Big Air Sydney 2023 results

On Saturday, 11 February 2023, the sky above Kurnell Silver Beach, Sydney, has turned into a stage for a dazzling show, displaying talent, progression and competition, as kiteboarders of all ages from across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia gathered together to battle it out in the Big Air Sydney 2023 contest.

The first-of-its kind event delivered on the promise of bringing the community together with over 200 spectators attending the event and over 40 competitors joining the action in three categories: King of Big Air, Queen of Big Air and Big Air Open Session. With a perfect combination of strong winds, warm sunshine and exhilarating vibes, the riders truly explored the meaning of the old saying “sky is the limit” to the loud cheers, applaud and encouragement from the crowd and with numerous photographers emptying their memory cards to capture the stunning show.

In a heart-warming gesture, the winner of the King of Big Air Sydney category, Ryan Parsons, gave his prize, a North Focus Board, to a 13 year old rider, Oliver Furmanczyk, who he spotted shredding with old gear and was impressed by Oliver’s determination and talent. Ryan, who started his own kiteboarding journey when he was around 10 years old, is very passionate about the development of the next generation of kiteboarders, helping kids to improve their skills, progress their tricks and inspire them to keep reaching for the sky.

Oliver said it was an unforgettable experience. “I am so stoked with the event and keep pinching myself to make sure it was not a dream. Ryan is such an inspiration and his generous gift as well as jaw-dropping performance during the competition definitely motivated me to keep training and learning, making a huge impact in my life. I cannot wait to come back next year and surprise the crowd with my progress!”

Another young rider, Alex Barnes, impressed the crowd and took the Tough Cookie award in the Open session, making it clear that the future of kiteboarding in Australia is in safe hands.

With a great turnout in the Queen category, the ladies showed off their skills, gracefully and effortlessly flying through the sky while the onlookers watched from the beach in awe. Marine Sudre, who was crowned the Queen of Big Air Sydney 2023 said, “It was truly inspiring to see women thrive in kitesurfing, embracing this challenging sport and pushing the boundaries of what is possible. The growing presence of women in kitesurfing is not only inspiring to girls, but it also brings a fresh perspective and dynamic energy to the sport as a whole.”

“Big Air Sydney 2023 was made possible by a tremendous effort and support from a number of sponsors and volunteers who contributed their time and resources to deliver a unique event that brought together riders and spectators from across Australia. We would like to thank every single one of you. With three core values in mind, being inclusion, progression and community, we look forward to building the Big Air scene in Australia,” said Kiteboarding Australia’s general manager, Declan McCarthy.

Click on the links below to access full photo library. Please credit all the photographers accordingly when sharing the photos.

Main photo gallery (Fabio Silvestre, Leanne Alessi, John Alessi, Jaco Ehlers): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/njz8o4wkqk4u6yd3tr642/h?dl=0&rlkey=pjwor16s6sy2hgquqlje9goac

Flair Captures: https://flaircaptures.passgallery.com/-bigair2023/gallery

Hidden studio: https://www.hiddenstudio.gallery/bigaircontestkurnell/

We will keep updating the Dropbox folder and adding more photos as we receive them from photographers.