 pm local time, with wind speeds of 12 to 18 knots. The riders were given 9-minute heats, with 15 trick attempts, and the 4 top scores counting. The judges were looking for height, execution, commitment, and innovation.

"So we are mixing two different styles since we have strapless and strapped riders battling in the same heats," explained Head Judge Mallory de la Villemarque. "We're looking at the technicality of the moves riders do, the speed they have in and out of the moves, the height they get (especially for strapped riders), and landings are quite important as well. When riders manage to land moves with their board not touching the water they get rewarded especially when the trick is technical."

Round one and two

For Round 1, the winning athletes advanced directly to Round 3. The remaining riders got a second chance in Round 2. Locking down their positions directly to Round 3 were Joselito del Rosario, Charles Brodel and Oliver Pasche and Fred Hope. The most spectacular performance of the day went to Charles Brodel in Heat 2, where he achieved an overall score of 24.07 points, including 8 points for his Double Front Board-Off. Fred Hope from the USA also showed some innovative tricks, including his Lazyboy, a front roll landing seated on his board, which scored him 7.43 points.

The eliminations started during Round 2, where riders had to win their heats in order to advance. This is where the riders started to feel the pressure to perform if they wanted to remain in the competition. It was Robin Steward, Reed Brady, Cesar Natoly, and Maxime Desjardins who managed to advance over their competitors. All four riders will now prepare to continue the battle in Round 3 tomorrow.

Related Articles

Red Bull Sailing Academy Opens
A new hub for current and future superstars to reach the top of their sport Marina Monfalcone, North Italy, made waves yesterday, as sports superstars gathered to open the Red Bull Sailing Academy, marking the beginning of a new era in the sport. Posted today at 12:53 pm
2025 IKA Youth Europeans in Gizzeria day 4
It's been a week of steady breeze and near-perfect conditions off the Calabrian coast It's been a week of steady breeze and near-perfect conditions off the Calabrian coast, and Gizzeria has put on a great show as host of the 2025 IKA Youth European Championships. Posted on 5 Jul
2025 IKA Youth Europeans in Gizzeria day 3
The invincibles stumble during qualifying The men's competition has moved into its decisive phase, with the top 22 riders now forming a gold fleet. After Saturday's racing, only the top ten will qualify for the medal series and today, the pressure began to show, even on the frontrunners. Posted on 4 Jul
2025 IKA Youth Europeans in Gizzeria day 2
Thrills and spills - with the speed came plenty of racing incidents Day 2 of the Youth European Championships in Gizzeria saw fantastic conditions that gave the racing added pace. With the speed came plenty of racing incidents. Posted on 3 Jul
2025 IKA Youth Europeans in Gizzeria day 1
Rising stars shine at Youth Kitefoil Euros kickoff Some of the world's best young kite foilers started racing today in southern Italy aiming to become Youth European champions. Posted on 2 Jul
World Sailing announces split venues for LA28
The boards will be at Long Beach, with the dinghy events at the Port World Sailing has said it welcomes the confirmation of sailing venues for the Olympic Games LA28 the boards will be at Long Beach, with the dinghy events at the Port. Posted on 30 Jun
Sail Canada introduces Canadian Sailing Team
21 athletes were selected based on the Canadian Sailing Team Sport Canada Carding Criteria Sail Canada is pleased to announce the list of sailors who will be part of the 2025-2026 Canadian Sailing Team. Posted on 26 Jun
2025 IKA Youth Europeans Oreview
Italy set to host the future of kitefoiling in Gizzeria, Calabria The Hang Loose Beach Club in Gizzeria, Calabria is once again poised to welcome kitefoiling's rising stars as the IKA Youth European Championships return to southern Italy. Posted on 25 Jun
Registration now open for GKA Youth events
Germany and Spain events will have U14, U16 and U19 divisions Registration is now open for the two upcoming GKA Youth events of the 2025 season. First up is the GKA Youth Big Air Kite World Championship in St. Peter Ording, Germany. Posted on 9 Jun
Whitehead finish 9th at Formula Kite Europeans
A confident return to international competition in Urla, Türkiye Australia's Breiana Whitehead has made a confident return to international competition, finishing ninth overall at the 2025 Formula Kite European Championships in Urla, Türkiye. Posted on 20 May
Palm Beach Motor YachtsLloyd Stevenson - AC Alinghi 1456x180px BOTTOMSea Sure 2025