Kitesurfer Mikaili Sol's seventh world title comes with Best Athlete of the Year award
by Luciana Franco 13 Jun 2023 01:39 NZST
Kitesurfer Mikaili Sol's seventh world title © Samuel Cardenas
The competitive awards ceremony took place in Tarifa, Spain, the stage also for the podium in the GKA Big Air discipline, which crowned Mika her seventh World Title.
With superb technique, determination, and always seeking new challenges, the young kitesurfer Mikaili Sol, Cearense with dual nationality, has made her mark in the sport. The 18-year-old received her seventh GKA World Title and the GKA prestigious award, "Best Athlete of the Year" - in 2022, the trophy was also hers. Both ceremonies occurred in Tarifa, Spain.
Her technical maneuvers and advanced level of riding inspire other athletes. The approximately 15-meter high jump with spins and flips in Tarifa, the last stop of the Big Air Tour, earned Mika her third GKA World Title in the Big Air discipline. Her third Wold Title in Big Air and four World titles in Freestyle brings her to her seventh World Title in Kitesurfing.
With only three more Freestyle competitions left in the 2023 GKA World Tour, Mika has the potential to be crowned eight-time GKA World Champion. The last stages of the GKA World Tour will occur in Dunkerque, France, between August 16-20; Taíba, Ceará, Brazil, November 7-11; and Fuwairit, Qatar, December 5 - 9. Mikaili Sol is currently ranked first on the World Tour with 1,960 points.
Since the beginning of the year, kitesurfer Mikaili Sol has already been in Qatar for the opening of the GKA Kitesurfing World Tour 2023, where she placed second after winning her sixth World
Championship title the Freestyle modality in Taiba, Ceara, Brasil. In March, she was in Salinas del Rey, Colombia, and took the win.
The focus of this top athlete continues over the next 6 months. "In Brazil, my priority is training Freestyle, but there is also the possibility of practicing Big Air. I have been out of the country since November, and returning home to Taíba, my backyard, is every athlete's dream. Brazil is the best place in the World to train because the wind is consistent and blows daily! I love the Brazilian vibe and being with my family.
The possibility of winning two world titles in 2023 could make Mika repeat her 2018 feat. "I'm pretty fired up about my results this year, and I want to keep doing the same things next year," revealed the kitesurfer, "All the championships are challenging, and the girls' maneuvers are getting more and more consistent, and consistency is the most difficult thing. For me, the hardest event was in QATAR this year," she added, Ï just wasn't on my game."
"I couldn't train on the water these past two months because I didn't have good wind conditions in Tarifa. Usually, Tarifa is extremely windy, but the wind didn't cooperate this season. I was only training two hours a day in the gym. But, I know what to do when it is time for competition, and everything worked out". - Mikaili Sol
Retrospective
Mikaili Sol's performance in kitesurfing goes back many years. The athlete placed first for four consecutive years in the Junior World Championships, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. In 2017, Mika also participated in The WKL World Trials to earn her place on the World Pro Tour. Mika took first place in WKL Trails in Egypt and second overall on the WKL Trials Tour, earning her spot on the WKL World Tour 2017. However, she was not allowed to join the World Tour as a twelve-year-old.
2018 Mika joined the GKA World Big Air Tour (formerly known as the WKL). She earned first place at the GKA Airgames in Spain, the Dominican Republic, and Germany. She also joined the GKA Freestyle World Tour; the podium was hers in Turkey, Morocco, and Brazil. In 2018, Mika won her first two GKA World Titles in a single year.
In 2019, Mika was on top of the podium five times (Kitesurf Strapless / Wave World Tour in Brazil; GKA Freestyle / Big Air World Tour in Gran Canaria, Bel Ombre, Morocco, and Brazil. She places second and third in France and Spain during the World Tour, respectively. Mika's fourth GKA World Title came this year. In 2019, the two disciplines were combined in the same Wolrd tour.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, only four competitions were held in 2020, and no World Champions were crowned. Mikaili Sol took first place in the GKA Freestyle Distance Battle (Virtual) and GKA Freestyle World Tour Event. She also took second place in the GKA Strapless Distance Battle (Virtual) and fourth place in the GKA Wave World Tour in Cape Verde, not her standard kitesurfing disciplines. She is a Big Air and Freestyle rider, but she wanted to try something new and participated in the Strapless/ Waves competitions.
In 2021, she won her fifth World Title on the GKA Freestyle / Big Air World Tour. She took first place at the GKA Freestyle / Big Air World Tour in Spain and the GKA Freestyle / Big Air World Tour in Brazil.
Among the numerous titles Mikaili Sol continues to collect, it is worth highlighting her sixth World Title at the GKA World Cup 2022, which the athlete won in her home country. It was in November last year, on the beach of Taíba, in São Gonçalo do Amarante, in Ceará.
In December, at the final stop of the GKA World Freestyle Tour, Mika has the potential to lift the GKA World title trophy for the eighth time, and she will be just 19 years old.