Six Time World Champion Mikaili Sol is already in Qatar for the GKA World Cup 2023
by César A. Martín 30 Jan 15:20 PST
31 January - 4 February 2023
Mikaili Sol - GKA Freestyle Kite World Cup © Roberta Martins, Brazil
Crowned six-time world champion in 2022 and ranking as number one woman in the Freestyle category, 18-year-old Mikaili Sol is one of the promises for the Qatar GKA Freestyle Kite Word Cup 2033.
The competition's official opening will take place at the Fuwairit Kite Beach Resort (FKB) in Qatar on Tuesday, January 31. Mika, daughter of an American mother - her father is from Maranhão, Brazil - and born in Preá / Ceará (Brazil), participates in this first stage of the GKA kitesurf World Cup until next Saturday (04). The 2023 agenda includes races in Colombia (March), France (August), Egypt (October), and Brazil / Taíba (November), ending the season in Qatar, in mid-December. In Spain (between May and June), Mika will compete in the Big Air race, which awaits other confirmations in France (April) and Cape Verde (March).
The young age at which she started kitesurfing - eight years old - only allowed her to compete in Junior tournaments, which was already getting too easy for a girl so passionate about the sport, completely dedicated and very competitive. The authorization to participate in the World Championships only came when she was 13 to 14, and in such a short time Mika Sol is already close to becoming a seven-time champion, because six coveted world titles are already hers in the Freestyle division. By the way, according to Mika, it is one of the most beautiful races in kitesurfing for the difficult maneuvers performed in the air.
The young athlete, who wrote her name in this sport and is a pride for Brazil and Ceará, this year will compete for her other nationality: American, for the US. But this doesn't take away the shine and strength that she has been leaving throughout her preparation, because not even after lifting the title of six-time champion in November last year in Taíba, she has already gone abroad to train and again, in order to stand out in the Qatar GKA Freestyle Kite Word Cup 2033. "Last year, we had many competitions after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, which urged me to dedicate myself even more to the races. And this year, it will be no different. I will give my best," reveals Mika Sol.
About Qatar, where she is already concentrated for the Cup, the young rider comments that "starting 2023 in a new location and one that no one has competed in before, has a different feel compared to other places. "The wind current is bigger, which makes the competition even more difficult. Winning this race means participating in the next ones with more experience and the desire to go on and win. As well as participating in the Big Air category for the next few years, all that keeps me even more motivated," reveals Mika.
Support from her family
Mikaili Sol's mother, an American gymnast, and his father, a kitesurf rider from Ceará (Brazil), are his biggest supporters. Her childhood was spent with her family (basically) sailing, and the intimacy with the sea created in her a passion for the sport. Another important factor in the rider's successful trajectory is that Ceará, like Preá / Jericoacoara, Taíba / São Gonçalo do Amarante, and Cumbuco / Caucaia, is a Brazilian State quite popular for the practice of kitesurfing because it offers light and strong winds, ideal for Freestyle, KiteWave, and WingFoil.