Gran Canaria Pro-Am is on! Defending SUP surf Champ Iballa Moreno is set to take on her home break

The 5th edition of the APP World Tour’s Gran Canaria Pro-Am is about to go off! The windsurfing powerhouse and numerous world speed records holder, Björn Dunkerbeck, invites you to the final event of the 2024 season. The battle for the this year’s SUP surf and longboard SUP World Titles, will unfold on 3-8 December in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the perfect shredding playground offering some of the most epic winter conditions and world-class waves.

On the eve of the event, TotalSUP caught up with local legend Iballa Moreno, a multi-time World Champion crushing it in two disciplines—Windsurfing and SUP Surfing. As one of Spain’s leading athletes, recognized nationally and globally in both sports, Iballa is set to defend her title once again.

Photo by Jesus Renedo

Hi Iballa, what have you been up to this year?

This year has been a bit more relax for me. After 24 years competing I felt a bit too much pressure in sports having to stay on the top to keep sponsors motivated to support next season. So I don’t have this pressure any more .

I’m riding the boards I like: Smik is making me nice custom boards and love the process of having an idea and measurements and Scotty McKercher just make it happens. I learn a lot too.

I’ve been windsurfing in the waves, SUP Surfing and also enjoying the process of learning to SUP Foil downwinding. Amandine Chazot and Boris Jinvresse visited us in Fuerte and got Alba Frey and myself into this sport. It has been a good year learning, also wing foiling, surf foiling and so on!

Photo by Mario Entero

As the returning Champion, how are you feeling about the upcoming event?

I don’t have the pressure of having to perform. I know the level is very high among some of the best riders in the world. So I just wish to have some good and fun waves. As for the rest – we will see what happens! Forecast is looking OK too. I’m hoping for a proper tour next season to discover new places and fun trips with SUP surfing.

Photo by Jesus Renedo

Las Palmas is known for its world-class waves—what is it about these conditions that suit your style of SUP surfing so well?

Yes, El Lloret is one of the best waves in the island of Gran Canaria. I’m glad we get a few days to enjoy it with SUP Surf. Thanks to all the locals to let us do this! It’s a dream.

I love riding big waves and El Lloret is this kind of conditions. Let’s hope this year we score as good as the previous years!

Photo by Jesus Renedo

Winning at home must be special. How does competing in Gran Canaria, your home turf, inspire or motivate you?

Winning any event is special but I guess winning in Canary Islands is more special since I’m from here and have all my friends and family watching me. I’m normally far away from them when I compete so it’s really great to have their support near me.

To be honest, being in a competition is not always the way to show the best surfing as you only have 20 min to do something . I’m more of a free surfer 🙂 but still, it’s a great challenge to be out there fighting with all the elements.

Image source: APP World Tour

As someone who has achieved so much in SUP surfing, what advice would you give to newcomers aiming to compete at the Pro-Am or on the APP World Tour?

We will have new faces coming like the Spanish rider Julieta Rovimar who’s only 15 years old. I got
her into Smik Team and she is ripping! Coming from a surfing background and longboard she is the future of our sport. She will be entering into her first ever APP World Tour event.

My advice: Just have fun and enjoy every wave!

Julieta knows how to compete already as she’s got both surfing and longboard history so there is not much I can advise her with. She will be teaching me soon! If not already, ha ha.

This is great to experience event and motivate more girls with a surfing background, I always say a good athlete should be good at all watersports! Not only short boarding but SUP surfing, windsurfing, all foil disciplines and so on.

Photo by Jesus Renedo

Beyond the competition, what does the Gran Canaria Pro-Am mean to you personally, and how do you see it contributing to the growth of SUP surfing?

To have a promoter like Björn Dunkerbeck, who’s motivated to organize such event like this every year is amazing. It’s not always an easy road! But I believe this is a great sport and to have at least one event going it keeps the sports alive.

I’m hoping to see more events like this worldwide and enjoy the discipline all over the world and see more newcomers coming in.

There is a lot of  events dedicated to SUP racing and only this one is for SUP surf. So this is why Gran Canaria Pro-Am is special to me, this is a unique event.

What are your sport plans in the upcoming months?

This is the beginning of fun waves in Canary Islands so I will stay home (Fuerteventura) and enjoy all the watersports! Go fishing, foiling, surfing… and what keeps me alive and HAPPY.

Photo by Jesus Renedo

Thank you Iballa for your time and have fun out there!

To find out more about Gran Canaria Pro-Am visit, appworldtour.com

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