Results from Madeira SUP Challenge 2018!

On the 11th March 2018 Madeira SUP Challenge 2018 was held in Funchal, Madeira. The race saw choppy sea conditions but it didn’t stop the racers notching up some impressive results.

The Madeira SUP Challenge 2018 integrated the first stage of the Portuguese SUP Junior and Open Marathon Championships into the event, the event was organized by the Clube Naval do Funchal in partnership with the Portuguese Surfing Federation and Stand Up Paddle Association.

The competition was a great success with sunny and warm conditions, three age group categories were represented, the Under 15’s,  the under 18’s and the Open with both 12.6′ and 14” board classes. The  race was held between Ponta da Cruz and Lazareto in Funchal, with the start and finish at Cais de São Lázaro. The under-15 athletes raced for 5KM, the under-18’s raced for 8KM and the Open category raced for 12KM, here are the race results brought to you by TotalSUP

Young Paddlers Shine

In the under-15 male category Centro Treino Mar (CTM) racer Francisco Vilena dominated and took 1st place arriving with a time 54:10, followed by fellow team mate Afonso Freitas with 55:01.  11-year-old Maria Leonor, also from the CTM arrived 3rd with a time of 58:07.

Maria Leonor was also the first female in her category and was deservedly crowned national champion, Madalena Castro who had previously won the first stage of the regional, was national runner-up with a time 58:32.

In the U-18s, Tomás Lacerda of the Clube Naval do Funchal (CNF) took 1st place on the podium with an impressive time of  1:09:04, Joaquim Brazão of CTM  came second with a finishing time of 01:33:17.  Rising star Tomás Lacerda has ambitions for the top telling TotalSUP that “the race was fine. I made a small mistake at the start and I fell, but then I recovered, I took the lead and kept the pace right until the end. I expected a bit more competition but it is always good to win. As for the future, I hope to be an international athlete, whether in Surf or Stand Up, which are my two passions. ”

In women’s U-18 Sara Berenguer of Team ADRAP claimed 1st place and was crowned national champion with the time 01:46:07, followed by Sophie Moreau of the CTM and Lara Rodrigues of the CNF.

Anticipation for the Open Race!

The eagerly awaited Open race was next on the agenda, with 19 athletes present it was going to be a close contest, with the racers  divided into 12.6 ” or 14 ” board classes.

Reuben Afonso of the São Vicente Naval Club took 1st place on the podium in the 12.6 ‘ class in an impressive time of 1:16:39. Filipe Meira from the Naval Club of Sesimbra came in second place and Renato Queirós from Clube Fluvial Vilacondense came in third.

Ricardo Rodrigues of the CNF  was crowned winner of the Open Class 14′, it was a tight finish with only 2 seconds between him and second placed João Rodrigues representing Training Center Mar,  Diogo Sousa of the Peninsula Peniche Surf Club closed the podium in 3rd position.

Ricardo Rodrigues was happy with his performance at the 1st stage of the national circuit, “I knew it would be a very competitive first stage, so I prepared well for this competition and achieved a good result. I am satisfied not only for the first place, but also for the whole race in general. I think Madeira was the ideal place to start a new competitive season, there is a good group of younger generations coming through, with a lot of willpower to work in SUP ”

In the Open Women Anabela Prioste from Peniche won with time 1:36:02 followed by Rute Viegas, Albufeira Surf Club came in at second with a time of 2:17:25.

Anabela Prioste was pleased to be racing back in Madeira “It was a race with difficult conditions there was wind, strong currents and backwash, there was no respite yet we achieved a positive balance with a fun downwind  and good race, and we could enjoy the beauty of this route. It was very challenging and I managed to perform well, finish the race and bring the 1st place on the podium to the Mainland!

I am happy to have returned to Madeira to this event organized by the Clube Naval do Funchal, I hope to return in 2019. It was interesting to see the training and paddlers from the U-15 and U-18  category who already have a very good level and are excellent athletes. Congratulations to all the athletes in-spite of the sea conditions we did well.”

Good luck to the athletes for the rest of circuit! Follow the action here at TotalSUP!