Skrea Strand is a popular beach located near the town of Falkenberg on the west coast of Sweden. Known for its long stretch of soft, golden sand and clear waters, it’s a favorite destination for both locals and tourists, especially during the summer months. The beach spans about two kilometers and offers excellent facilities, including beachfront cafés, restaurants, and camping areas, making it ideal for a day out or an extended stay. With its scenic views and family-friendly atmosphere, Skrea Strand is a must-visit spot for anyone exploring the Swedish coastline.
Skrea Strand is also the venue for the annual Skrea Strand Paddle, which marks the Swedish SUP Championships. This year, the organizers stepped up their game, offering a €3000 prize purse and elevating the event to an ICF-ranked race.
One of the big names at the race was Christian Andersen, an experienced athlete who has consistently delivered impressive results. In Sweden, he proved that he is clearly a notch faster than the rest of the field. In the 8km Long Distance race, he beat Belgium’s own Kjell De Bruyn by almost one minute and England’s Hector Jessel by nearly two minutes. Linus Karlsson, Sweden’s best-known SUP athlete, missed the podium entirely, finishing one minute and 24 seconds behind.
In the Technical Race, Christian “Polarbear” Andersen won once again, this time with a 35-second lead over Linus Karlsson. It was definitely a good weekend for the Danish paddler, who has already participated in six SWR Long Distance Races this year.
Open Men 8KM Longdistance
1. Christian Andersen, DEN 51:43:4
2. Kjell De Bruyn, BEL 52:42:5 (+0:59:1)
3. Hector Jessel, GBR 53:42:4 (+1:59:0)
4. Linus Karlsson, SWE 55:06:5 (+3:23:1)
5. Asger Smidt, DEN 57:18:1 (+5:34:7)
6. Joep Van Bakel, NED (MASTER) 57:51:9 (+6:08:5)
7. Will Keetley, GBR 1:02:25:3 (+10:41:9)
8. Magnus R. Lindstedt, SWE (MASTER) 1:02:54:9 (+11:11:5)
9. Benyam Bossack, GER 1:03:01:0 (+11:17:6)
10. Johan Skärskog, SWE (MASTER) 1:05:24:5 (+13:41:1)
11. Marios T. Zere, NOR (MASTER) 1:05:38:9 (+13:55:5)
12. Staffan Andrén, SWE (MASTER) 1:06:29:3 (+14:45:9)
13. Kristian Pilborg, DEN 1:08:53:4 (+17:10:0)
14. Patrick Boyum, SWE (MASTER) 1:10:42:3 (+18:58:9)
15. Justin Walemark, SWE (MASTER) 1:12:43:4 (+21:00:0)
16. Ulrik Lund, DEN (MASTER) 1:23:38:5 (+31:55:1)
17. Glen Sloss, GBR 1:26:21:6 (+34:38:2)
Open Men Tech
1. Christian Andersen, DEN 8:24:1
2. Linus Karlsson, SWE 8:59:1 (+0:35:0)
3. Noa Stender Mikkelsen, DEN 9:01:1 (+0:37:0)
4. Hector Jessel, GBR 9:08:2 (+0:44:1)
5. Kjell De Bruyn, BEL 9:10:9 (+0.46.8)
6. Asger Smidt, DEN 9:16:8 (+0:52:7)
7. Benyam Bossack, GER 9:52:4 (+1:28:3)
8. Will Keetley, GBR 10:23:5 (+1:59:4)
9. Lucas Boyum, SWE 10:32:8 (+2:08:7)
10: Tobias Ernst, DEN 10:52:4 (+2:28:3)
11. Lasse Sauerteig, GER 11:02:1 (+2:38:0)
12: Marious T. Zere, NOR 11:11:3 (+2:47:2)
On the women’s side, South African Chiara Vorster dominated the scene. She won the Women’s Long Distance race by over 8 minutes and the Technical Race by 49 seconds. Chiara is currently in Europe, preparing for the ISA SUP and Paddleboard World Championships in Denmark. She will be competing in the Junior Technical Race as well as the Open Women’s Distance Race in Denmark.
Open Women Longdistance
1. Chiara Vorster, RSA 1:15:05
2. Michelle Kimbler, SWE 1:23:15 (+ 8.10)
3. Maria Östergaard Holm, DEN 1:40:04 (+ 24:59)
4. Stinna Morell Lerche, DEN 1:45:52 (+ 30:47)
Open Women Tech. Race
1. Chiara Vorster, RSA 12:09:1
2. Katrine Bergmann, DEN 12:58:8 (+0:49:7)
3. Michelle Kimbler, SWE 13:31:5 (+1:22:4)
4. Maria Östergard Holm, DEN 13:53:5 (1:44:4)
5. Marrit Miedema, NED 16:13:6 (+4:04.5)
6. Elin Aulin, SWE 15:53:5 (+4:44:4)
7. Ida Djurström, SWE 17:54:6 (+5:45:5)
8. Stinna Morell Lerche, DEN 18:17:7 (+6:08:6)
9. Elin Van Der Sar, NED 20:50:2 (+8:41:1)
10. Vera Lindmark, SWE 21:33:4 (+9:24:3)
11. Sigrid Fröberg, SWE 22:56:9 (+10:47:8)
12. Katrine Sandberg, DEN 27:38:6 (+15:29:5)
In the Junior Races, the standouts were the two Germans, Benyam Bossack and Cedric Fahlbush. Both secured gold and silver in the Junior Technical Race and the 5K Long Distance. In the Open Technical Race, Benyam placed 7th, while another German junior hopeful, Lasse Sauerteig, finished 11th. However, his name does not appear in the junior rankings.
Junior Boys 5K
1. Benyam Bossack, GER 35:00:0
2. Cedric Fahlbush, GER 35:05:8 (+0.05.8)
3. Mylo Van Bakel, NED 42:00:0 (+7:00)
4. Sami Lelovits, SVK 42:38:4 (+7:38:4)
5. Wilhelm Carlsson, SWE 45:17:0 (+10:17:0)
6. Robin Hoekstra, NED 45:41:0 (+10:51:0)
7. Finn Marteijn, NED 52:30:2 (+17:30:2)
Junior Boys Tech. Race
1. Benyam Bossack, GER 7:34:3
2. Cedric Fahlbusch, GER 7:43:4 (+0:09:1)
3. Mylo Van Bakel, NED 8:37:9 (+1:03:6)
4. Sami Lelovits, SVK 8:52:4 (+1:18:1)
5. Tije Van Bakel, NED 9:32:1 (+1:57:8)
6. Wilhelm Carlsson, SWE 9:38:9 (+2:04:6)
7. Finn Marteijn, NED 10:19:6 (2:45:3)
Junior Girls 5K
1. Sigrid Fröberg, SWE 43:41:9
2. Katrine Sandberg, DEN 51:12:9 (+7:31:0)
Junior Girls Tech. Race
1. Chiara Vorster, RSA 8:30:9
2. Marrit Miedema, NED 8:45:5 (+14:6)
3. Katrine Bergmann, DEN 9:09:4 (+38:5)
4. Elin Van Der Sar, NED 9:48:8 (+1:17::9)
5. Sigrid Fröberg, SWE 10:05:0 (+1:34:1)
6. Katrine Sandberg, DEN 10:21:1 (1:50:2)