Let’s start this post by quoting Josie West, kiteboarding instructor and founder of SHE FLIES.
“The whole world is doing everything to convince each other that men and women are equal in so many ways – but genetically, we’re not. Men are bigger, stronger, faster. Women are smaller, agile, supple. Our determination is the same, our commitment, ambition, it’s all the same but our riding is slightly different. For me, a woman riding in any discipline is beautiful and it’s the same in Wakeboarding, Skating, Surfing; there’s a divine femininity and it should be singled out and celebrated.”
The debate of comparison between physical strength of men and women has been there for centuries and is still ongoing. That doesn’t mean women cannot practice the same sports having in mind that inclusion doesn’t mean equality.
Let’s check these amazing female riders and get inspired:
Bruna Kajiya
Born February 25 1987 in Brazil, she is a professional kiteboarder six-time Vice World Champion and a three-time World Champion Freestyle (2009, 2016, and 2017) in the World Kiteboarding League (WKL). In 2018, the WKL was replaced by the Global Kite sports Association (GKA) which became the official Kite Surfing World Title organization. In 2019, Bruna was the GKA Vice World Freestyle Champion, giving her sixth Vice World Championship Title. In 2016, Bruna was the first woman to land a “Backside 315” a trick that combines a 540-degree rotation and double handle-pass.
Gisela Pulido
Born January 14, 1994 in Spain, the Catalan Gisela Pulido, who lives in Tarifa, has been 10 times a world freestyle champion. She started very young at just 10 years old, and since then she has not stopped breaking records. In addition to her undeniable technical skills with the Kiteboard and kite, Gisela has great contracts with a multitude of firms in the nautical sector.
Karolina Winkowska
Born October 13, 1990 in Poland, she was initiated in the world of snowboarding and she decided to jump into the nautical modality of Kiteboarding in 2004. She became a world champion in 2012 and she is another great example for young people who want to start in this sport. Her adaptation of winter sports, where she also reaped great triumphs, to Kiteboarding has been amazing and nowadays no one can deny her privileged place among the most prestigious riders in the world.
Mikaili Sol
Born October 30,2004 in Prea Brazil, Mikaili Sol is the current youth world champion. She is only 15 and was 4x freestyle kiteboarding world youth champion in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Annelous Lammerts
Annelous started kiteboarding in the summer of 2009 and has been addicted to the wind ever since. Every windy day she would go 17 kilometers to Brouwersdam for a kite session and sometimes she would arrive when the wind was gone. Just for the love of this sport she deserves to be in this top of the best female kiteboarders.
In 2019, Annelous managed to make her biggest dream of recent years come true, winning the 2019 Triple S Invitational, KPL’s biggest event. She earned a second place at the second stop and a first at the last stop, becoming a Kite Park League world tour champion for the second time.
Pippa van Iersel
Born in 1999 and living in Schellinkhout, the Netherlands. Since the age of thirteen, she has been an enthusiastic kiteboarder.
She has been participating in several national competitions like the OZK and KBO. Kicking off with a third place at the Junior World championships in France and a reaching stunning second place at the Junior European championships. Her best finish this year was reaching first place at the Dutch Nationals championship.
Annabel van Westerop
Born February 21, 1994, the second Dutch woman among the top rank prospects is this young rider. Living in Aruba since she was eleven, the Caribbean beaches introduced her to the world of kiteboarding and water sports. Despite not having achieved great victories, with the exception of the silver medal obtained at an international kiteboarding tournament in Colombia.
Angely Bouillot
Born and raised in the windy town of Leucate on the southeastern shores of France along the Mediterranean, Angely followed in her brother’s footsteps into skiing from the early age of 3!…and then attended a competitive skiing school throughout her teens. Kiteboarding entered Angely’s life at the age of 15 when her family traveled to the seaside town of Lacanau on France’s southwestern Atlantic coast. Angely started with windsurfing lessons along with her mother and brother but at the insistence of the instructor who recognized her talent, she converted to kiteboarding as has been a very dedicated kiteboarder ever since.
Paula Novotna
She started kiteboarding at the age of 14 after competing in numerous sports related to gymnastics. From 2012 she began to dedicate herself fully to the Kiteboarding modality in a professional way and since then she has been occupying the most privileged positions of the international classifications.
So as you can see, there is no shortage of talent when it comes to female kiteboarders from all around the world. I’m always on the lookout for the newest kiteboarding stars because part of being a wind addict is seeing other wind addicts. Until our next blog!