Japan made a clean sweep on Day 1 of the Gran Canaria Pro Am Kaede Inoue and Kapono Fakuda claim the junior World Titles whilst the longboard division sees both SUP veterans and fresh faces advance into the quarter-finals.
When 16-year-old Kapono Fukuda scored a 9.07 in round one of the junior competition the fate of the competition was sealed. After dominating every heat onwards, the young Japanese surfer was crowned junior world champion on his debut on the APP World Tour and the international SUP scene.
The Japanese storm was in full force by the time the women’s junior final came as siblings Kaede and Sakura Inoue from Miyazaki came head-to-head. It was the eldest sister, 17-year-old Kaede, who emerged victorious in what could only be described as a dominating performance from start to finish. Both Kaede and Fakuda will compete in the professional division later this week and are expected to give the rest of the athletes a run for their money.
In the first two rounds of the longboard division, the standouts were SUP legends Zane Schweitzer and Leco Salazar and the third Inoue sibling, Taka Inoue, who beat Leo Gimenes to a spot in the quarter-finals when he scored a 8.47 in the final seconds of his heat.
If there’s one word coming to mind when thinking of the SUP sensation Rai Taguchi, is RELENTLESS. His explosive comeback from the fall and exceptional buoy turn in the men’s Sprint final at the APP World Tour’s Busan stop went viral and the SUP world is paying close attention. With the industry being positively shaken […]
Over the past month, Starboard has been working hard behind the curtains to present a very competitive line-up of international athletes for 2023. With future recruitment announcements by the Tiki brand still on hold (drums…), 3 athletes and 1 adventurer have already been announced to make their entrance in the Dream Team: SUP racers Alba […]
Ahead of Alicante SUP Open, the 5th stop of the APP World Tour and the final battle of the 2022 SUP racing season, TotalSUP caught up with Daniel Parres, World Champion, NSP National Team Rider and the Founder of one of the biggest, most thriving SUP clubs in the world and also the organiser of the […]
[APP World Tour Press Release] Alicante SUP Open, the 5th and final stop of the APP World Tour is just days away and now the World Title is on the line. World Champions will be crowned this weekend at Playa del Postiguet, a venue that will provide a dramatic arena for the World’s best at the […]
The 2022 Gran Canaria Pro Am Finals Day, first and only stop of the 2022 APP SUP Surf World Tour had it all. On day 4 and in front of a huge crowd at El Lloret, 17-year-old Kaede Inoue from Japan claimed the World Title on her debut on tour, only 3 days after winning […]
The first-ever SUP Longboard World Champion was crowned today at the 2022 Gran Canaria Pro Am. After a day of many upsets, huge performances and incredible longboarding at La Cicer, Brazilian SUP surf veteran Leco Salazar claimed the first-ever SUP longboard World Title, while French and Starboard Dream Team rider Benoit Carpentier took home the […]
They’re young, hungry and unapologetically confident about their SUP goals and dreams… On the eve of the APP World Gran Canaria Pro-Am in Las Palmas, TotalSUP caught up with some of the most exciting riders of the young generation ready to shred! Buckle up for some serious SUP surf action that will be unfolding from […]
‘Injuries can become your greatest teacher,’ Laird Hamilton’s quote has become a mantra for Infinity SUP Rider Kane Degrauw, who returned to the SUP racing circuit after a long recovery caused by his knee surgery. TotalSUP caught up with this talented SUP athlete always on the lookout ‘for the biggest physical and mental challenge’ to go […]