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A Letter of Thanks

Nathalie Lambrecht’s latest video release pays tribute to an important person in her life – her sister Nicole – who is there to cheer her on at events or commiserate if things don’t go to plan. While the spotlight often shines on the athlete alone, this film reminds us that every victory is a shared milestone for the team behind the scenes.

THEKITEMAG ISSUE #66

PHOTOS: Action Photos: Nomadic Sea

podium is a moment. But a moment that is built on years. Most people see the medal… the heat win… the highlight clip… the photos after… They don’t see the random Tuesdays where nothing works… the sessions where you drive home quiet because you just feel off… the days your body doesn’t respond how you want it to… the people who keep showing up long before there’s anything to celebrate.

And at the heart of it all: my sister.

She has been next to me at competitions for years – through the highs that felt effortless, like my first ever podium in Tarifa at my first ever Big Air event in 2022 – and through the lows, like my knee injury in Gran Canaria 2024, when I was in the fight for a world title and had a really bad crash just days before the event.

She celebrated the wins as if they were hers. She carried my losses the same way. That’s why when I stand on a podium, I never feel like I did it alone. Because in so many ways, we did it together. What I value most is that our relationship didn’t just grow because we’re sisters – we worked on it. We’ve had hard conversations. We’ve learned how to communicate better.

This year didn’t start easy. There were injuries… doubt… fear creeping in at moments I didn’t expect it. Rebuilding your body is one thing, rebuilding trust is another. Coming second at Red Bull Megaloop gave me something back – not just a result, but confidence that I can do this –

a reminder that I was still in it, which was a nice feeling to have before the biggest competition of the year was happening.

Before Red Bull King of the Air, the most common conversation I was having with my sister and my people surrounding me was whether I should ride the new Orbit Ultra. I had only ridden the kite a handful of sessions. Normally I don’t change much before a big event. Consistency feels controlled, predictable. But session by session, something clicked. And I knew riding the Orbit Ultra was going to give me the advantage and confidence I needed. I made a decision. This setup makes my riding better. That, together with an accumulation of things, led to my biggest event win.

When I stood there holding the crown, it looked like an individual sport. But it’s not. It’s my trainers rebuilding my knee. It’s the mental work when fear creeps in. It’s the people pushing me on the water. It’s the logistics from North Actionsports Group handled in the background. It’s my boyfriend telling me to breathe. It’s my family loving me no matter what the result.

And it’s my sister.

That’s why this video project, made by Seb Porral, means more to me than any single result. It’s a film dedicated to my sister, a thank you letter in visual form. A story about what it really takes to stand on top – not physically, but the emotional and mental support. I love that North really gave us the creative freedom to produce such a special project to me. I can’t wait to show my grandkids haha!

A podium is a moment. But when I look at it, I see all the years of hard work, my support system that helped me achieve it, and all the decisions it took to get there.

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