World SUP meet: European lads make merry

Mangaluru: The Men’s Open category of theLong Distance Technical SUP race at the inaugural India Paddle Festival witnessed a thrilling finish, with the top three finishers separated by a few seconds. Antonio Morillo of Spain claimed the championship, followed by Denmark’s Christian Andersen and Spain’s Fernando Perez. In the Women’s Open category, Spain’s Esperanza Barreras emerged as the champion, with Irin of Thailand securing second place and Bianca Toncelli from Italy finishing third.

This three-day SUP event marks India’s first International SUP championship, held at Sasihithlu beach, Mangalore, from 8th to 10th March 2024. Presented by the Karnataka Government and organized by the Surfing Swami Foundation, the India Paddle Festival is sanctioned by the Association of PaddleSurf Professionals World Tour (APP).

Day 2 commenced with the heats of the SUP Technical Long Distance race for Men’s Open category, advancing 10 finalists, including Indian athletes Sekar Patchai and Manikandan D, alongside international contenders.

The finals also featured the Women’s Open category, where Esperanza Barreras secured victory with Irin and Bianca Toncelli securing second and third places, respectively.

The highlight of the day was the Men’s Open category finals, where Antonio Morillo clinched victory with a narrow margin over Christian Andersen and Fernando Perez.

Antonio expressed satisfaction with his performance and praised the Indian stand-up paddlers, anticipating their international success.

Esparanza expressed delight at winning the Women’s Open category title and commended the competitive spirit of Indian paddlers. She expressed confidence in their potential with proper infrastructure and training provided by the Surfing Swami Foundation. National Champion Sekar Patchai, after his fifth-place finish, praised the international athletes’ skills and advocated for more such competitions in India for real-time competitive experience.

The final day of the India Paddle Festival will include the community race final, Women’s Sprints, Men’s Sprint, and the closing ceremony.

The Association of PaddleSurf Professionals World Tour (APP) announced its entry into India with the country’s first-ever International Stand-Up Paddling championship.

The India Paddle Festival signifies a significant growth of the sport in the region, with top athletes from the APP World Tour and aspiring professionals participating. Presented by Karnataka Tourism and organised by the Surfing Swami Foundation, the event promises an exciting development journey for stand-up paddling

in India.