Duotone DRIVEN Magazine No.04

In 2015, at the age of 10 , Mikaili Sol, short Mika, started competing in the Junior World Championships. From that moment onwards, the kiteboarding world has witnessed a then little girl, swiping the Freestyle winner’s podiums like no other, scoring oneWorld Champion title after the other. Now, 8 years later, Mika is still on top, having added Strapless as well as Big Air to the plate. “ From the time I started kiting, my biggest dream was always to be the best female kitesurfer in the world. As a kid, I would always put 100% of my efforts into kiting, and that was all I could think of. I trained in the water every day and dedicated all my time to it. I always got told I have natural talent, which I won't deny. But I also did dedicate hundreds of hours to the sport. And it payed off. I progressed very quickly. During the Juniors I was almost untouchable. I knew that if I landed my tricks and did my best no one would be able to compete. Since my first world title in 2018, my hunger for more has never subsided. I have been winning the World Championships since then, becoming World Champion also in 2019, 2021, and 2022. Still I was super young and growing up this way was not always easy. Friendships for example surely were different to other kids. All of my friends have always been a part of the kiting world. On the one hand they were all stoked about what I achieved at such small age. But at the same time, most of them were my competition, often being a few years older than me. I’m sure they were stoked for me. But having a little 10 or 11-year-old kid kicking their butt surely wasn’t the most excellent feeling for them either. Besides all glory, I have also doubted my life as a professional kitesurfer and thought of quitting the sport at a certain point, though it was only a passing thought. I wanted to do something else than Freestyle, I needed something different. That’s when I stumbled onto Strapless. I never really did strapless before but in 2019 I had the opportunity to compete in Brazil, not far from where I lived, that gave me the push to go and try it out. Doing just Freestyle wasn’t enough for me at the time, and I was becoming unmotivated to train, so I focused my energy on a different discipline of the sport. I went the the competition in Prea just for fun and I won with very little experience. That motivated me to go to the next tour stop in Cabo Verde in early 2020. After that, I felt like Strapless was not where I was meant to be and ended up stopping. My Big Air journey started in May 2022. I immediately progressed and it became something that truly set my heart on fire. It was and is incredibly exhilarating to do Big Air. Unlike Freestyle, Big Air is a high-risk, high-reward sport. It’s easier than Freestyle but holds a higher injury risk, so it is essential to have control at all times. In 2022 Big Air also gave me my 5th world title. I won the GKA Big Air competition in Tarifa. Everything feels familiar in Big Air but, at the same time, foreign. It’s becoming my new calling and something that I intend to spend a lot of time and focus on. Flying through the sky at high speeds while doing a loop is a feeling like no other and I love it. On the other hand Freestyle has always been my base and has taken up most of my kiting days. It’s where I feel the most connected. That being said I enjoy doing all disciplines from time to time. They all make me feel different, but the adrenaline and fun are all the same. All my life the temptation of getting better, learning new tricks, and feeling the stoke of landing something new has driven me. Looking back the most significant difference to now is knowing it’s okay to lose and how to keep my calm. My strategy and perception of competition have evolved, and I have a higher knowledge of how the game of competition works. I also know that it’s important to have fun while doing it. That’s what keeps you motivated. And there is one more thing that motivates me: It’s that I can be an inspiration. After all the years and winning so may titles I really hope to inspire not only girls but young people in general, to come into kiting by having fun and wanting to get better. Young people are the future of the sport, and without them, the kiteboarding world will not be around. So my goal is to inspire them to be better and come into kiting with a new and different outlook. ” MIKAILI SOL  INSIGHTS OF AN EXCEPTIONAL TALENT Photos  Lukas Stiller Copy  Mikaili Sol T H E T E A M 98 D R I V E N D R I V E N 99