Arnaus is Vice World Champion!

In the first heat of the day, Francesca Bagnoli, Rita Arnaus, Nina Font, and Claudia Leon would battle it out for an all Duotone heat to get the competition underway. Fresh off an injury, Claudia came our firing, scoring a huge 6.17 Heart Attack for her first trick of the day sending her off on a path to success and qualifying in second behind Rita who would both progress into the final. From start to finish, Rita showed us once again that consistency is key showcasing her ability to adapt by performing a different set of tricks than we are used to seeing in a heat from the Spaniard. Coming into the event, Rita was positioned behind tour leader Bruna Kajiya so the pressure was on to deliver a good result and solidify her standing for the season.

Francesca, joining the tour again for the 2024 season after a hiatus from competition, had several great results with her best event happening in Brazil where we witnessed her powerful and committed riding style earn her a third place finish. A high she set off to achieve again in Qatar but unfortunately came up just short behind teammate Claudia for a spot in the final. However, Francesca finishes the season with an impressive fourth place world ranking.

Francesca comments, “It was a good season even though it didn't end like I wanted it to. I'm proud of myself because stepping back in the game after a long break requires a lot of mental and physical strength, but I'm enjoying it while doing it and I can't wait to be back in the water to train even harder to be ready for the next season”

As the competition progressed, it was clear that Claudia was excited to be back. Her riding showing that she felt strong and was wasn’t holding back which earned her a third place finish for the event. Claudia remarks on her return to competition; ”This was the quickest comp there has ever been. I woke up at 7am to compete after arriving at 4am at the hotel. After 2 hours the girls were done, we even had a beach podium! I dreamt of my comeback for a full year since my injury back in November 2023 and I couldn't have asked for more. I feel more than grateful for the recovery I've had surrounded by my family and my friends. I'm hungry for more"

But it was a dream realized for Rita who had an incredible season on tour delivering another spectacular second place finish and solidifying another Vice World Championship title. “This season has been all about my comeback, pushing boundaries, overcoming challenges, and focusing deeply on mental strength. After facing a few injuries and limited time for training, I’ve realized more than ever that the mind is the most powerful tool we have. The experiences of the pas year have been very helpful to show up stronger, compete smarter, and make the most of every moment on the water. It felt incredible to tap into that adrenaline rush of competing again, to embrace the pressure, and to enjoy the reward that comes with it. This final event, at the place where I broke my ligaments almost two years ago, was a reminder of why I love what I do, every challenge and every comeback makes the journey even more rewarding.”

Many congratulations to Rita for becoming the 2024 GKA Vice World Champion! 

Over on the men’s ladder, it was again Duotone vs Duotone with Val Garat and Karim (Kimo) Mahmound going head to head in round 1. Despite the best efforts from veteran Val, it would be Kimo who would come out on top making it to his first ever final and achieve a fourth place finish for the event. From Kimo; “It was amazing to make it to my first final after being so close in the last two events, it has been a dream of mine for so long now. I Can’t wait for next years tour to keep pushing myself and honestly it’s been such a pleasure to ride against people that are all pushing this discipline to a new level!”

Despite a tumultuous start to the event for Val, he manages to push through to the semi-final round and secure his fifth place world ranking for the season. "We had some light conditions with not very many riders which was nice because we could finish the event. In my first heat, my leash broke so I was in a bit of a rush, losing my kite however, I was still able to make it to the semi-final. Then in my next heat, I felt the wind pick up so I changed kites from my 15m Juice DLab to my 13m however, it was a bad choice and I didn't have enough power to land my best tricks in the light conditions.” Coming off a stellar performance in Brazil, this wasn’t quite the result that Val had set his sights on however he comments that “I had for sure hoped for a bit more but it was a good season and I had a good fight with Kimo where he overtook me in the last event so it’s good to see the Duotone riders pushing each other and hopefully do even better next year making it to the podium!”

Missing from the roster in Qatar was 2022 World Champion, Gianmaria Cocolluto who couldn’t make it to the event at the last minute. ”The 2024 competition season was not the best for me. Starting with a competition in France in really hard cold conditions and in that comp I didn’t make it to the final just crashed the last trick!   Then Brazil was the best competition of the year, it started really well with a super high score for my first tricks 9,10 but sometimes you are unlucky and so in the semifinal I took the wrong kite, an 11m, and it wasn’t enough for me to perform with my style and with a good kite position so I missed a few tricks and didn’t make it to the final by 1 point! I just missed the last stop in Qatar because I was sick with a fever. So overall, not the best year of competition for me but in 2025, I will be on point to take the title again.”

Congratulations to all of the riders on an amazing season!