We’re honored to announce that many of our F-One team riders have been nominated for this year’s 2022 GKA Awards. Support our athletes by casting your vote by June 7th to help secure their awards!
MALE RIDER OF THE YEAR: MAXIME CHABLOZ
Maxime Chabloz is arguably the most versatile athlete on the GKA Freestyle World Tour. Maxime grew up in the Swiss Alps with the mountains and the lakes on his doorstep. These idyllic conditions provided him with the perfect playground to work on freestyle kitesurfing and freestyle skiing.
2021/2022 has been Maxime’s most successful season as an athlete as he placed second overall on the GKA Freestyle World Tour. Remarkably he also won an immensely impressive Ski Freeride World Championship earlier this year. Compounding his unique all-round riding skills and competitive ability, he won the GKA Freestyle Distance Battle in 2020 and placed 3rd on GWA Wingfoil World Tour in Tarifa 2020.
MALE RIDER OF THE YEAR: CHARLES BRODEL
Charles Brodel is one rider at the forefront of hydrofoil freestyle, a new and evolving discipline. His competitive journey in kitesurfing commenced in landkite racing and freestyle where he found kite flying to be most exhilarating.
He is 2x Landkite Junior French Champion and is the Landkite Race Champion 2017. In 2019 Brodel also won the Champion du monde Speed Crossing on a twintip. Nevertheless, Brodel’s highlight moment was when he was crowned the KiteFoil Freestyle World Champion in 2021. During this event Brodel posted several world firsts in competition such as the Brodel Flip and the one foot fuselage grab. He has more or less owned the extreme big air foiling space and will aim to claim the GKA Big Air World Championship title in Tarifa in June.
MEN’S BEST MOVE OF THE YEAR: MAXIME CHABLOZ – BACK MOBE 7
MAXIME ON THIS HIGHLY TECHNICAL FREESTYLE TRICK:
“A mobe 7 always feels special to me because I’m one of just a few riders who can do it and I think I’m pretty much the only one that does it on a daily basis.”
MEN’S BEST MOVE OF THE YEAR: CHARLES BRODEL – BOARD-OFF KITELOOP ON A FOIL
CHARLES BRODEL ON THE FIRST EVER BOARD OFF KITELOOP ON A FOIL
“This trick was one of the scariest tricks I have ever tried with my foil! I started horizontally, with my feet close to the foil, it was scary. On my first try it felt impossible to control the foil during the loop because it flew away with the wind. But now I have a technique where I use my elbow to be able to hold it into the wind. I was so happy to be the first one to land this on a foil! In my mind it was impossible to land it because of the high speeds on the landing, but somehow I managed it!”
FEMALE RIDER OF THE YEAR: MARCELA WITT
Marcela Witt is a kitesurfer from the beautiful north shores of Brazil. She began kitesurfing at a young age in Rio de Janeiro as her father and grandad had taken up the sport. Since then, Marcela has dedicated her life to kitesurfing. She is the Brazilian Kitesurf Champion and she recently won the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup in Morocco 2021.
Amongst winning world cup events, Marcela has also been setting world records in her free time. She was recently the first woman ever to kitesurf Nazare, Portugal in 2021 and she was also the first woman to kitesurf in Antarctica. Not only does Marcela compete in kitesurfing but she is also an avid wingfoiler. In 2021 Marcela was crowned South American Wingfoil World Champion.
BEST SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION: MITU MONTEIRO
Wave Master World Champion, Mitu Monteiro is a true waterman. Raised by a single mother, living in a small fishing village in Cabo Verde, Mitu grew up by the ocean but had no access to gear and very little money. His passion for kitesurfing developed over years of playing in the waves and discovering different crafts to do so, first with plastic water bottles stuffed in a bag, then with a discarded windsurf board, and finally with a kite. His status as an icon of strapless riding was originally born out of a lack of gear–he wanted to ride at Punta Preta but didn’t have a board and so he took his surfboard. That fateful decision led to a decade-long career as a professional athlete and waterman. Mitu is acknowledged as a pioneer of the discipline of strapless kitesurfing but has had an even more incredible impact on the sport through his leadership and ability to give back.
Today Mitu’s primary focus is on giving back to his community by empowering the local kids of Cabo Verde to get on the water. He requires that they maintain a certain level in their academics and pushes his students to maintain good grades. He’s also an advocate for the ocean and has recently launched a petition to protect Punta Preta. His influence on the younger generation and drive to protect the environment make him a well-deserved nominee for the GKA Social Award of the Year.
BEST SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION: MARCELA WITT
Brazilian GKA Kite-Surf World Tour competitor, Marcela Witt has a huge following in her homeland as she’s also a well known TV personality. As well as being passionate competitor, Marcela also uses her profile to raise awareness about environmental pressures on the ocean and land that are particular to Brazil.
