14-year old breakout talent Loranne Vlemincx gears up for the Championship stretch of the Belgian SUP Tour

Loranne Vlemincx, a 14-year-old rising star from Mol, Belgium, is quickly becoming a name to watch on the international SUP scene. With a knack for long-distance racing she’s already proven her versatility bagging three gold medals (Tech, Sprint & LD)  in the Open Class Junior Girls at the SUPNL’s NK SUP Tour 2024 in the Netherlands, U14 podium and high overall ranking during the last EuroTour Namur stop to name just few recent accomplishments.

Training with the Kempen SUP club, Loranne is dedicated to improving her skills and competing in various formats, all while balancing school and her social life. As she prepares for upcoming events, including Championship stretch of the Belgian SUP Tour (BST) and the ISA Worlds in Copenhagen, TotalSUP sat down with Loranne to learn more about her journey and aspirations in the sport.

Hi Loranne, welcome to TotalSUP! How did you discover the sport of stand-up paddleboarding and when did you decide to start competing?

Hi, first of all thanks for your interest! In 2020 during the COVID19 pandemic, SUP was one of the few sports that was allowed. I tried it and was immediately sold. My first competition was in December 2021 in Ghent. About 10 members of Kempen SUP participated, Michel Keersmaekers (Trainer) asked me to join too. That’s how it started.

What does your SUP training week look like?

I train on the water four times a week. On Tuesdays, I train with the L1,this is a group of advanced paddlers. On Wednesdays I participate in the kids SUP – we are a group of 12 children between 8 and 15 years old.

Then we play games on the water, especially pivoting, working on balance and above all have fun. Almost all the youth of our club participate in the Paddle of the Kempen.

On Thursdays I usually train with one of our trainers and Margot Belmans. Sunday is the day that we go out on the water with the entire club in the morning. Most of the time we train on the canal or a nearby canal lake. In the Summer we try to do some training at sea.

You’re training with Kempen SUP club – Could you tell us more about it? Are there many paddlers of your or similar age?

The Kempen SUP club has around 60 members. We have four training groups. It’s more than a club, it’s like a family with paddlers of all ages. There is always room for more youth.

Are you focusing on any particular racing formats?

Not really, I mainly try to train all three disciplines (Tech, Sprint and Long Distance).

Could you tell us more about the Belgian SUP Tour and your participation this year?

I try to participate in every race that is organized. The Belgian SUP Tour (BST) is also working on competitions with the Netherlands this year. This means that there is more competition, especially among the youth.

What’s been the best part of the Belgian SUP Tour for you so far?

That is for sure Paddle of the Kempen! A lot of attention is paid to the youth and nobody  goes home empty-handed, which is really motivating for the young paddlers. Vincent Claeskens has also provided official Belgian Champion jerseys for the youth division. It is a competition that is accessible to everyone from recreational, junior to the elite athletes.

Who inspires you in the world of stand-up paddleboarding?

There are many that inspire me! First off all my Trainers Michel Keersmaekers, Nathalie Van Olmen and Wim Luyckx. Than you have Kjell De Bruyn, Donato Freens, Emma Freja Pedersen who are a great example for me.

School, training, friends…How do you stay motivated to train and compete?

When you do something you enjoy, it is not difficult to stay motivated. There are also training weekends in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany for the young paddlers where you always meet the same people who become friends like Marrit Miedema, Marin Hoeboer, Margot Belmans, Louis Pierre, Noé Grooters and Elin van der Sar.

Could you share your top tips for aspiring young SUP racers?

Above all, it must remain enjoyable – You should have fun on the water!

What are your SUP plans? Will you be heading to Copenhagen for the ISA Worlds?

Yes, I will be there for the ISA Worlds. It is a great honour to participate in this competition.
For the Belgian SUP Tour there is still a number of competitions which I’ll participate including
Open Belgian Championship Technical Race and other races in the pipeline:

• Sunday, 1 September: Technical Race in the morning, Hazewinkel (Technical Race, flat water)
• Sunday, 1 September: Open Belgian Championships Sprint, Hazewinkel (Sprint, flat water)
• Sunday, 8 September: Open Belgian Championships LD, Kessenich (Long Distance, flat water)
• Sunday, 28 September: Open Belgian Championships Downwinder; Oostende to Zeebrugge. Open for regular SUPs and for SUP Foils! (Downwinder, open water)

Thank you Loranne and good luck with the upcoming events!

To find out more and register for the Belgian SUP Tour, visit belgiansuptour.be

Join the Belgian SUP Tour (BST) group on Facebook and follow BST on Instagram 

Follow Loranne on Instagram 

*Images courtesy of Loranne Vlemincx