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Kiteboarding - 15. November 2019.

GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Prea: Women's Single Elimination

MIKAILI SOL TAKES BREATHTAKING WIN... IN HER FIRST STRAPLESS FREESTYLE EVENT! 

15 year-old 3 x FREESTYLE World Champion makes highly successful switch to win women's GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Brazil Women's Single Elimination  

Women's single elimination
No need to blink, that's Mikaili on top of a strapless freestyle podium...
Single elimination winner: Mikaili Sol, 2nd Marcela Witt, 3rd Carla Herrera-Oria, 4th Charlotte Carpentier 
Current discipline: Strapless Freestyle 
Location: Rancho do Peixe, Prea


Get up to speed with the race for the final season's podium for both the men and women in this newsletter – Livestream coverage continues today on what should be the biggest day of the season!

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Having already sealed the deal on this year's GKA FREESTYLE World Championship with one more round to come (also in Brazil, next week), 15-year-old Mikaili Sol decided that, as the Kite-Surf discipline was wrapping up at her home spot in Prea, she'd have nothing to lose by throwing her hat into the ring. 
Mikaili Sol
That's the front roll dialled in, then!
Compared to the more established men's scene, as a professional movement the women's strapless freestyle discipline is still in its infancy. This being only the second full female tour season, Mikaili has perhaps spotted a way of catching up to Spaniard Gisela Pulido's massive haul of nine official World Titles (that she had achieved by 2014) by potentially trying to win two titles next year! 
Mikaili
It was all just fun in the home sun for Sol
The young Brazilian only decided to start training properly for strapless freestyle two weeks ago, but such are the consistency of conditions here in Prea that she was able to dedicate six hours on the water each day for that fortnight. 
Against Canadian tour regular, Frances Kelly, she opened up with her first trick attempt in her first heat by scoring the season's highest women's trick score, getting a 9.4 for a front roll, popping harder than anyone else and yet showing beautiful control throughout the rotation and landing with speed. Sure, she's young and has incredible freestyle acumen and body kinaesthetics, but that's just a bit rude! 
Mikaili
Mikaili's rodeo kite loop
Carla Herrera-Oria has already done enough to secure the women's Kite-Surf world title and she showed all the resilience we've come to respect from this hard working competitor. A kitesurfing instructor from Tarifa, the Ocean Rodeo rider developed a pure enjoyment for this discipline three years ago and pushed hard for more women to take it up and create a regular tour fleet. 
Carla
Carla - always up for the fight
Carla drew Mikaili in the semi-final: 2019 Freestyle World Champion against 2019 Kite-Surf World Champion. Clearly there was more pressure on Carla as the specialist in this discipline, but the scale of facing a truly prodigious, younger talent who was riding relaxed at her home spot, quickly became apparent. 
Carla is so consistent in her array of tricks, you have to respect the way she has set about becoming a competitor and learning to nail tricks across five different categories - whatever the conditions. As the highest ranked rider she had a bye in round one. Her three single elimination heat scores yesterday (with five tricks counting from different trick families / ten attempts allowed) were 26.57, 24.83 and 23.04; the smooth back roll rodeo being her key weapon, frequently securing her more than six points each time. 
Fans
Young fans were impressed 
However, Mikaili's comfort with high speed technical freestyle gave her the edge and it's amazing to see how she's managed to transfer that into the strapless discipline. Her semi-final performance against Carla gave the Brazilian her highest heat score of the day, 38.27; made up with 6.5 for a back roll board-off, 9.67 for a front roll board-off, 3.27 for a big straight air, 9.33 for a front roll and 9.5 for a back roll rodeo.
Carla and Charlotte
Carla and Charlotte 
Carla went on to claim third step on the single elimination podium, convincingly beating French rider Charlotte Carpentier in the mini-final, while Mikaili went on to meet another Brazilian rising star in the final. 
Marcela Witt
Marcela Witt 
We last saw Marcela Witt at the event here in Prea last year and with just a few years kiting under her belt, this Rio resident (but regular Prea visitor) (who also has her own show on Brazilian TV!) demonstrated an impressive ability to perform her tricks with more height and amplitude than most. 
Marcela has also confirmed that she will be attending more events outside of Brazil next year.
Neither rider achieved their biggest heat score in the final, but Mikaili reserved her highest individual tricks score, laying down a perfect 10 for a slick front roll right as the starting horn sounded... and she finished a full ten points ahead of Marcela. 
Brazilian finalists
The finalists frolic! 
Marcela and Mika
Marcela and Mika on the mic 
WOMEN'S SINGLE ELIMINATION RESULT: 

1 Mikaili Sol (BRA)
2 Marcela Witt (BRA)
3 Carla Herrera-Oria (ESP)
4 Charlotte Carpentier (FRA)
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