GKA Mykonos Part 5: Day 1 of the Competition

The Brazilian Brothers are on the ground for Day 1 of the GKA Big Air Kite World Cup competition in Mykonos, Greece. Walking down to the event site at 8:30 in the morning, the wind is absolutely nuclear. It's an onshore spot blowing 40 knots, and the sand is flying everywhere. The riders are ready to perform, and everyone is eager to see who is going to take home the world title in both the male and female big air competitions.

The Event Draw

The Men's Division

Looking at the male draw, it's an absolutely stacked competition where anybody could win it. Every single one of these guys has a highly technical and powerful level. Jamie Overbeek, who won the last competition, is in the second heat going up against Andrea Principi. That's going to be a spectacular heat to watch to see who goes straight to Round 3 and who has to battle it out in Round 2.

The Women's Division

Over on the ladies' draw, Alessa Mensch took home the GKA win in France, so she's coming in hot and eager to win. Mikaili Sol from Brazil came in second at that event and is going to be really keen on taking this event home to Brazil. The roster also includes strong names like Nathalie Lambrecht and Francesca Maini. There are also brand new riders hitting the water, like 16-year-old Kailani, who's coming in for the first GKA of her life and is stoked to go deep into the competition.

Photo Credit: GKA Kite World tour

Beach Conditions and Gear Check

Down on the beach, the conditions are insane with gusts pushing 35 to 40 knots. All the legends are pumping up. Max Tullett from the UK is out there trying to prove himself, alongside legends like Principi and Overbeek setting up their Rebel D/Labs. The beach is filling up quickly with a ton of kites already on the ground. You can spot NXTs, Gong kites, Orbit Ultras, XR Pros, and Rebel D/Labs. It's going to be super curious to see which material prevails here in Mykonos. This is the first time this event is being held here, and the athletes are going to be pushing their absolute best for a grand prize total of 60,000 Euros.

Kite Legend Ruben Lenten at the DJ Booth

Bringing the vibes to the beach is kite legend Ruben Lenten at the DJ booth. Ruben noted that the expectations are high for the Brazilian Brothers to bring the energy, as they always do. With 36 athletes in total — 12 female and 24 male — everybody is hungry for that title. Big air action is guaranteed with the wind already delivering. Ruben also gave a shoutout to the upcoming party on November 7th in Tatajuba, Brazil, telling anyone around to come bring the vibes.

Competition Format

Just like the setup in France, there's a specific order for the athletes. Each rider gets 40 seconds to do their trick. Once the green flag goes up on the hill, the competition is officially on. The first heat serves as a qualifier for the Greek riders to see who advances into the main competition. For Round 1 of the main event, nobody gets eliminated. However, it's highly strategic to win your heat so you can preserve your energy, skip Round 2, and advance straight into Round 3.

Round 1, Heat 1: Maxwell Dahl vs. Josh Gillitt vs. Shahar Tsabary

The first round kicked off with absolute insanity. Heat 1 featured Maxwell Dahl on North, Josh Gillitt on F-One, and Shahar Tsabary on Core. The boys went absolutely nuts against each other. Josh struggled a little bit to find his rhythm early on, but Shahar caught a massive, magic gust and was flying. Josh eventually found his groove, throwing a massive move and landing it cleanly.

Coming off the water, Shahar mentioned that it was a bit hard to take off, but he expects the direction to get better. He noted that he needs to squeeze out a bit more power, more height, and more technicality moving forward. Maxwell Dahl also came off the water feeling good. He mentioned that while it's a bit choppy, the chop doesn't do much here because the jumps are so lofty that you don't even notice it on the landing. His game plan for the next round is to stay consistent and not rush it.

Photo Credit: GKA Kite World tour

Round 1, Heat 2: Jamie Overbeek vs. Andrea Principi vs. Yucel Paralik

Heat 2 was an absolute banger, featuring Jamie Overbeek, Andrea Principi, and Yucel Paralik battling for a spot straight into Round 3. Jamie Overbeek took the win for the heat. Coming off the water, Jamie said he felt good but was hoping for slightly better conditions, noting it was a bit light and gusty. Despite that, he managed to put some good tricks on the scoreboard, securing the highest score of the event so far. His plan is to go even more full-send in the next heats and hope for some proper wind.

Andrea Principi also noted that the wind was really tricky. It started to pick up but got gusty, though he hopes it will stabilize later. He is heading into Round 2 and is ready to keep going big.

Photo Credit: GKA Kite World tour

Round 1, Heat 3: Jinne Boer vs. Cohan Van Dijk vs. Josue San Ferreira (Baby Shark)

Heat 3 brought Baby Shark (Josue San Ferreira) into the water against Jinne Boer and Cohan Van Dijk. Baby Shark found his groove immediately on his prototype Airush kite, landing everything despite the gnarly chop. He came off the water stoked, saying the wind conditions were perfect and better than he expected. While everyone else was on 9m and 10m kites, he was powered up on an 8m.

Baby Shark was thrilled to take the win over Cohan and the rest of the guys, advancing straight to Round 3. He mentioned that he tried a boogie tick-tack board throw — aiming to be the first in the world to land a "boogie ninja" — but decided he had to save something for the later rounds. He's heading straight to Round 3 with plenty of tricks left in the bag.

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