Winners crowned at epic Big Air Brazil stop

  • Australia’s James Carew retains Big Air Surfboard crown on comeback

  • Edgar Ulrich wins first Big Air world cup to open 2025 season

France’s Edgar Ulrich won his first Big Air world cup in Brazil as Australia’s James Carew retained his Surfboard Big Air world title on the final, climactic day in Jericoacoara.

Ulrich used his freestyle experience to build a heat that included a kiteloop handle-pass move in the slightly lighter winds. It was enough to give him the jump on his rivals and come out on top with a convincing win.

“I feel happy about this victory because I’ve been working a lot mentally on this,” said Ulrich. “I know I’ve been stressed out my whole career and now I took it as a pleasure. It changed everything for me. It feels like training; like riding with friends.”

Carew was also delighted with the win on his Big Air comeback after a year out injured. The Australian was head and shoulders above the competition and landed the title again in a dramatic victory.

“That was one of the best heats of my life,” said Carew. “I landed some tricks I didn’t think I was going to get. To be here right now I’m feeling really blessed that the hard work is really paying off.”

The closing day of the Copa Kitley GKA Big Air Kite World Cup Jericoacoara was a high-octane affair with the final stages of the men’s Surfboard and TwinTip Big Air.

 

Mouthwatering match-ups

The TwinTip semi-finals held out the prospect of some mouthwatering match-ups between youth and experience. In the first, Shahar Tsabary (ISR) and Zac Adams (USA) met former world champion Andrea Principi (ITA) and Edgar Ulrich.

Principi unexpectedly went out in fourth place. His highly technical tricks seemed at odds with the judges’ demand for extremity. The teenage Israeli, Tsabary, exited in third place despite an 8.8 for a Kiteloop Frontroll Tic-tac that was the men’s highest score to that point.

The young American Adams was all business after a faltering start, landing 8.7 for a Kiteloop Frontroll Tic-tac that gave him a strong second and a place in the final. France’s Ulrich topped that with a 9.03 for the same trick, helping him to a big heat score of 25.43 that saw him advance.

A second semi-final featured newcomers Jinne Boer, of the Netherlands, and Italy’s Samuele Bandelli. Both gave a good account of themselves, but were perhaps a little overawed by the experience and were sent out.

Finn Flügel put rivals on notice with his first trick, 8.37 for a Contraloop Boardoff Tic-tac that saw him to second place and a spot in the final.

Spain’s Lorenzo Casati opened with big8-point plus tricks. With his final two tricks he earned a 9.0, capped with 9.43 for a Kiteloop Frontroll Tic-tac. It seemed he would be the man to beat in the final.

 

Blazing semi-final

The first final of the 2025 season was a banger that put Zac Adams against Finn Flügel, Edgar Ulrich and Leonardo Casati. Adams opened big, with an 8.8 for a Kiteloop Frontroll Tic-tac, and kept up the pressure with his next move for 7.87. But he faded and slipped behind to end fourth.

The teenager Flügel bookended his heat with great tricks at the start and finish. His opening Contraloop Backroll Tic-tac earned 8.30, and he closed out his final with two seven-point tricks that took him to third place.

By contrast to his blazing semi-final, Casati struggled for rhythm in the final. He crashed his opening tricks, but started to build momentum and got 8.23 for a Kiteloop Frontroll Flip. His last two tricks, for 7.43 and 7.7, secured the second place by a fraction of a point.

France’s Ulrich started big and just went bigger. His opening 8-point plus tricks were just the appetiser for what was to come. The judges loved his handle-pass Kiteloop KGB and handed out a 9.5.  He backed up with a 9.07 for a Kiteloop Frontroll Boardoff. The scores helped Ulrich to his first Big Air world cup win.

The anticipation was mounting by the semi-finals of the Big Air Surfboard contest. France’s Camille Delannoy was back after a break and seemed re-energised. He built his heat methodically and held the upper hand, stretching his lead with an 8.0 for Kiteloop Backroll Boardoff that saw him advance.

Keanu Merten kept in touch on the scoreboard with solid tricks and sealed his place in the final with a Kiteloop Frontroll Rodeo.

 

On a tear

If anything the second semi-final was even more of a thriller. France’s Noah Nicolas came out charging and put big scores on the board. But he was upstaged by Spain’s Lorenzo Casati who secured his place in the final with a big Kiteloop Backroll Shove-it.

By then James Carew was well ahead at his rivals with a series of 8-point plus tricks, including an 8.33 for a Contraloop Backroll Shove-it that helped him advance.

The final between Camille Delannoy, Lorenzo Casati, Keanu Merten and James Carew was one for the ages. Delannoy was strong in the early stages when he landed some good tricks, but his challenge faded and he finished fourth.

The German, Keanu Merten, struggled initially to build on his early 7.4 for a Kiteloop Flip. But his closing Kiteloop Frontroll Rodeo earned a big 9.0 and third place on the podium. Lorenzo Casati also put down a strong early trick for 8.07, but wobbled until he came good with an 8.47 for a Contraloop Backroll Boardoff that gave him second overall.

The powerhouse James Carew picked up where he left off in the semi-final. He came out of the gate fast with an early 8.8 trick that put him front. Then the Australian went on a tear with a series of mesmerising moves that saw him streak away. He bettered a 9.57 trick with 9.93 for a Kiteloop Backroll Shove-it that was the highest of the competition and put him in a class of his own. Carew cruised to the win and with it retained his Big Air Surfboard crown.

words: Ian MacKinnon
images: Svetlana Romantsova