Flying Fish Claims 17 Medals at the ICF World SUP Championships in Sarasota, Florida

The ICF SUP World Championships wrapped up just over two and a half weeks ago, and at TotalSUP we are finally taking some moments to celebrate the accomplishments that were achieved at this thrilling competition. One of these moments we are soaking ourselves in, is the exciting results that the Flying Fish Board Co team was able to accomplish! From the falls to the wins, the Flying Fish team was able to walk away from the world championships with an impressive medal count across a wide variety of categories demonstrating that the boards are truly world class.

Photo courtesy of Romain Bruneau

Shuri Araki

Gold Long Distance Race Open Mens – Shuri “Shrimpy” had such an impressive performance after falling in at the beginning. He used the whole race to work his way back up and stay in the leading pack. On the final stretch of the last lap, Shuri had made his final move by breaking away from the front pack digging into his high paddling cadence technique. The commentators shouted “can he hold this pace for the last 500m’s of this race?” and Shuri proved to us all… that he sure could! He finished in 1st place at least a few board lengths ahead of his competitors and it was a moment in SUP history that had the crowd and most especially John Meskauskas in tears.

Photo courtesy of Romain Bruneau

Silver Technical Race Open Mens – Absolutely mind blowing. He was the last paddler to the first buoy, but fought his way to the front of the pack for the rest of the race. Near the end Noic took the outside wide around Shuri and Manuel, who pushed Shuri to the inside on the final buoy. It was a nail biter finish hands down!

Photo courtesy of Romain Bruneau

Eri Tenorio

Bronze –  Long Distance Race Open Men’s – Eri shockingly also fell in at the start of the mens open long distance race! It seemed from the beginning that it would be nearly impossible for Eri to podium considering how far back he was. But anyone who knows Eri knows that he is a fighter, and he fought his way back to the front of the pack as hard as he possibly could to take the bronze medal. It was a performance that athletes will be talking about for years to come as Eri’s athleticism demonstrated that the race truly isn’t over until it is over, and it’s worth fighting until the very end!

Photo courtesy of Romain Bruneau

Steve Miller

Silver –  Long Distance Men’s 50+ – For anyone who doesn’t know Steve Miller, he is by far one of the strongest paddlers the SUP racing world has ever seen. His grit and determination in this sport proved to be medal worthy as he was able to walk away from this world championship with two silver medals. In the long distance race Miller was able to grind his way through the 11.5km course and stay with the top pack the whole time earning him his podium finish.

Photo courtesy of Romain Bruneau

Silver – Technical Men’s 50+ – The technical race was a whole other story… coming into a tight finish with his competitors, Miller was able to claim his first medal during the event.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Holubeshen

Packet Casey

Bronze – Sprints Mens 50+ – Anyone who knows Packet can testify that his heart is definitely as strong as his paddling. The Flying Fish team knew that he wanted to win badly at this world championship. He paddled hard all year, while running his local training club called the ‘paddle 954 Crew’ and was able to claim a bronze medal sprinting hard behind his good friend Steve Miller.

Bronze –  Technical Mens 50+ – The technical race was another nail biter as Packet crossed the line in a remarkable photo finish to determine his second bronze medal of the event. He paddled smart, and left everything he had out on the course in order to claim his victory! It was a beautiful moment to watch as everyone waited in anticipation of the photo finish to be decided by the ICF.

Julianna Gonzalez

Bronze – Sprint Race Womens 40+ – Hailing from Argentina Julianna had borrowed a Flying Fish board from a Florida local, came in and swept the podium by starting with a strong bronze medal finish in the women’s 100m sprint race with a time of 36 seconds!

Silver – Technical Race Womens 40+ – In the technical race, Julianna was able to move a step up the podium by grabbing the 2nd spot with a time of 4:59 for the 800m course.

Bronze – Distance Race Womens 40+ – To finish off the event Julianna claimed third place in the women’s long distance event, not far behind her fellow competitors with a time of 1 hour and 17 minutes!

Photo courtesy of Romain Bruneau

Petronella van Malsen

Gold – Distance Race Womens 40+ – Petronella an incredible athlete from the Netherlands initially had trouble getting her board over to America. She reached out to Flying Fish Co. and was able to borrow Kim Barnes’ board. As fate would have it, she walked away on Kim’s magical board with two gold medals and one silver in the sprints.

Gold – Technical Race Womens 40+ – Her second gold medal of the event, John Meskauskas personally expressed how impressed he was by her performance and how amazing it was to see her perform so well on Kim’s board.

Silver – Sprint Race Womens 40+

Photo courtesy of Romain Bruneau

Other noticiable medal counts go to…

Miguel Roigé

Bronze – Mens 40+ Distance Race

Photo courtesy of Romain Bruneau

Gina Di Primio

Silver – Long Distance Women’s 50+

Photo courtesy of Romain Bruneau

Simon Ackerman

Bronze – Junior Technical Race

Photo courtesy of Romain Bruneau

Jie Tao

Silver – 50+ Womens Technical Race

Total Medal Count:

Gold 3

Silver 7

Bronze 7

The ICF SUP World Championships showcased not only thrilling competition but also extraordinary achievements from the Flying Fish Board Co team. Their remarkable performances, highlighted by Shuri Araki’s golden triumph and Eri Tenorio’s inspiring comeback to bronze, exemplify the spirit and determination inherent in the sport. The team’s collective success—garnering numerous medals across various categories—serves as a testament to their hard work and dedication. As we reflect on these unforgettable moments, it is clear that this event will resonate in SUP history, inspiring future athletes to push their limits and strive for greatness.

To find out more about Flying Fish visit www.flyingfishboardco.com
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