Mikaili Sol wins GKA Freestyle Kite World Cup Colombia and remains at the top of the World Ranking
by Top Mídia 6 Mar 2023 20:03 AEDT
Mikaili Sol, World Champion of the GKA Kite World Cup Colombia 2023 © Andre Magarao
Mikaili Sol, Freestyle kitesurf rider and six-time uninterrupted world champion, won the second round of the GKA (Global Kitesurf Association) kitesurfing World Circuit held in Salinas del Rey, on Colombia's Atlantic coast.
In the final heats, the 18 year-old athlete from Ceará, Brazil, scored a total of 23.90 points, distancing herself by two points from the Spanish athlete Claudia León, vice-champion of the competition, and with an even bigger margin from the Swedish Nathalie Lambrecht, third place. In this second round of the circuit there were not many maneuvers scored with a 10 note - according to the riders - due to the wind and general weather conditions, which also favored a good number of "crashes" or irregular landings of the athletes in the waters.
Nevertheless, with this victory, MiIkaili Sol - better known as Mika - reaches again the top of the GKA Freestyle world ranking and is getting ready for the next round, which will be held in Dunkerque, France, between August 16 and 20. On that occasion, Mikaili Sol will also compete in the "Big Air'' modality, in which competitors perform extremely high jumps, as well as in the "freestyle'' category, for which she seeks her seventh consecutive title in 2023.
For young kitesurfer Mikaili Sol, first place on the circuit in Colombia has a special meaning. "I am very happy with this achievement after achieving second place in Qatar. Here, the conditions were difficult, but I managed to have the best performance." Regarding the upcoming competitions, the six-time world champion in Freestyle stressed that she will continue training intensely. "Here in Salinas del Rey it was difficult and challenging, different from other places I've competed at. It was a very cool experience and I'm happy with my result," said Mika.
Thus, the six-time Freestyle world champion won another title in her career competing against seven other athletes from five different countries. For men, on the Caribbean coast of Salinas del Rey this March 4, the podium was also Brazilian: Carlos Mario, also known as "Baby", from Ceará, was the champion of the round with a total of 31.23 points, leaving Switzerland's Maxime Chabloz in second place and Italian Gianmaria Coccoluto (current world champion) in third. Manoel "Piçarrinha" Soares, from Piaui, Brazil, was fourth.
Mikaili Sol is the only six-time uninterrupted Freestyle World Champion for the Global Kitesurf Association - GKA, and this year she's competing for her seventh championship in this modality, participating also in the spectacular "Big Air" category, starting in April.
Overall Results:
Women
- Mikaili "Mika"Sol (USA)
- Cláudia Leon (SPAIN)
- Nathalie Lambrecht (SWEDEN)
Men
- Carlos "Bebê" Mário (BRAZIL)
- Maxime Chabloz (SWITZERLAND)
- Gianmaria Coccoluto (ITALY)