This past SUP Race weekend in Madeira, Portugal at the Madeira Island SUP Challenge had all the ingredients for a perfect international event to finish off the 2021 Eurotour. With amazing views all along the cliffs of the town of Funchal, the course had to be one of the most picturesque of the entire European circuit!
On the womenâs side, a newcomer to the international SUP Race scene, but well known in Portugal, Anabela Prioste came out of the gates super strong and lead the entire race to win by nearly two minutes over the Italian starboard team racer, Caterina Stenta from Italy in 2nd place. A few minutes later, came the young local talent from Madeira  in 3rd, Veronica Silva who showed the world she is the new up and coming athlete, outrunning the ever consistent Sunova Team Rider, Susanne Lier in 4th. Closing the Top 5 was another local, Raquel Lopes.
On the menâs side, it was a very tight race between Starboard SUP team mates Daniel Hasulyo and Leonard Nika. The two athletes broke away from the rest of the chasing pack early in the race and did the whole race together. At the end of the race, they launched a frantic shoulder-to-shoulder sprint and it looked like Daniel had the upper hand, until a last-minute surge by Leonard Nika that saw him claim the win!
Infinity SUP team rider from Peru Itzel Delgado was also in contention in the first minutes of the race until a fall saw him lose touch with the lead. He still managed to finish only 1 minute behind Leo and Daniel. The local hero and a young paddler to watch out for at any upcoming SUP Race event, is the very talented Tomas Lacerda, 4th, who managed to break away from Danish viking and world superstar Casper Steinfath, to close out another International amd very competitive Top 5.
Top 10 Men:
Leonard Nika
Daniel Hasulyo
Itzel Delgado
TomĂĄs Lacerda
Casper Stainfath
Vasilis Samniotis
Tiago Almeida
Francisco Freitas
Mateus Morna
Paulo Vieira
Special mention and congratulations to the emerging talents from Madeira, including all the athletes from Clube Naval de Fuchal as well as other local clubs. The Junior races in the morning, in the 8-12 year old, and then 13-17 year old categories, were extremely competitive and 4 Elite Juniors claimed 4 spots in the coveted Top 10 in the Elite race.
On Sunday we had the relay race in an exciting new format that saw teams of 4 (3 Juniors+ 1 Pro) go head to head in a course where they crossed each other and right in front of all the spectators; without a doubt one of the highlights of the weekend. To no oneâs surprise, the local team captain by local superstar Tomas Lacerda came away with the win.
âStacked field of pro SUP athletesâ, âgnarly ocean conditionsâ, âincredible experienceâ and âan excellent event organisationâ are some of the recurring themes summing up the Madeira Island Sup Challenge (MISC) 2023, the EuroTour Grand Slam event, held on the Madeira Island this past weekend, a stunning archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean and located about [âŠ]
Madeira Island Sup Challenge (MISC), the next stop of the EuroTour is fast approaching and the line-up of elite athletes is heating up. Taking place on 27-28 May, in Madeira, considered as one of the worldâs most stunning islands situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, the event is set to bring a compelling mix of SUP racing [âŠ]
[APP World Tour Press Release] The Han River provided the perfect setting for the 2023 APPâs Asian Championship hosted by KAPP (Korean Association of Paddlesurf Professionals) in Seoul this past weekend. As Koreaâs Capital City with 25 million residents, it was a fantastic opportunity for KAPP to provide a showcase of the sport to a [âŠ]
Daniel Hasulyo, Starboard Dream Team Rider, race board developer and SUP World Champ, returns to South Korea for the 2023 SUP Asian Championship hosted in Seoul by the APPâs Korean partners, KAPP (Korean Association of Paddlesurf Professionals). On the eve of the event, TotalSUP caught up with Daniel to find out what drives him to [âŠ]
The APP World Tour returns to Korea from 13th â 14th May for the 2023 SUP Asian Championship hosted by the APPâs Korean partners, KAPP. The event will take place in the Capital City of Seoul, providing a new, exciting venue for athletes from all over Asia and the world. In the run up to [âŠ]
Infinity SUP Welcomes French Champion Arthur Arutkin to the Team Infinity SUP Co. known for premium manufactured â performance driven race and surf SUPâs, is proud to announce that French waterman and veteran SUP star Arthur Arutkin has officially joined the #infinityspeedfreaks. ï»ż Already a seasoned pro in the sport of SUP and one of [âŠ]
We are saddened to announce that Pedro Lacerda, the President of the Madeira Surf Association (ASRAM / Associação de Surf da RegiĂŁo AutĂłnoma da Madeira) died yesterday at the age of 61. Pedro Lacerda was the father of surfer and SUP racer TomĂĄs Lacerda, holder of numerous titles in Madeira and Portugal, especially in SUP [âŠ]
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 (drumsâŠ), 3 athletes and 1 adventurer have already been announced to make their entrance in the Dream Team: SUP racers Alba [âŠ]