KAMALIO TACKLES FIVE SAUDI ARABIAN CITIES IN THREE WEEKS
As you would expect, the life of a Red Bull Street Style champ is full of travel, adventure and freestyle soccer. So it’s not surprising to hear that Kamal “Kamalio” Ranchod, the 2009 Red Bull Street Style champ, has just returned from a promotional tour of Saudi Arabia.
“Words cannot describe how awesome it was. We had the most amazing time.” Says Kamalio who, along with 2008 Red Bull Street Style champ and fellow ambassador, Chris Njokwana, traveled through five cities in three weeks during the Saudi Arabian regional qualifiers. “It was fun traveling with Chris,” says Kamalio, “The places we went to, the people we met; it was great experiencing all of it with a good friend.”
The best part of the trip for Kamalio was being a part of the growth of the sport of freestyle soccer in Saudi Arabia. “We toured from city to city as the regional qualifiers were happening. Performing and rallying up interest and support for freestyle. Seeing the general interest grow was quite something.”
As well as growing public interest, Kamalio and Chris also had the opportunity to teach the Saudi Arabia freestyle players a thing or two, “Each country has its own style, in Saudi Arabia the focus is very much on technique, so it was awesome to help them work on their entertainment value.”
Although the freestyle scene is relatively new in Saudi Arabia, Kamalio was impressed by the talent they saw, “There are a lot of good Red BullStreet Style skills and, without a doubt, a lot more talent that will be coming out of that part of the world.” We’re sure Kamalio had an especially keen eye on the country’s winner, as there is a chance he will be coming up against him in at the Red Bull Street Style World Finals in Cape Town in April .
“Of course I keep an eye on my competition” Kamalio laughs, “But I don’t spend too much time studying their work; I like to stick to my own path. I don’t want to get distracted by what they’re doing.”
As focused as he is, Kamalio is managing to seem quite chilled out about the upcoming competition, “I’m mellow. I’m working hard, but not stressing.” But with the whole country backing him, he can’t help but feel a bit of pressure, “I’m working hard, going to do my best. Make South Africa proud.” As well as taking a shot at the world champion title, Kamalio is also looking forward to the social side of the event. “I often chat to freestylers from all over the world, especially Croatia and USA; I’m looking forward to meeting them in person. It doesn’t seem real that it’s so soon! I can’t wait.”
