With the Atlantic howling at over 40 knots and crowds lining Kite Beach in Bloubergstrand, Hugo Wigglesworth rose higher than any kite surfer in history. On 6 December, the 19-year-old New Zealander launched into the Cape Town sky and landed a world-first 40-metre jump, officially verified by WOO Sports — a moment that shattered the sport’s perceived limits and rewrote big-air history.
“I’ve dreamed about this for years,” Wigglesworth said. “I knew I could do it — I just needed the right day, the right gear, and the right mindset.”
A braai and a bold forecast
The story began the night before at a relaxed South African braai hosted by the Flysurfer crew. As meat sizzled and the evening wind picked up, conversation turned to the forecast. Violent gusts pushing toward 40 knots were predicted for the following afternoon — dream conditions for big-air riders.
Someone asked the question hanging in the air: Could Hugo break the world record tomorrow? Opinions were split. Some nodded. Others laughed at the madness of it. Hugo said nothing — just smiled.
A rider with something to prove
The next morning, Hugo trained with quiet intensity. There was motivation beneath the calm. Just weeks earlier, he had been one of the most talked-about omissions from the 2025 Red Bull King of the Air, the most prestigious event in kiteboarding.
Since the rider list was released without his name, Hugo had been riding every day.
After training, he returned to the Flysurfer house, made avocado on toast, and settled in to watch Formula 1 qualifying. But his attention kept drifting to live wind updates. Then suddenly, he stood up. “Let’s break a WOO World Record today.”
Within seconds, the house erupted into action. Gear was packed, cameras charged, wetsuits thrown into cars. Hugo, his parents and the Flysurfer team headed straight to the beach — parking, with perfect irony, at the very event site of the competition he hadn’t been invited to.
A new setup and a moment of destiny
Conditions were escalating fast. Jamie Overbeek — second highest on the WOO leaderboard — was already throwing massive jumps on a 7m SONIC⁵, a clear signal that the window was opening.
Then came a critical decision. Hugo had changed his setup, switching from 23-metre lines to a 17-metre configuration — a move that would shape the session. His first jump registered 28 metres — an outrageous “warm-up” that stopped spectators in their tracks. He kept climbing higher, cleaner, more controlled.
Then he tacked far outside, lined up a choppy kicker wave, and came in with nearly double the speed of his earlier attempts. He edged hard. Sent the kite. And for a moment, time froze. The beach erupted.
Hugo launched into what would soon be confirmed as the highest jump ever recorded in kiteboarding.
Watching from the sand, his mother whispered quietly: “This is the highest I’ve ever seen Hugo go in my life.”
Six words that shook the beach
Despite the gasps and cheers, Hugo showed no reaction. No fist pump. No celebration. He simply rode back out.
Ten minutes later, he came ashore, landed his kite, walked to his parents and the Flysurfer team, leaned in and whispered: “I just went 40 metres.”
Five words. Delivered calmly. He packed up his SONIC⁵, slung it under his arm, and walked toward the parking lot like someone finishing an ordinary training session — not someone who had just redefined human flight.
But history spreads fast. Within minutes, riders, photographers, podcasters and media crews rushed back to the beach. The news rippled through the kiteboarding world in real time.
Still not done flying
Later that afternoon, the new world record holder grabbed a 6m ERA, smiled, and ran back to the water. “You can’t train double loops every day, can you?”
What followed looked like the start of a session, not the end: massive double loops, explosive rotations, huge S-loops — as if breaking the record had simply unlocked a new level.
By nightfall, it was official. No one, including Jamie Overbeek, had beaten the mark.
Wigglesworth’s achievement is more than just a number
- He now holds the WOO world record on both twin-tip and foil.
- The record was set at the event site of the competition that didn’t select him.
- The top three all-time WOO jumps have all been done on foils.
- The previous record, set by Charles Brodel, stood for just 43 days, underlining the sport’s explosive progression.
