Hsinchu's strong sea breeze has become a competitive stage for the world's top extreme sports players. The 2026 Red Bull King of the Air Taiwan Qualifying Tournament was held for the first time in Nanliao, Hsinchu, attracting kite surfers from all over the world to challenge the high-altitude limit. In the end, New Zealander Hugo Wigglesworth and German female player Alessa Sophia Mensch won the championship respectively, qualifying to advance to the world finals in South Africa.
Red Bull King of the Air is the world's top Big Air extreme kitesurfing event. Players must use the power of strong winds and waves to jump into the sky, and strive for high scores through height, technical difficulty and action style. This year, the world's only qualifying tournament came to Taiwan for the first time, and the men's finals staged a wonderful reversal. German player Finn Flügel took the lead with high scores of 8 and 8.2 points, but New Zealander Hugo Wigglesworth took advantage of the sudden strong wind at the end of the game to complete a key high-altitude jump and successfully overtook the championship. He has completed a jump of more than 40 meters and is also the 2025 and 2026 GKA hydrofoil giant somersault world champion. This time he once again showed his amazing strength.
In the women's category, German player Alessa Sophia Mensch wrote an inspirational story. She had been recuperating for a long time due to injury. She did not practice for the first time since her comeback until the day before the game. She showed no signs of rustiness when she officially came on the court. With her stable high-altitude spinning skills, she defeated Egyptian player Sarah Sadek and won the women's championship. After it was confirmed that she had qualified for the World Finals, she couldn't hide her excitement and cried on the spot. Especially since she had been training in South Africa for a long time, she was even more looking forward to returning to the familiar Cape Town arena. Two-time Red Bull King of the Air world champion Andrea Principi also came to Taiwan as an event ambassador and personally demonstrated difficult moves in the water, allowing Taiwanese audiences to experience the aerial skills of top players up close.
The international competition was chosen to be held in Nanliao, Hsinchu, which also brought attention to Taiwan's unique natural conditions. Nanliao has an open coastline, and the northeast monsoon in autumn and winter brings strong winds. Sergio Cantagalli, the Italian chief referee, affirmed that the local winds are strong and stable, making it suitable for hosting high-level kitesurfing events. Taiwanese athlete Zeng Zonglian, who holds the Asian Big Air high jump record of 30.6 meters, and athlete Ji Sunhao also hope to let more people know about Taiwan's wind field through international exchanges. The event originally scheduled to be held from October 21st to 26th was completed on the 22nd in advance due to typhoons and weather changes. The two champions will then proceed to Cape Town, South Africa to challenge the World Finals, which will be held during the wind period from November 21st to December 6th.
Athletes ride on the strong wind and leap high into the sky, completing flips in mid-air. The kites and distant wind turbines form a unique competitive scene in Nanliao, Hsinchu. (Courtesy of Red Bull)
New Zealander Hugo Wigglesworth (left) and German player Alessa Sophia Mensch (right) take a group photo holding the championship medal. The two will join hands to advance to South Africa to challenge the world finals. (Courtesy of Red Bull)
The players raised their arms and cheered excitedly after the game. After the tense competition at sea, the shore was filled with a lively and joyful atmosphere. (Courtesy of Red Bull)
German female player Alessa Sophia Mensch (middle) stood on the championship podium, with joy written all over her face. (Courtesy of Red Bull)
