SUNOVA’s star Susak Molinero on EuroTour triumphs, SUP coaching and life between races

Having made a remarkable comeback after motherhood, Susak Molinero is now enjoying her best EuroTour season to date. She holds a 2nd place ranking and excels in a highly competitive and stacked international field. Based in Piombino, Tuscany, but born in the vibrant city of Barcelona, this all-round waterwoman thrives in challenging ocean conditions, but make no mistake, she shreds on flat water (2019 ICF Worlds Tech Race Silver Medalist) too!

Photo by Andy Klotz Photography

Hi Susak, welcome to TotalSUP and congratulations on your amazing season to date, your latest EuroTour victory in Nordhausen, Germany and the overall ranking to date! What have you been up to between competitions?

Hola, thank you so much! Apart from travelling for racing, we spent all the time at our home spot in Italy – Salivoli in the Tuscany region, training and working on our SUP school.

Photo source: The EuroTour

You’re the Co-Founder and Coach at the SUP Salivoli – Could you tell us more about this venture?

We launched our SUP school 8 years ago with Paolo (*Paolo Marconi) , time flies! The spot is where Paolo grew up, a really familiar place on the Salivoli beach in Piombino, where we can enjoy the beautiful waters in front of the Elba Island! We have groups of kids, we do private lessons, training sessions, tours and workshops on the beautiful tourquise waters.. and this year, we’ve also started running SUP fitness sessions.

Photo source: The EuroTour

What’s your training focus? What are the key areas that impact performance and progression in our sport?

The most I need to work is the mind because it doesn’t help me some times. I’m lucky because Paolo trains with me and he pushes me to improve my focus and mindfulness a lot, he is really determined on this.

I take care of my body, out of the water and during training, and I eat healthy food too being a vegan.

Photo source: The EuroTour

There’s a lot of amazing SUP talent emerging on the Spanish SUP scene. What’s the secret to this success in your opinion?

I think they are really talented and they start really young, they train in big groups and this helps each and every one of them. They also went into racing internationally early too.

What would be your suggested pathway for the paddler to get to the next-level?

Starting young is beneficial, but it’s important to enjoy the process and avoid burning out too soon.

Spending a lot of hours in the water is the key, if you’re not used to, because it gives you more skills and knowledge of the board. Try training in all kinds of conditions to be prepared for any situation.

When it comes to SUP racing, what are the key factors for success? Is it strength, endurance, strategy, mindset, or a combination of all these elements?

As you said really well, it’s the combination of all these factors contribute to success. Sometimes, for example in technical races with waves, some luck can help too!

Photo source: The EuroTour

We have to ask this question… Training, coaching, traveling, competing, dedicating time to your family… How are you getting on as a young, and shall we say, pro SUP family?

It is amazing to share my life with the best partner I can ask for, sharing our passion for SUP, this beautiful sport that gave us the opportunity to meet twelve years ago! And we are really grateful that we are now able to share our SUP live with our little kid Kilian (2 years old), enjoying racing and travelling together as a SUP family!

We did as before, but now we have to plan our calendar with our parents or some friends who can stay with Kilian when we are racing together!

Photo courtesy of Susak Molinero

What’s your favourite SUP competition format (sprint, tech, LD) and why? Have you been preparing for any specific ones this year?

As we started racing more than ten years ago, there were not many specific racers, so we competed in everything. I love the sprints and technicals, but no mistake are allowed in these formats so I enjoy the long distance too, where you have more time to think about the strategy and enjoy the course. For sure I don’t love the ultra endurance races as much as Paolo! This season I’ve trained for everything.

Photo by Andy Klotz Photography

Could you tell us about your collaboration with SUNOVA?

We started with this amazing brand at the last ICF Worlds in Thailand, and we are really happy about it. The boards are amazing, fast, stable, and beautiful. We were really grateful for the good vibes we felt with Martin Jandke and all the SUNOVA crew there in Thailand. They treat us like family!

Photo by Maximiliano Alberti

What’s your board set up? Which SUNOVA boards would you recommend to aspiring SUP racers?

I ride the Flat Water Elite Pro 14×20 and the Allwater 14×22. It’s really hard to choose only one, I love both of them… but maybe the Allwater is my favourite because I love ocean conditions more than flat water!

For aspiring SUP racers, I can recommend (apart from the wider versions of the flat and all-water) the Allround race board that have less dugout and it works well in all kinds of conditions too.

What events are in your SUP racing calendar this year?

I don’t know yet the races I will do. Let’s see what the second part of the season brings us. Meanwhile, I keep paddling and enjoying the sport!

Thank you Susak – we’ll be on the lookout!

Photo by Andy Klotz Photography

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