GKA Kite Park League World Championships in Hood River (USA)

GKA Kite Park League World Championships in Hood River (USA)

The Olympic Games in Paris ended yesterday and today a new sport discipline shows up with its very own World Championships in Hood River (USA), the second birthplace of Windsurfing and Kitesurfing next to Hawaii: The first ever World Championships of Park Kitesurf demonstrates impressively what this new stylish discipline, developed over the last years by the Kite Park League (KPL) and a collective of grassroots kiteboarders, has to offer for the future of park contests on the water.

In the men’s final, Jack Rieder (CAN) secures third place overall after a strong comeback in the final, landing the highest trick score of the competition with a 7.65 from 10. Argentina’s Ramiro Gallart, a veteran of the Kite Park movement, delivers a solid performance to claim the runner-up spot. Defending KPL champion Ewan Jaspan (AUS) narrowly retains his lead despite challenges, securing his first Qatar Airways GKA Kite Park League world title by a fraction of a point.

The women’s race for the title is a select line-up of three athletes. Katie Potter, the returning KPL champion from 2023, is in a league of her own. In the final, she shows her class, dominating every round with top scores to secure her first world championship title, with Lauren Holman (CAN) in second and Kristen Cooper (USA) in third.

for editorial use only – credits Andre Magarao