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/ NEWS / SPY NETWORK
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SPY NETWORK
KEVIN’S DOUBLE KOTA WIN BRINGS HIM LEVEL WITH HADLOW ALTHOUGH THE SWITCH IN VENUE FOR THE KING OF THE AIR THIS YEAR DIDN’T BRING THE ABSOLUTE TOP-END WINDS THAT WERE HOPED FOR, THE CONDITIONS HIT EARLY IN THE WIND WINDOW AND BROUGHT A QUICK CLIMAX TO THE 2018 CONTEST IN WHICH NEW ENTRANTS HIGHLY IMPRESSED IN THEIR ADAPTATION KITEWORLD EDITOR JIM GAUNT CO-HOSTED THE RED BULL LIVESTREAM AND ASSESSES THE OUTCOME HERE WORDS: JIM GAUNT P H O T O S : T Y R O N E B R A D L E Y, C R A I G K O L E S K Y A N D Y D W E R V A N D E R H E I D E / R E D B U L L C O N T E N T P O O L
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Kevin hooking into some height! Left to right: Lewis Crathern (3rd), Kevin Langeree (King), Liam Whaley (2nd)
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hat a special time of year it is when the Red Bull King of the Air immediately promises to raise spirits after the new year come down. For 2018 Red Bull had pushed ahead with their ambitious plans to move the Cape Town venue three kilometres upwind from Big Bay to Kite Beach. If you’ve watched the King of the Air in the past and tried to appreciate what the riders do in strong winds, it’s hard to believe that they could demand even more wind! Situated upwind, the wind fills in earlier at Kite Beach and lasts longer into the evening than Big Bay, and most often, is several knots stronger at its peak. So although the logistics were challenging as all infrastructure had to be set up from scratch at the new location (Big Bay is much more plug and play for Red Bull as they base out of the lifesaving club building there and don’t need to worry so much about other practicalities as the natural amphitheatre of the bay at Big Bay made it an easier prospect to run). But nevertheless, this contest is all about progression, and if hauling the whole circus upwind was going to provide that, then ‘bring it on’ was the call.
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/ NEWS / SPY NETWORK
There’s always an heir of apprehension around town as the contest window approaches, but this year the new venue and tweaked judging criteria allowing for more overall impression combined with height only added to anxiety levels. Lewis Crathern was obviously taking the event very seriously this year. Unlike other riders who are perhaps more broad in their approach to kitesurfing disciplines, Lewis lies at the heart of a core group of riders who mainly focus on high wind big air. He refused interviews prior to the event, unusual given his ‘voice of kiteboarding’ status, but was a reflection of how seriously some were taking it. As the oldest rider in the contest at 32, perhaps he wondered how many more chances he’ll get, and after coming back from a savage wipeout in 2016 that left him in hospital, it was clear in the weeks leading up to the 2018 KOTA that Lewis was riding at the very top of his game. He was hungry. Like many, he just needed the new venue to come through with the 35+ knots. And for periods it did. The contest ran over two days and on day one Lewis breezed through his first round and went straight to round four. High profile casualties in round one included Jesse Richman, Kevin Langeree and Ruben Lenten! Ruben went on to lose in round two and clearly pegs his performance purely on the strongest wind performance, and perhaps his early exit and others like him, are a signal that to do well now you need more than a one track game plan. Kevin Langeree got the bit between his teeth to come back the long way to win the title after losing his round one heat, but as Kevin can, he stepped his performance up with each round and when the conditions are borderline for extreme big air, Kevin has a wealth of tricks, from crowd pleasers to massive, technical board-offs and mega loops. He didn’t ever feel the need to stretch as far as handle-passes because he already had enough variety in his repertoire for a high overall score in each round. Liam Whaley was a wildcard for this event, scoring entry because last year’s winner, the ever-popular Nick Jacobsen, had pulled out after breaking his ankle, just days before the event. A world champion freestyle rider, the young Spaniard adapted best to the conditions, and brought a fresh approach that mixed his freestyle prowess with a surprisingly assured and well-rounded, aggressive big air ability. He wasted no time setting his stall out in the contest in round one with impressive mega loop combinations and powered kung-fu passes. He then visually progressed and gained more confidence in his big air combinations as his heats progressed, stating in the end that he landed some tricks for the first time. That’s what this contest can do to riders. 25 knots was the reality for a large part of the contest, and riders who are adept enough and with enough broad vision to bring progression in those conditions to the party, will always do well. The Red Bull King of the Air will continue to promise the magical 35 – 40 knot dream, but with the GKA launching their new Kiteboarding World Tour that’s focused on Big Air this year, it’s riders who can really turn their hand to crowd entertainment with real big air technical progression that will set the sport alight in the coming few seasons. The mega loop has set the core vibe, but peripheral application around that will carry us forward. The show goes on... and it will gain howls of appreciation. KW
The young Spaniard said the atmosphere on the beach pushed him to go for tricks he’d not landed before!
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Liam Whaley stormed the podium at his first King of the Air