A native of South Africa, Joshua Emanuel, has big air and kite loops in his blood.
Joshua is a water-born person, fortunate enough to grow up with the ocean on his doorstep. His main passion is kitesurfing, but he also loves to surf, skate — generally, to explore the outdoors.
The elite athlete grew up in Durban, on the east coast of South Africa, and is currently living in the Wind capital of the World, Cape Town, South Africa. When Josh started kiting, he got kite surfing lessons from Twiggy Baker, 3 x World champion Big Wave surfer, and also an Oshen.io artist.
According to Joshua, “Kitesurfing was introduced to me at a very young age. I stopped kiting for just over a year and when I started again, I really pushed myself in the sport. After a few more years, I moved to Cape Town to study and focus on my kiting, since that was the best place for me to do this. After my studies, my full focus went to kiting.”
South Africa is known as one of the top kiteboarding destinations in the world. Every year, thousands of kite boarders flock to Cape Town to experience some of the best and most extreme kitesurfing conditions on the planet.
This is Joshua Emanuel’s playground.
Kiting since 2004, Joshua is known to be a top Kiteboarding Pro; he takes risks and he is not afraid to challenge himself.
“Looking at the ocean was a view I have never seen in Durban. Wind gusts of 63 knots with an average of 58 knots was just so unreal, especially here. We kited through sunshine, dark, stormy clouds, an incredible rainbow, more dark rain clouds and another rainbow. It felt like kiting on three different days all at once. What an incredible experience. At my level, this is exactly why I love this side of the sport; going out to break the kiting’s boundaries as well as my own. It’s rare that I get to ride in 60 knots…”
The extreme kitesurfing discipline of Big Air Kitesurfing (and the Mega Loop) has helped the sport to evolve tremendously — thanks to many passionate and influential kitesurfers like Joshua, who has, and continues to impact the growth of kiting into the exciting sport we know today. He pushes the limits every time he goes out on the water, breaking boundaries and raising the bar on what is possible.
Achievements
7th at 2020 Redbull King Of The Air
9th at 2019 Redbull King Of The Air
10th at 2018 Redbull King Of The Air
1st at 2017 Redbull Megaloop Challenge
34 m at 2017 Woo World Record
1st at 2016 South African Wave Tour
13th at 2015 Redbull King Of The Air
5th at 2015 Redbull Megaloop Challenge
Held the highest jump in the world numerous times and currently in 3rd with 34m jump
Take to the skies
Our brains are wired to connect and mirror the behavior of others. Role models provide a vision, and visual proof, for who we aspire to be like.
Joshua has inspired thousands of kitesurfers globally, to push the limits of the sport.
He told us his favourite spot for wave riding is by far Mauritius, but when it comes to big air and loops, his perfect spot is Cape Town.
“Speed and power is everything as well as good technique. But maybe more important; if you want something in life, you really need to put your mind to it and give it your full focus.”
Sky’s the limit
Today, NFTs have created new opportunities to own a bit of sports history. It is now possible to own a digital collectible of your favorite athletes achieving a world record, winning a competition or an award-winning moment!
Oshen is happy to welcome Joshua Emanuel to the NFT Marketplace, and soon we’ll display his first, exclusive NFT drop!
Extreme sports require a high level of physical exertion, speed, strength, flexibility and many other factors. Extreme sports athletes have to train as much as classical athletes (or more sometimes!)
Using a popular platform like Oshen.io will lead you to an impressive collection of digital collectibles, with high market value. We are happy to provide an NFT marketplace where kiting fans can now connect with their favorite athletes and own a piece of history.
Stay tuned for our exclusive, premium NFT collection, showcasing Joshua as he flies above the ocean!
