The 2018 race season kicked off last weekend with the Air France Paddle Festival. Over 300 paddlers were in the water for the 8 KM Lagoon Race, 4 KM Fun Race and 24 KM Elite Race. The elite race was as predicted long and hot, with Marcus Hansen arriving 1st for the men and Sonni Honscheid finishing strong to retain her Air France Paddle Festival Crown.
Here's a great look back at a great event, the Air France Paddle Festival in Tahiti. Well done to everyone that got out on the water in the blistering sun, and thank you to Air France and everyone involved in organising and supporting the event. What a way to start The Paddle League World TourâŠ
In the menâs race under grueling heat and temperatures starboard racer Micheal Booth held a good distance for much of the race, until Marcus Hansen staged an huge comeback in the final 500 m as he appeared to find another gear allowing himself to overtake Boothy, who subsequently finished the race in 2nd place. Mean while Tahitian Mistral rider Steeve Teihotaata paddled a great race and put the island nation on the podium by arriving in 3rd place, with Titouan Puyo from NSP arriving in 4th and Manatea Bopp du Pont from Sunova finishing 5th for the second year in a row.
Photo credit: The Paddle League
Recent Hoe Toa Paddle champion Lincoln Dews set out on a good pace against Boothy but came in outside the top 10. In an extraordinary performance, 13-year-old Starboard rider Keoni Sulpice was challenging the lead pack for much of the race until he finished his water pack with 10 KM to go and quickly began to fade and arrived in 11th place. The elite menâs race was certainly a tough one with many paddlers pulling out due to the intense conditions, including current world number starboard rider Connor Baxter.
Photo credit: The Paddle League
In the ladies 24 KM race starboard had a clean sweep on the podium with rider Sonni Honscheid coming 1st and thus onto holding onto her Air France Paddle Festival title, The German Machine broke away early in the race and finished with just over a 3 minutes difference between herself and 2nd placed Yuka Sato, a remarkable achievement considering the conditions. Japanese paddler Yuka Sato put herself to the top of the leader board on the Paddle League world rankings with her 2nd placed finish, a great start to her season!
Photo credit: The Paddle League
In the rest of the pack Fiona Wylde battled with French powerhouse Olivia Piana to secure 3rd place, the 425pro paddler Olivia claimed 4th place in a race where several paddlers retired from heat exhaustion, including Molokai champ Penelope Strickland.Â
âWe are excited to announce that Olivia Piana is joining Blackfish! Olivia is an amazing athlete who has won multiple national and world championships in stand up paddleboarding and is now a pioneer in the foiling world. Today she is one of the leading female athletes in the growing sport of downwind SUP foiling and [âŠ]
After two months of an epic crossing between Peru and French Polynesia known as Cap Optimist, six women from France and Spain have succeeded in their challenge to paddle across the Pacific ocean. A sporting and charitable feat achieved for the benefit of children with cancer. Cap Optimist: from Lima to Moorea on a paddle [âŠ]
Over the past month, Starboard has been working hard behind the curtains to present a very competitive line-up of international athletes for 2023. With future recruitment announcements by the Tiki brand still on hold (drumsâŠ), 3 athletes and 1 adventurer have already been announced to make their entrance in the Dream Team: SUP racers Alba [âŠ]
The 2023 iteration of the NSP Ninja Pro Carbon was just released by NSP. Immediate stand-out changes are the additional two 12â6â Junior versions of the existing Ninja, along with some refinements to the existing Ninja line-up. Our interview with Alain Teurquetil and Titouan Puyo on the New NSP Ninja! ï»ż Letâs have a look at [âŠ]
[APP World Tour Press Release] Alicante SUP Open, the 5th and final stop of the APP World Tour is just days away and now the World Title is on the line. World Champions will be crowned this weekend at Playa del Postiguet, a venue that will provide a dramatic arena for the Worldâs best at the [âŠ]
This weekend 1,000 stand up paddlers from across the globe will gather in Franceâs capital city for the Worldâs annual largest Race, the Paris Nautic Paddle as well as the Paris SUP Open, Stop #4 of the APP SUP Race World Tour. With sub-zero temperatures and chaotic waters, this unrivaled race provides every year a [âŠ]
28 kilometers awaited 110 happy SUP racers at the 2022 Marathon International des Gorges de lâArdĂšche last weekend in Vallon Pont dâArc, a renowned and historic long-distance kayak river event in the South of France opened to Stand Up Paddlers since 2016. Following last yearâs event status as a Euro Tour regional event for the [âŠ]
Between October 28 and November 6 you could follow the action of the 2022 Puerto Rico ISA World SUP & Paddleboard Championships here with TotalSUP! As Official Media Partner of the #ISAWSUPP, TotalSUP broadcasted all the livestreams both on our website and on the TotalSUP Facebook page with daily results, video highlights and Instagram stories. If [âŠ]