Jesse Richman Wins King of the Air 2020

The new Red Bull King of the Air Jesse Richman

Last Thursday (06-02) everything went wild in Cape Town during the Red Bull King of the Air. The event was held on one day this year, thanks to the good weather conditions. The Red Bull King of the Air started at half past ten (local time). The 8th edition of this event was again full of crazy tricks and jumps. In the first two rounds, the four fly-to winners and the fourteen video winners and wildcards competed for a place in the third round. The top 6 of last year were added in the third round. After seven hours and 34 heats, the new Red Bull King of the Air of 2020 was finally crowned, the North rider Jesse Richman. It is the second time that Jesse gets hold of this title. He won King of the Air for the first time in 2013.

Jesse Richman was born on July 22, 1992 in Maui, Hawaii. Jesse started kitesurfing when he was only nine years old. At the age of fourteen he started taking online classes so that he could travel for the world tour kiteboard events. In 2008 he became Kiteboard Pro World Tour champion and the following year he won the title of International Kiteboarding Association Overall Kitesurfing champion. In 2013, Jesse became King of the Air for the first time and again this year he won this title.

Third round Jesse Richman vs Reno Romeu & Joshua Emanuel

Jesse Richman finished in the top 6 last year, so this year only started in the third round. He faced Reno Romeu and Joshua Emanuel. He won his first heat thanks to his awesome dangle pass (score: 8.42), kite-loop board-off (score: 7.56) and big air front rotation (score: 6.96). He received an impression score of 8.2, which was then the highest score of the competition. His total score of his first heat came to an astounding 31.14.

Quarter final Jesse Richman vs Kevin Langeree

Jesse went straight to the quarter final after winning his heat in the third round. His opponent in the quarter final was Kevin Langeree with his new Reedin kite. Kevin has already won the King of the Air title three times. Jesse won this heat with a kite-loop with front rotations (score: 5.6), a dangle-pass (score: 7.8) and a grabbed kite-loop board-off (score: 7.54). Jesse also received an impression score of 8.2 for this heat. The total score of his second heat came to 29.14.

Semi-final Jesse Richman vs Marc Jacobs

In the semi-final Jesse had to compete with his fellow North team rider Marc Jacobs. Jesse also beat Marc Jacobs with a dangle pass (score: 7.86), a kite-loop board-off (score: 8.2) and another dangle pass (score: 8.46). In this heat Jesse got a higher impression score: an 8.4. This brought his total score to 32.92.

Final Jesse Richman vs Nick Jacobsen & Aaron Hadlow

Jesse had to face Nick Jacobsen and Aaron Hadlow in the final. Jesse won this exciting final with all eights. He did a dangle pass with rotations (score: 8.38), a kite-loop board-off (score: 8.34) and another dangle pass with rotations (score: 8.38). He received the highest impression score of the day, namely a nine. He won the final with a total score of 34.1.

Other Red Bull King of the Air prizes

In addition to the King of the Air title, there were two other prizes to be won. The first prize is the Mystic Trick of the day and the second is the Woo Highest jump of the day. The North rider Nick Jacobsen who finished second also received the Mystic Trick of the day prize. He scored a 9.02 in the semi-final for his kite-loop board-off. Marc Jacobs, who also rides for North, received the Woo prize for the highest jump of the day. He made a 22 meter jump.

Kite gear from Jesse Richman

Jesse won the King of the air with the Orbit kite from North Kiteboarding. According to Jesse, it is the best kite he has ever riden. Jesse has been a team rider from North since 2019. He tested the Orbit prototype four hours before the start of Red Bull King off the Air 2019 and then finished second thanks to this beautiful kite. The Orbit is a freeride / big air kite that lets you hang in the air as high and as long as possible. The five struts in the kite ensure that it is a super stable kite in all conditions. The kite has a light bar pressure, so you can steer easily and precisely. The Orbit is made of good quality materials, so that the kite lasts a very long time. Click

here for more information about the Orbit kite from North.

Jesse used the North Focus Hybrid board during Red Bull King of the Air. This is an all-round board that focuses on freestyle. This board was designed in collaboration with Bruna Kajiya and Jesse Richman. From this collaboration comes this beautiful board with a fantastic pop. The board has a perfect balance between flex and stiffness to participate in the best freestyle tricks. Click

here for more information about the Focus Hybrid from North.