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WANNING, China – The SUP Technical races sparked an action-packed fifth day of competition at the 2018 ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship at Riyue Bay in Wanning, China. The Men’s and Women’s Semifinals ran to qualify athletes for the Finals to take place on Wednesday, set to award the first racing medals of the event.
Two qualification slots for the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima are up for grabs for the top finishing man and woman from the Americas in the SUP Technical Race Finals. Three ISA SUP Gold Medalists, USA’s Connor Baxter, Denmark’s Casper Steinfath, and France’s Tituoan Puyo, took the top qualification spots in the Men’s Semifinals.
“The course was really fun,” said Baxter. “We got downwinds, upwinds, a surf break, and a beach run. It’s really technical. The competition has gone up and up every year. All the nations are getting more serious about SUP and training their teams, so the Finals tomorrow will be packed with talent. A win tomorrow will not only be a Gold for the team, but also a spot in the Pan Americans. It’s not just a personal Gold Medal, there is much more at stake.”
Steinfath’s time of 32:19 was the fastest of the day, giving him a strong push heading into finals Day. USA’s Candice Appleby, the 2015 ISA Technical Race Gold Medalist, finished the day with the fastest heat time for the women with 36:51. Australia’s Shakira Westdorp, who won an unprecedented third consecutive SUP Surfing Gold Medal on Monday, won the second Women’s Semifinal and Japan’s Yuka Sato won the third Semifinal.
Photo: ISA / Sean Evans
Men’s Technical Race Qualifiers. | Photos: ISA / Sean Evans / Pablo Jimenez
Great Britain’s Marie Buchanan put on a gutsy performance after stepping on an urchin during the SUP Surfing rounds. Despite her injury, Buchanan managed to finish fifth in her SUP Technical Race Semifinal to qualify directly to the Final.
“I’ve been hobbling around after stepping on an urchin,” said Buchanan. “The adrenaline definitely got me through. I was determined to qualify and not have to compete twice in the Repechage Round.
“This is my sixth time competing at the ISA Worlds. I’ve made the top six, but I have never won a medal. I would be totally stoked to place on the podium.”
The top five finishers from each of the three Semifinals qualified for the Finals on Wednesday, with the rest of the field competing in a Repechage heat that would qualify an additional five athletes for the Final. A grand total of 20 competitors will be competing in the SUP Technical Race Finals.
Notably, Team Iran and China made their first SUP Racing appearances in the history of the event today in the Women’s and Men’s SUP Technical Race. None of the Chinese and Iranian athletes qualified for finals day, however their participation marks a watershed moment for the growth and development of SUP in Asia.
ISA President Fernando Aguerre said:
“After crowning SUP Surfing World Champions yesterday, we went straight into the exciting SUP Technical Races here in China. The Technical Races have attracted the top talent from all continents of the globe, looking to put a Gold Medal around their neck. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will make history, as we will not only crown the first SUP World Champions in China, but also the first Under-18 SUP World Champions. Everything indicates that this will be a must-see day of SUP Racing.”
The ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship will be streamed live on isasurf.org Nov 23 – Dec 2.
Candice Appleby (left) and Terrene Black (right) head-to-head in their qualifying race. | Photo: Pablo Jimenez
Women’s technical race qualifiers. | Photos: ISA / Pablo Jimenez / Sean Evans
Technical Race Men Finalists
- Connor Baxter USA
- Martin Vitry FRA
- Daniel Hasulyo HUN
- Sam McCollough AUS
- Claudio Nika ITA
- Casper Steinfath DEN
- Bruno Hasulyo HUN
- Leonard Nika ITA
- Trevor Tunnington NZL
- Harry Maskell AUS
- Titouan Puyo FRA
- Kenny Kaneko JPN
- Christian Andersen DEN
- Oliver Houghton NZL
- Vinnicius Martins BRA
- Kota Kayashima JPN
- Rafael Sirvent ESP
- Guilherme Cunha BRA
- Aaron Rowe GBR
- Tyler Bashor USA
Technical Race Women Finalists
- Candice Appleby USA
- Terrene Black AUS
- Amandine Chazot FRA
- Takayo Yokoyama JPN
- Marie Buchanan GBR
- Shakira Westdorp AUS
- Laura Quetglas ESP
- Fiona Wylde USA
- Tarryn King RSA
- Tara Hope NZL
- Yuka Sato JPN
- Olivia Piana FRA
- Jessika Matos de Souza BRA
- Caroline Küntzel DEN
- Sheila Sirvent ESP
- Caterina Stenta ITA
- Ginnie Odetayo GBR
- Nicoline Rasmussen DEN
- Laura Dal Pont ITA
- Ariel Amaral CAN
Junior Race Men
- Sam McCullough AUS
- Noic Gariou FRA
- Oliver Houghton NZL
- Ryan Funk USA
- Guilherme Cunha BRA
- Christian Andersen DEN
- Riccardo Rossi ITA
- Kei Komatsuyama JPN
- Henco Scholtz RSA
- Maui Sach GER
- Lucas Boyum SWE
- Ben Moreham GBR
- Aarón Sánchez ESP
- Seymour Jack Kelly HKG
- Huang Wanglong CHN
- Shih, Meng-Chun TPE
Junior Race Women
- Abbie Walkerdene AUS
- Melanie Lafenetre FRA
- Maddie McAsey NZL
- Jade Howson USA
- Caroline Küntzel DEN
- Laura Dal Pont ITA
- Miu Kogai JPN
- Karisa Grace RSA
- Hannah-Leni Krah GER
- Elle Veale GBR
- Aida Soberbio ESP
- Veronika Savonova RUS
- Jim Nga Woon Jade HKG
- Mi Jiachen CHN
For the day 5 recap check out the video below.
The remaining event schedule is the following*:
Riyue Bay
November 28 – Technical Races
November 29 – Lay day
Shenzhou Peninsula
November 30 – Sprint Races
December 1 – Distance Races
December 2 – Relay Races, Closing Ceremony
*All times in local time (GMT +8). Schedule subject to change.
For more news on the 2018 ISA World SUP & Paddleboard Championships, click HERE.
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