Notes about Kitesurfing in Mexico

Kitesurfing is a relatively young sport, but Mexico has very good places to practice it and one day could reach levels like Brazil, which is currently one of the top world powers in the discipline.

One of the best freestyle riders is two-time world champion Bruna Kaija, who visited Mexico City and Quintana Roo to share her experience with talks, a clinic for children, and train with promising Mexican rider Anthar Racca, who has already shined on a global level as a youth but aims to step up with the elites.

"There is a lot of knowledge that I can pass on and I intend to do it because to be a world champion, you have to train a lot, but you also have to have the right equipment, plan your trips well so as not to tire yourself out. We know that the pressure and difficulties of each competition can hinder your best performance, and I'm glad to be able to pass this on to another generation," said Bruna about her plans to work with Racca.

According to the Brazilian rider, the wind conditions on Mexican beaches give great potential to the sport and could likely have as much popularity as it currently does in her country. "Kitesurfing in Brazil is big because we are a very large country, but there are many surf enthusiasts like Gabriel Medina who is an idol, and in the northeast of the country, kitesurfing is very popular and everyone knows who you are and that you are a world champion, and they approach you," she added.

Today, Bruna is focused on her third world championship and has spent the past few weeks in South Africa and Australia. However, she values every day at the beach because her life plans seemed to move away from it. "It was an interesting story, surfing was my passion. I had an accident and stopped surfing, and I was very afraid to go back in the water. But when I was in school, I saw the kites from the window, all their colors on the beach, and I had the need to stay in the sea, so I went to learn because I no longer wanted to surf," she explained in an interview.

It was her mother who convinced her to move forward, as she trusted in her talent. "I never knew I was good until my first competition, I just loved being on the beach with the kite for hours. I could go to school in Hawaii, and that's where I got inspired by the kite's mecca, that's where it all started. When I came back, I wanted to study International Relations, but my mother convinced me to stay in kitesurfing. She told me I was very good, so I went to compete and finished third in the world championship, and I convinced myself to continue," she said.

After training in the Yucatan Peninsula, Bruna will continue her season in Venezuela and Brazil with hopes for the 2017 World Championship.