French SUP Champion Anaïs Guyomarc’h joins the Blackfish Team

“We are excited to welcome Anaïs Guyomarc’h to the Blackfish Team. Anaïs is a very gifted young paddler as well as an excellent all-round watersports pro SUP athlete. We have watched her progress over the past couple of years, using our Salish paddle, and it was a natural fit to have her join the team in 2022,” commented David Smart, Founder of Blackfish Paddles, a high-performance SUP paddle brand based in British Columbia. “We are so proud of the amazing female athletes that we sponsor and Anaïs represents our commitment to helping paddlers develop and achieve their athletic goals.”

Photo by Loïc Olivier

Brittany-based, Anaïs Guyomarc’h is a pro stand-up paddleboarding athlete making waves on the European SUP scene since her junior competition starts. With four French Championship titles under her belt and big plans for the upcoming season, at only 20 years old, she’s a force to be reckoned with. TotalSUP caught up with Anaïs to discuss this exciting announcement.

Hi Anaïs, congratulations on joining the Blackfish Team!

I am very proud to join the Blackfish Team! I love the spirit and the values around this brand. It’s also super exciting for me because I join some very good friends on this team! I’m proud to become a Blackfish teammate of Amandine Chazot and Boris Jinvresse (ha, ha), I’ve always seen them during the races and they have always been an example to follow for me.

Photo by: Surfing France

How did you get into the sport of stand-up paddleboarding?

My father has always practiced watersports. As soon as I was old enough to go on the water he brought me with him. I started with a bodyboard and then did a little bit of surfing. I lived far from the shore when I was younger, so practicing SUP was a way to be on water without being next to the sea or the ocean.

Photo by Loïc Olivier

I spent my first years of paddling mostly on flat water but I have always known that what I wanted to do was more open water. I had the opportunity to move to Brittany (my favourite place) for my studies in psychology where I can fully enjoy downwinding and beach races… I also started to do more surfing.

What is your most epic SUP experience to date?

I have a lot of very good SUP memories, my first races with my dad, my first World Championships as a junior, some beautiful downwind sessions or perfect training … It’s hard to choose one!

Photo by Loïc Olivier

What are your Blackfish Paddles of choice?

I use the Blackfish Salish 460, and this year I am going to try Salish 500. What I appreciate a lot is the lightness of the paddle, from my experience, these are the lightest paddle I have ever tried!

I think that the choice of the paddle is as important as the choice of the board. With a good paddle you can be efficient and train a lot without getting injuries. The paddle is one of the key factors in your performance.

Photo by Loïc Olivier

What’s your local SUP scene like?

Brittany, it is a perfect playground for SUP and many very good riders train here. I compete on the French circuit where we have a lot of female athletes and this is a good thing. This year I had the double French national title, in the technical race and in the long distance.

Photo by Loïc Olivier

I also compete in the EuroTour, I appreciate travelling and meeting people from around the world, the SUP community is super cool and we can meet a lot of different people – it’s super nice!

Could you share your top tips for aspiring SUP racers?

My top tips would be to spend a lot of time on the water, to work on your stroke technics and to enjoy what you do. The equipment is also important, find the best for you, a board and a paddle with which you feel the glide.

Anaïs taking the win at the Paris SUP Crossing. Photo credit: Raoul Dobremel – AFP & Julien de Rosa – AFP via Nautic Paddle

What’s next? What’s in the pipeline?

My plan for the year is to do a lot of races and to travel for it. I will do some races in France, and I will do some of the stops of the EuroTour and the APP World Tour. So excited for this year! And so excited to be part of the Blackfish Team 😊

Thank you Anaïs and good luck with the 2022 SUP season. We’ll be looking out for you!

To find out more about Blackfish Paddles and their progressive, refined, handcrafted designs, visit blackfishpaddles.com

Explore Blackfish new fin range here 

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All images courtesy of  Anaïs Guyomarc’h