DUOTONE

Last weekend’s action during the final event of the Qatar Airways GKA Freestyle World Tour 2022 at Brazil’s infamous Taiba lagoon, undoubtedly one of the most legendary and perfect freestyle spots in the world, was one for the history books. With constant wind and no chop whatsoever, the competitors could reach their full potential with nothing affecting their performance other than skill, nerves and composure.

Two riders rose above the rest and we are more than proud of both being part of our team: Gianmaria Coccoluto (ITA) and Mikaili Sol (BRA).

As this event was deciding the final rankings for the season and crowning the new 2022 World Champions, the hunger of all the contestants was palpable. With nine riders still in the game for the title, there was no room for error or nerves.

Gianmaria Coccoluto (ITA) was well and truly up to the challenge, delivering the most consistently spectacular and progressive display of riding out of everybody throughout every single heat of the entire event. In full beast mode, Gianmaria stomped out the heat of his life in the quarters that was rewarded by the judges with 38.74 points out of a possible 40. Unbelievable. 

Ultimately his nerves of steel and insane riding secured him the event win and thus Gianmaria's first world title. The Italian powerhouse has been super focused on making his mark on the world tour rankings for some considerable time. We are so pumped you pulled it off Gianmaria, your performance in Taiba was legendary! We couldn’t be more stoked about having you on the team, you truly deserve this title.

In the women’s final, the reigning World Champion 2021, our Mikaili Sol (BRA) did what she does best: going harder, higher, more critical and more technical with more physical potency than any of her competitors. Living literally only 15 minutes from Taiba lagoon, Mika’s joy and excitement at competing in this perfect setting were blindingly obvious. Sending it like no tomorrow, she claimed victory in the event, securing her sixth (6x!!) World Crown. Congratulations Mika, your riding continuously leaves us speechless. Thank you for pushing the sport so hard and continuously raising the bar of kiteboarding to new levels.