Young SUP Athletes

Over the years, we’ve made it a point to shine a light on the next generation of stand-up paddlers, following their journeys as they grow from promising juniors into athletes ready to challenge the world’s best. Few things are more inspiring than watching young SUP athletes make the leap from the junior ranks to the […]

The upcoming 2026 ICF SUP Junior International Cup, taking place in Bascov, Romania, from 19 – 21 June, promises to be one of the most prominent showcases of young international SUP talent. Hosted at the state-of-the-art Budeasa Regatta Course – one of the best-equipped canoeing venues in Eastern Europe – the stage is set for […]

A new wave of athletes is beginning to shift the traditional timeline of elite sport – where experience, progression, and maturity are usually built over years. Ambitious and hungry, they’re stepping up early, already competing simultaneously in junior and open divisions and holding their own at both levels. Since its inception, the Belgian SUP Tour […]

The Belgian SUP Tour (BST) has released its new race calendar as the circuit enters a new chapter in its evolution, alongside the development of new international partnerships. Over the past four years, the series has grown rapidly — not only in the number of events but also in the strength of its community and […]

This could be a breakthrough year for Jacques Thomas. Stepping up from the kids division into juniors and recently named a GBSUP Junior Ambassador, the 14-year-old from the Channel Islands is entering a new chapter. He’s built a reputation for doing the hardest thing in sport: consistently showing up. In all conditions, on every start […]

Light Board Corp – the brand behind the PARADOXA board, SUP Alps Trophy race series and one of the most talked-about events on the calendar, the Lake Rocks Festival — continues to champion age diversity within the sport. With a multifaceted squad and a growing roster of high-profile events, the brand proves that the future […]

Basssup, the premium Polish watersport brand launched in 2016 as an inflatable SUP board company, has been a fundamental part of building the country’s SUP scene from its very beginning. So, it felt only natural for them to get involved in supporting and developing young SUP athletes. They’ve been equipping the youth with high-performance, custom-made […]

We’ve just met 10x Junior SUP Champion, Emilia Daszewska at Planet Baltic SUP Race in Kołobrzeg, Poland, where the 16-year-old was awarded the long-distance gold in the demanding Polish SUP Tour. Narrow boards and gruelling courses are her forte. A Basssup Rider, the brand championing youth SUP development in Poland, and proud member of RTW […]

We love a good shake-up in the SUP world – and the GBSUP National Paddle Racing Series Championships – Falmouth Bay Open, held in Cornwall, UK, at the beginning of June, serving as the qualifier for the World Championships, didn’t disappoint. The spotlight definitely shone on 14-year-old Selwyn Pritchard from Makkum, the Netherlands. Selwyn, the […]

We’ve seen a surge of young SUP talent emerging from the Belgian SUP Tour (BST), which puts equal emphasis on all divisions — with a strong spotlight on Juniors and the Under 14 category. Now a key player in the European stand-up paddleboarding scene, the BST offers a dynamic mix of events that welcome elite […]

When you grow up in Gran Canaria with a father who’s a local SUP & surf legend, Coach and the Founder of one of the hottest SUP events in Canary Islands, Gran Canaria PRO – you’re practically wired for the sport, and your blood runs salty. We’ve been following young SUP athlete and Starboard Rider […]

Loranne Vlemincx, a 14-year-old rising star from Mol, Belgium, is quickly becoming a name to watch on the international SUP scene. With a knack for long-distance racing she’s already proven her versatility bagging three gold medals (Tech, Sprint & LD)  in the Open Class Junior Girls at the SUPNL’s NK SUP Tour 2024 in the […]

In the run up to the 2024 Belgian SUP Tour (BST) kicking off in April, TotalSUP caught up with Joep van Bakel, 2023 ICF World Long Distance SUP Champion, prodigious waterman and a pro SUP athlete with a knack for long distance races, based in Wormer, the Netherlands. Advocating for the growth of our sport […]

Blackfish Paddles has just announced the new addition of Jojo Karst to their SUP Riders Team. The sixteen year old SUP athlete from Germany has recently caught the media attention at the EUROSUP 2023 Championships in Portugal (4th in the Junior Long Distance Race) where she kept paddling in tough conditions despite losing her paddle […]