The 2026 season is shaping up to be a breakthrough year for Sergio Cantoral. Following his signing with the NSP Team, the 21-year-old Spanish Champion has continued to build momentum with standout performances across the European circuit. Training with Club Deportivo Parres – one of Europe’s most successful SUP development programmes – Sergio heads into the peak of the SUP racing season with an impressive European SUP League (ESL) opener on home waters in Santa Pola, followed by sprint gold at the SUP Alps Trophy’s Lake Rocks Festival.
Already established as one of the most exciting talents in international stand-up paddle racing, Sergio is known for his explosive speed and aggressive racing style. His biggest breakthrough came at the 2025 ICF Stand Up Paddle World Championships in Abu Dhabi, where he claimed world championship gold in the 100m sprint with a remarkable time of 23.92 seconds, beating some of the biggest names in the sport.
Now, with two major European SUP League (ESL) stops fast approaching – Switzerland’s Big Paddle Festival (19-21 June) and Poland’s ODRA SUP Cup in Rybnik (26-28 June) – we caught up with Sergio to talk racing mindset, pressure and what’s driving him through one of the biggest seasons of his career so far.
Photo by Andy Klotz | Lake Rocks Festival 2026
Hello everyone! That Gold Medal in Abu Dhabi was one of the craziest moments of my life, and honestly it took me some time to realize what I had achieved that day.
Right after crossing the finish line and hearing my name on the beach, it felt like being inside a dream. It was something I had imagined for so long that when it finally happened, it didn’t even feel real. I was super happy, and I couldn’t stop smiling for the whole weekend…
Now, a few months later, the feeling is different. I still feel proud and happy every time I think about it, but now it also feels like I got rid of a pressure that I didn’t even realize I was carrying and it was there. It gave me a lot of confidence and motivation to keep improving and enjoying the sport even more.
It was amazing. I really wanted to perform well and fight for a win at the World SUP Festival at home, surrounded by my club, my family and my people.
Winning the sprint race was already something very special, but what made it even more emotional was seeing my little brother, Rubén, finish 2nd at only 16 years old. Sharing the podium together in an international event of that level, at home, is definitely one of the happiest and most unforgettable moments I’ve ever experienced in racing.
It gave me a huge boost of motivation for the rest of the season and reminded me why I love this sport so much.
Rubén and Sergio Cantoral
Definitely. The gaps are getting smaller every single year and you can really feel how much the level is rising in every discipline.
That sprint final in Santa Pola showed exactly that. The level was incredibly high and the race was decided by very small details. Nowadays, if you want to win, you need to be at your absolute best from the first stroke to the finish line because everyone is fast.
Honestly, I can’t even imagine how close the next ESL races and the World Championships will be in a few months.
That day I really enjoyed the technical races. Maybe not at my best in terms of explosiveness after such a long and demanding weekend, but I surprised myself by feeling stronger during the second lap of the final, which is not usually my strongest point but it has been something I have been trying to improve for some time.
From that final I learned a lot, I could feel comfortable without being in front and I was really happy with how I dealt with the situations during the race and I made my movements when I needed to. I think this is part of the experience, it is not that long since I have been into SUP racing so after every event, race and training in the water I always find new situations and experiences to learn from.
Everything is getting closer and closer and there are so many talented riders right now, so depending on the conditions, the format or even the physical state of each athlete that weekend, the results can change and be very different. That’s what makes racing so exciting at the moment. Let’s see how it will be in the second part of the year but I’m sure that it will be quite interesting…
For this event I chose the NSP Carolina EVO, it is the most versatile board in the NSP range and with the different race formats and the tough conditions we had in Santa Pola, strong wind, a lot of chop and really demanding water conditions during the three days, it was without any doubt the perfect choice for me.
I chose the 22” wide as I’m taller and heavier than most of the riders. With the experience I have learnt that the difference of speed is minimum between a 20” or a 22”, and much more in the ocean. So this year I changed that looking for commodity and it has turned out to be quite good for me.
This board is super versatile so it really adapts to any type of paddling style.
It’s something I’ve been developing and gaining confidence in over the years, and now it has become one of the strongest parts of my racing.
Of course that it is something that is part of my physiology but since I realized it could be a strong point I tried to maximize it.
This year I’m really putting attention to the technical aspect as I think that the most important thing to work on, If my stroke can be more efficient not only will improve my top speed but also my average speed during longer efforts like tech races.
Photo by Andy Klotz | Lake Rocks Festival 2026
Yes, it was definitely a difficult decision because I would have loved to race both events. The European SUP League is becoming more and more important and competitive, so missing an event is never ideal.
But at the same time, the Spanish National Championships are always a very important race for me and team selection. Racing in Spain, representing my club and fighting for the national titles means a lot.
In the end, coming away with two national titles made the decision worth it. It was a great weekend and another good confidence boost for the rest of the season.
Of course my plan is to attend all of them. The level of the ESL this year is amazing, and I really want to stay consistent throughout the whole season and keep fighting at the front in the overall ranking.
Honestly I can’t wait to the Switzerland and Poland events this June. In 2022 I went to both countries for my first international event in Swiss waters and then to my first World Championship experience in Poland where I got my first world title as a junior. So I’m really looking forward to more action of racing next month!
This season it’s going to be an intense one and the calendar is already looking busy so my main goal is to stay healthy, enjoy every session, learn as much as I can and keep doing what I love!
*Images courtesy of World SUP Festival / European SUP League (ESL)
10 Jul 2026
What keeps stand-up paddling moving forward isn’t just podium finishes – it’s the people behind them. Every new athlete signing tells a story of shared ambition, where a rider’s mindset aligns with a brand’s philosophy. For aspiring paddlers, it’s also an opportunity to dig deeper and understand why elite athletes choose a particular board or […]
8 Jul 2026
We’re hitting the road again with The Polar Bear Chronicles. TotalSUP has welcomed two-time SUP World Champion, multiple-time European Champion and NSP Team rider Christian Andersen – aka “Polar Bear” – as a guest writer for The Polar Bear Chronicles. Now we’re joining Christian for the next chapter of his journey. After racing and surfing […]
1 Jul 2026
The fourth stop of the 2026 European SUP League brought the tour to southern Poland for the ODRA SUP CUP, although this year’s edition did not take place on the Odra River in Racibórz as its name suggests. Instead, competition was held on a picturesque lake in Rybnik, around 30 minutes from the organising club […]
1 Jul 2026
When Starboard announced Shuri Araki as the newest member of its Dream Team at the beginning of the year, the SUP world took notice. At just 20 years old, the Okinawan has already amassed eight senior World Championship titles – six ISA and two ICF – and remarkably, he has never raced in the junior division. […]
26 Jun 2026
The 2026 European SUP League reached Switzerland on 20–21 June for the third stop of the season, as the Big Paddle Festival transformed the shores of Lake Zurich into one of the most exciting venues on the European circuit. Organized by Florian Gander, founder of SUP Kultur and the Richterswil Watersport Center, the event marked […]
26 Jun 2026
With just a few months to go, major announcements have already been made for the 9th edition of Planet Baltic SUP Race, set to take place from 5-8 August in Kołobrzeg, Poland. As the country’s longest-running ocean SUP race and one of the few remaining major sea-racing events in Northern Europe, Planet Baltic SUP Race […]
24 Jun 2026
BassSUP, the premium Polish watersports brand launched in 2016 as an inflatable SUP company, has grown alongside the sport itself and become one of the driving forces behind the development of stand-up paddling in Poland. As the brand continues to expand its reach across Europe, we caught up with Małgorzata Majda, who oversees BassSUP’s inflatable […]
22 Jun 2026
As Rybnik and the wider Polish SUP community prepare for a landmark weekend at the 2026 Odra SUP Cup, we caught up with BassSUP rider Maja Bauerek ahead of the event. Fresh off a double silver medal in the Long Distance and Technical Race at The Big Paddle Festival, the European SUP League Stop #3, […]
13 Jun 2026
The countdown is on to the biggest edition of The Big Paddle Festival yet, as the popular Swiss event prepares to make history as an official stop of the European SUP League (ESL). Organised by Florian Gander – Founder of SUPkultur Wassersport Center and Co-founder of the Swiss Stand-Up Paddle Association – the festival will […]
