GKA Youth Twintip Kite World Championship kicks off in St Peter-Ording
by Ian MacKinnon 18 Aug 03:47 PDT
19-23 August 2026
GKA Youth Twintip Kite World Championship © Samuel Cardenas
The first Twintip Youth Worlds are gearing up for take-off at the iconic kite setting of St Peter-Ording, Germany, with a big of field of 68 young athletes ready to battle for titles.
The teenage boys and girls will battle in the U14, U16, and U19 divisions, returning to St Peter-Ording's wide open strand for a second straight year after the resort hosted the first Big Air Youth Worlds.
This season's one-off title fight at the GKA Youth Twintip World Championship St Peter-Ording will look to build momentum on last year's event, with a blend of Big Air, Freestyle, or Airstyle depending on the conditions.
If breezes are moderate, it is likely the judges will focus on traditional Freestyle elements, like unhooked tricks and handlepasses. Airstyle may also feature in the right conditions, with hooked-in backrolls and frontrolls making up the trick list.
But if wind comes up in St Peter Ording, the judging criteria will switch to Big Air tricks, like high-flying kite loops and contra-loops, with backrolls, board-flips and tic-tacs.
The Boys' U19 division is likely to be the most hotly contested with 26 entrants. It boasts some of the biggest names in the sport who have already made their name on the senior circuit.
Germany's Finn Flügel, 17, will be battling for glory in front of home fans. Flügel is the reigning senior GKA Freestyle Kite World Champion and must be considered hot favourite for the Youth title, especially if conditions lean towards Freestyle.
But Flügel is no slouch when it comes to Big Air and took a second place at the opening senior World Cup at Lords of Tram in France. Martin Rahnel, of Estonia, who battled at Lords of Tram last season, will also be part of the line-up.
On the girls' side, Kailani Friedrich, of Austria, must be a strong contender in the Girls' U19 division after she made her debut in the GKA Big Air finale in Mykonos, Greece, in July.
In the Girls' U16 division Bulgaria's Aya Kasabova is another hot favourite. Kasabova already made a name for herself when she was runner-up at the GKA Big Air World Cup finale in Mykonos, beaten only by world champion, Brazil's Mikaili Sol, in the final.
To be eligible for each age category, the young athletes must be below the age threshold for the whole of this year. For instance, to gain entry to the U14 age group, the rider must be 13-years-old or below for the whole of 2026. For U16, they must be 15 or below all of this year, and in the U19, they must be 18 or less all through this calendar year.
St Peter-Ording is the perfect venue to showcase the pioneering GKA Twintip World Championship. The crowds flock to the North Sea shoreline to see the action in an unrivalled natural arena.
The vibrant sporting atmosphere with countless attractions on the beach lends the event a festival feel that puts St Peter-Ording centre stage.