Day Two | North X Red Bull King Of The Air 2024 recap
With Tibo Slock at Kite Beach, Cape Town, SA
In the last minutes of daylight, on the last day of the event wind window, the 2024 Open Division final impression score was tallied, and the results were announced.
North congratulates Italian Andrea Principi on his second Red Bull King of the Air title. Finishing only a fraction ahead of fellow Italian Lorenzo Casati, Principi delivered a series of impressive moves to take the win, including a Contra Loop Back Tornado Board-Off (7.18 points), Doobie Loop Board Off (6.76 points) and a technical Contra Loop Double Front Roll Rodeo (6.47 points). Congratulations also to Luca Ceruti, the first South African to make a final in 11-years.
Cool, calm and collected
Only minutes before, Andrea had pulled through the final Semi-Final heat against North Rider and 2021 King Marc Jacobs (NZ) to advance to the finals.It was clear that Marc's fire was burning. He was cool and collected but in a flow state and hyper-focused. Marc appeared far calmer than other competitors. While other riders and caddies ran about in circles, the seasoned champion was quietly focused and ready to go.
The sun was already low in the sky when they headed into both riders' third-ever Red Bull King of the Air Semi-final. The wind appeared to have dropped slightly, which was not an advantage for Marc, the heavier rider. But he handled the pressure with his usual dignity and laid down his first challenge right off the buzzer.
He made a clean start with a megaloop late backroll with board-off. Andrea bombed out, crash-landing his first trick but finding the height he needed on the next. Marc answered back with a contra loop of his own. With three and a half minutes to go, we saw a quadruple front roll board-off and contraloop with another rotation from the current king – setting the bar high for the 2021 champion to cross. But next up from the Kiwi, we saw a big double front roll and four-spin contraloop with another front rotation. Marc looked powerful through all his tricks, and with 2 minutes to go, only 0.29 points separated the two riders.
The judges predicted handle pass moves appearing in this heat. But, with a minute left on the clock, Andrea connected on a massive kicker with a strong gust and pulled a mega-move. The fully inverted rodeo board-off contra loop would lay a 2-point buffer between the giants, securing Andrea's spot in the final. Marc put forward a solid attack, earning a well-deserved shared fourth place.
“I’m happy to be back on form and to bring back the consistent and fast-paced Marc Jacobs who won in 2021. My goal is always to win, but losing against the winner in his best heat of the day... I’m satisfied with that.”
- Marc Jacobs
Photo credits: Kyle Cabano
Photo credits: Red Bull Content Pool
D-Day
The uncertainty had been palpable earlier in Day 2 - on the last day of the wind-window waiting period. The forecast shifted up and down, forcing everyone to refresh their forecast app every five minutes, and the main question was whether the wind would kick in on time for the competition to finish. Although the wait was on for the wind, there was a brilliant swell. Waves were long period, over 3m, and lined up at the perfect angle.
Event commentators described the conditions as “mouthwatering”, with 6-8 foot mountains rolling in to provide kickers never seen before at the world's most prestigious Big Air kiteboarding event.
Photo credits: Red Bull Content Pool
Fast forward
At the Skipper's meeting, riders were told that all heats would be shortened from 10 to 8 minutes and the transition time between heats from 4 to 2 minutes. It would be a high-speed mission for event organisers to pull off and for riders to cram their best tricks into the shorter heats.
Day Two kicked off around 17:00 with the Open Round Two, Heat 7. Cohan Van Dijk (NED) took to the skies against Clement Hout (FRA) in Heat 8 on strong form, winning the heat with confidence and advancing to Round Three. "I was focused on my consistency and making sure I landed all my tricks instead of going full risk." His strategy paid off.
Marc Jacobs was also riding strong. His experience helped him on this hectic day, and we saw the competition animal rise from within. The oldest rider in the Open fleet, Marc was determined to show the crowd that he could still perform on the highest level. After a lengthy wait for results in a very close heat against Jason van der Spuy (SA), Marc was announced the winner and advanced to Round Three, where he would come up against Timo Boersema (NED), the same competitor who he'd fallen to in Round One.
Marc’s competition experience played to his advantage in Round Three. Riding powerfully, Marc showed a lot of variation and was, as always, one of the riders to land the most tricks within a heat. This helped him land a high impression score, beat Timo and advance to the Semi-finals, where he would face the defending king, Andrea Principi.
"I was focused on my consistency and making sure I landed all my tricks instead of going full risk."
- Cohan van Dijk
Big C swims for his life
In Round Three, Cohan faced local rider Luca Ceruti (SA). Cohan started strong, but halfway through his heat had a crash, in which he dropped his kite. This cost him crucial minutes. Because of the size of the waves, he was forced to release his kite and swim back to the shore, where his caddy was waiting with a new kite. Cohan did what he could to recover, but it was not enough to beat Luca, who would become the first South African to make it to a KOTA final.
Photo credits: Red Bull Content Pool
An historic moment
Congratulations to North rider Francesca Maini (UK), taking out the 1st-ever Red Bull King of the Air Women's Division.
With winds peaking at 40 knots and 2-3m swells backlit by a fiery Kite Beach sunset, the three female finalists, Francesca, Pippa van Iersel (NED) and Zara Hoogenraad (NED) graced the water right before the Open Finals.
Six of the planet's best female Big Air riders had battled to get to the Women's Division Final. North Team Rider Nathalie Lambrecht was knocked out on Day One, while teammate Francesca led the charge to the podium.
The 13-minute Women’s final was a close game. Current Big Air World Champion Pippa opened with a Kite Loop Back Roll. This was answered by a boogie loop from Zara, then a full-power kite loop late backroll. Francesca attempted her first kite loop board-off but didn't make the landing. However, with still 8 minutes to go, there was no need to panic. An impressive megaloop board-off scored 7.10, and Fran walked away with an 8.54 Impression score, securing her win by more than 2.4 points overall
Photo credits: Kyle Cabano
Photo credits: Red Bull Content Pool
North stoked
North couldn’t be prouder of our riders’ performances at this year’s event.
Massive congratulations to Francesca and also to Marc for showing us his head is well in the game, and he still has what it takes. And to Cohan and Nathalie, nicely played - with excellent sportsmanship and grace.
As event sponsor, North also couldn't be more thrilled with how 2024’s pinnacle of Big Air kiteboarding turned out. Congratulations to the organisers and athletes for putting on such an epic show. Echoing what Red Bull said, the whole event epitomised the raw, unpredictable nature of kiteboarding.
Sportive Director Sergio Cantagalli captured the sentiment:"This was kiteboarding at its most raw and authentic. Holding out for the perfect moment allowed us to witness a truly unforgettable finale. Andrea and Francesca proved themselves champions in every sense."
Setting the tone for the sport's innovative future, Zac Adams won the Mystic Most Extreme Move of the Day for a daring Kiteloop Rotational Boardflip during Round One.With three European qualifiers announced for next year, the Red Bull King of the Air in Cape Town is set to continue its legacy in 2025.
As event sponsor, North also couldn't be more thrilled with how 2024’s pinnacle of Big Air kiteboarding turned out. Congratulations to the organisers and athletes for putting on such an epic show.
