Arenales del Sol Beach in Elche, Alicante, Spain, was the setting for the second Elche Paddle Festival 2026, organised by Club Deportivo Parres as part of the Regional League and National League. The event brought together athletes across a wide range of ages and abilities, with junior divisions starting as young as Under 8, highlighting the continued growth and accessibility of stand-up paddle racing, which sits at the core of Daniel Parres’ coaching philosophy.
With competition across the Sprint and Technical Race disciplines, the festival offered a total of €4,000 in prize money and attracted a strong field of emerging and established paddlers.
Among the leading local athletes was 19-year-old Inés Blin, an Elche-based SUP racer. She broke onto the international SUP scene and caught the spotlight when she rode a winning wave last year at the 2025 ISA World SUP & Paddleboard Championships in Surf City El Salvador. Representing France as a junior, Inés claimed silver in the Junior Women’s Technical Race.
Inés Blin at the 2025 ISA World SUP Championships | Image source: International Surfing Federation
Inés trains at Parres Watersports under coaches Daniel Parres and Vincent Guillaume, representing France while maintaining strong ties to Spain and the Elche SUP racing community. Her introduction to SUP was a simple one, sparked by friends who encouraged her to give the sport a try. She enjoyed it from the very beginning, but it was through more structured training that SUP gradually became a competitive pursuit.
At the 2026 Elche Paddle Festival, we had the chance to watch her continue her impressive form, taking silver in the Open Women’s Sprint and bronze in the Open Women’s Technical Race.
We caught up with Inés to chat about what it means to compete on home turf, the unique experience of racing in Elche, representing her home crowd, riding for NSP, and continuing to push her limits. She gives us a closer look at her experience, her goals and what’s next on the horizon.
I’m really happy with my results. These were exciting races that we had been looking forward to after training hard throughout the summer.
From left: Nuria Chiquero, Inés Blin and Alexia Soto
As part of the club organizing this event, it’s really cool to see fellow paddlers competing on our home beach. It’s an event that’s prepared with a lot of enthusiasm and the intention of introducing everyone to the world of SUP through races that always end with a smile on the faces of both the competitors and the spectators.
I think paddlers should mark this date on their calendars because it’s a great way to get back into the swing of things in the second half of the season, testing themselves against their rivals before facing them in leagues like the European SUP League (ESL) or the World Championship.
For me, events like Elche are really important because they give you a chance to see where you stand. Even though it’s our home race, the level is always high, and having paddlers from other parts of Europe on the start line gives you that extra push.
You can see what you’re doing well and what you still need to work on. It’s a great way to check in with yourself before bigger races like the European SUP League (ESL) or the ICF. And doing it at home, surrounded by familiar faces, makes the whole experience feel both motivating and comforting.
In my opinion, one of the greatest benefits of this sport is that it’s rarely ever the same. Some days we have flat water, other days a bit of swell; sometimes there’s more wind, other days less. Some days it’s downwind, other days it’s sideways.
That variety is something that really motivates us because every day brings a new challenge. You learn to make decisions quickly, figure out what works best in each moment in terms of equipment and technique, and become more versatile as a paddler. I think that’s one of the great things about the sport.
I usually ride the NSP Ninja, although for competitions with waves, I’ve sometimes opted for the Puma. I choose which board to take based on the forecast and the conditions we’re expecting, and I usually discuss it with my coach as well.
That said, I almost always use the Ninja. It’s a board I’ve become really comfortable with, and now that I’ve started riding the Ninja Evo, I’m even more convinced that the Ninja is the board I feel most comfortable on.
Honestly, when I caught that wave, I couldn’t believe it myself, but it was the push I needed to have more confidence in myself and what I could achieve. I’ve just moved up to the Elite category, and while the Junior level was already quite high because the riders are improving every day, the Elite level is even higher.
Although I know it’s difficult, I’d like to achieve a top 15 finish at the ICF World SUP Championships, and if I go back to represent France at the European Championships, I’d like to get a good result for myself and my team.
Ines in a dramatic battle for Silver with Soryn Preston (USA) | 2025 ISA World SUP Championships | Image source: International Surfing Federation
I have the final stop of the European SUP League (ESL) coming up in Sesimbra this weekend. Further on we have the ICF World SUP Championships which I think all riders are looking forward to, and maybe the ISA Championships.
Sprint Winners – Women and Men Elite Open Division
OPEN WOMEN
OPEN MEN
U16 GIRLS
U16 BOYS
MASTER MEN
GRAND MASTER MEN
Elche Paddle Festival 2026 – Under 8 Division Competition
U8 BOYS
U10 GIRLS
U10 BOYS
U12 BOYS
U14 GIRLS
ROOKIE WOMEN
ROOKIE MEN
KAHUNA MEN
TECHNICAL RACE PODIUMS:OPEN WOMEN
OPEN MEN
Fernando Perez
MASTER WOMEN
MASTER MEN
U16 BOYS
U16 GIRLS
U18 BOYS
GRAND MASTER MEN
Daniel Parres
GRAND MASTER WOMEN
U8 BOYS
U10 BOYS
U10 GIRLS
U12 BOYS
U12 GIRLS
U14 BOYS
1st – Luca Gonzalvo
U14 GIRLS
ROOKIE MEN
ROOKIE WOMEN
KAHUNA MEN
*Images courtesy of Elche Paddle Festival 2026
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