It is the end of a long and intense SUP race season. We started with a very busy first half of the year, featuring all the EURO TOUR races in Spain and Italy, as well as the Lake Rocks Festival in Austria, which was part of the SUP Alps Trophy. We have been keeping tabs on the world’s top ten since the beginning of the year.
In the second half of the year, the race schedule became very fragmented, and most elite athletes who don’t live in Europe returned to their home countries. There were few to no major international races, making it more difficult to maintain an accurate top ten list. (This is also the reason we stopped updating it in the second half and are now asking ourselves what to do with this in 2025.)
As always, at the end of the year, the SUP World Rankings are cleaned up, and only the top-ranked races are considered for the final athlete rankings. This is what we have been waiting for, and, frankly, the cleaned-up version closely reflects what we had anticipated all along.
Men Longdistance
hrimpy is the undisputed king of long distance. He has a significant points lead, and everyone who saw his performance at the ICF in Sarasota will agree. In fact, he won every long-distance race he competed in: Sancti Petri, Mondello, Busan, Punta Ala, and Barcelona.
Behind him is Donato Freens, who was a very busy paddler with many great results, but the points difference is significant. Only 10 points behind Donato is Rai Taguchi showing a very close race to the season end.
Congratulations to all the racers, and a special shout-out to Eri Tenorio, who most likely made the top ten due to his phenomenal comeback at the ICF long-distance race in Sarasota.
| Rank | Name | Nat. | PTS |
| 1 | Shuri Araki | JPN | 3511.6 |
| 2 | Donato Freens | NED | 2897.23 |
| 3 | Rai Taguchi | JPN | 2887.75 |
| 4 | Aaron Sanchez | ESP | 2495.25 |
| 5 | Daniel Hasulyo | HUN | 2478.32 |
| 6 | Ethan Bry | FRA | 2164.1 |
| 7 | Blue Ewer | GBR | 2147.56 |
| 8 | Itzel Delgado | PER | 2125.7 |
| 9 | Eri Tenorio | BRA | 2045.05 |
| 10 | Manuel Hoyuela | ESP | 1991.47 |
Women Longdistance
The clear champions here are Esperanza Barreras and Marie Carmen Rivera. Espe is the world’s undisputed top female paddler, but in Marie Carmen, she has a very worthy opponent. Esperanza holds both the ISA and ICF World Titles, so it is only natural that she is SWR’s top-ranked paddler this year.
Marie Carmen earned silver at both the ICF and ISA, finishing behind Espe — and their points difference is understandably slim. Further back, we find Juliette Du Haime and Duna Gordillo, who both had a respectable year as well.
Special shout out to Kimberly Barnes who is by far the oldest paddler in this group and showed amazing performance against girls more than half her age.
| Rank | Name | Nat. | PTS |
| 1 | Esperanza Barreras | ESP | 2213.25 |
| 2 | Marie Carmen Rivera | PUR | 2031.15 |
| 3 | Juliette Du Haime | ARG | 1548.64 |
| 4 | Duna Gordillo | ESP | 1307.52 |
| 5 | Susak Molinero | ESP | 1113.62 |
| 6 | Alba Frey | ESP | 1108.21 |
| 7 | Cecilia Pampinella | ITA | 1089.37 |
| 8 | Kimberly Barnes | USA | 1017.75 |
| 9 | Anais Guyomarch | FRA | 953.76 |
| 10 | Iona Rivet | FRA | 947.85 |
Men Tech. Race
Rai Taguchi is the clear Tech Race world champion. Despite not performing as well as he wanted in Sarasota, where he finished 6th, his ISA world title, gold medal at the SUP Spring Race, and various other podium finishes solidified his position.
Christian Anderson had a great year, and he even mentioned in an interview that he felt it was his best year ever. It’s also great to see Itzel Delgado in third place. For an athlete who focused more on ULD races such as M2O, the 11 City Tour, and the Okinawa to Yoron Ocean Race, he certainly excelled with buoy turns this year, winning all the Latin American Races.
| Rank | Name | Nat. | PTS |
| 1 | Rai Taguchi | JPN | 2559.6 |
| 2 | Christian Andersen | DEN | 2017.04 |
| 3 | Itzel Delgado | PER | 1949.35 |
| 4 | Filippo Mercuriali | ITA | 1863.3 |
| 5 | Blue Ewer | GBR | 1753.1 |
| 6 | Donato Freens | NED | 1657.24 |
| 7 | Sergio Cantoral | ESP | 1626.31 |
| 8 | Manuel Hoyuela | ESP | 1625.72 |
| 9 | Aaron Sanchez | ESP | 1563.6 |
| 10 | Paolo Marconi | ITA | 1495.87 |
Women Tech Race
Esperanza Barreras is not only the fastest long-distance paddler, but she is also the fastest Tech Racer. She earned silver medals at both the ICF and ISA and claimed victory at the Barcelona SUP World Fest.
Less than 100 points behind her is Juliette Du Haime. At the ICF, she finished 4th, but she won the Copa America, placed 2nd in Barcelona, and took the top spot at the Lake Rocks Festival in Austria. She did miss the top spot but not by much.
In third place, we have Duna Gordillo, who achieved fantastic wins in Sarasota and at the Busan Open in South Korea.
| Rank | Name | Nat. | PTS |
| 1 | Esperanza Barreras | ESP | 1626.75 |
| 2 | Juliette Du Haime | ARG | 1552.5 |
| 3 | Duna Grodillo | ESP | 1319.4 |
| 4 | Marie Carmen Rivera | PUR | 932.02 |
| 5 | Cecilia Pampinella | ITA | 856.75 |
| 6 | Marta Apanasewicz | POL | 783.49 |
| 7 | Claudia Postiglione | ITA | 675.87 |
| 8 | Rika Okuaki | JPN | 659.01 |
| 9 | Kyriaki Logotheti | JPN | 624.1 |
| 10 | Alba Frey | ESP | 617.62 |
Men Sprint Races
The world of sprinting belongs to Andrey Kraitor. He set his sights on the ICF World Title — and delivered. His dominance was on full display as he clinched victories at Agios Nikolaos, the ECA Sprints, and the Lake Rocks Sprints, cementing his place as the king of speed.
Hot on his heels in second place is Cameron Tripney, whose consistent performances include a 3rd place finish in Sarasota, a 2nd place podium at the Lake Rocks Festival in Austria, and a decisive win at the SUP Spring Race.
Rounding out the top three is Manuel Hoyuela. He grabbed 2nd in Sarasota but followed a different race schedule than Cameron, meeting Kraitor again at the ECA Sprints, where he finished 3rd.
Overall, the Sprint Category reveals a unique dynamic — the names here differ significantly from those in long-distance and tech racing. Clearly, not every paddler is built for the explosive intensity of sprinting, highlighting a different skill set.
| Rank | Name | Nat. | PTS |
| 1 | Andrey Kraitor | BUL | 2349.6 |
| 2 | Cameron Tripney | RAS | 1856.3 |
| 3 | Manuel Hoyuela | ESP | 1533.62 |
| 4 | Doukas Phaedon | GRE | 1281.36 |
| 5 | Rai Taguchi | JPN | 1242.12 |
| 6 | Christian Andersen | DEN | 1123.92 |
| 7 | Normen Weber | GER | 1096.9 |
| 8 | Blue Ewer | GBR | 1031.82 |
| 9 | Linus Karlsson | SWE | 1013.32 |
| 10 | Mikolay Majdan | POL | 999.85 |
Women Sprint
IIn the women’s sprint category, we’re looking at a different leaderboard compared to the long-distance and tech races. Alba Frey reigns supreme, claiming the top spot with a 3rd place finish in Sarasota, a victory in Greece, and another triumph at the ISA. Essentially, she dominated, winning two out of the three sprint races she entered.
Second place belongs to Marta Apanasewicz, a lesser-known talent from Poland who quietly amassed her points. Her highlight was a 2nd place finish in Greece, complemented by solid results in smaller races and a 3rd place at the ECA Sprints.
Rounding out the top three is Paris Katniss, who burst onto the scene with a stunning victory in Sarasota. This win secured her spot on the podium, despite a 4th place in Greece and an 8th place at the SUP Spring Race.
The sprint category showcases a fresh mix of names, proving that when it comes to explosive speed, these women are in a league of their own.
| Rank | Name | Nat. | PTS |
| 1 | Alba Frey | ESP | 978.5 |
| 2 | Marta Apanasewicz | POL | 786.27 |
| 3 | Paris Katniss | USA | 707.54 |
| 4 | Cecilia Pampinella | ITA | 687.9 |
| 5 | Marie Carmen Rivera | PUR | 639.56 |
| 6 | Kyriaki Logotheti | GRE | 622.64 |
| 7 | Claudia Postiglione | ITA | 616.95 |
| 8 | Linda Syrovatkova | CZE | 551.79 |
| 9 | Sey-Chelle | USA | 490.72 |
| 10 | Esperanza Barreras | ESP | 442.5 |
Conclusion
We can all be really happy that Tibor Hasulyo took on the mantle left by Chris Parker. The current ranking system is an accurate, math-based approach that considers all relevant factors, creating a fair ranking. However, after five years of statistics, we’re beginning to encounter challenges. The system is becoming diluted due to the fragmentation of the sport, especially after a few months. This dilution tends to reward athletes who perform well in lesser-ranked or less competitive races.
This raises a fundamental question for us: Why track rankings year-round if we end up with a reshuffeled top ten by the end of the year? The excitement of this ranking system lies in witnessing rivalries develop throughout the season. We love following athletes, seeing them compete head-to-head, and watching the race for the world title intensify as the year progresses. Unfortunately, our sport lacks the organization necessary to form a consistent series of races that could function as a cohesive world tour. Instead, SUP is scattered and inconsistent, making even unifying the competitive side under the SWR a challenging task.
At Stand Up Magazin, we are considering a shift in approach. Instead of maintaining weekly updates to the SWR, we’re thinking of creating our own ranking system that focuses solely on 3- to 5-Star races, using SWR data. We question whether it’s truly necessary to rank and count every race in some pond in the middle of nowhere. This may sound harsh — and we don’t intend to discredit paddlers or organizers — but the most compelling stories come from major events where the sport showcases its highest level of competition.
It’s unfortunate that the APP, despite its excellent media production, has failed to deliver a sustainable model akin to those seen in other sports. Without comprehensive media packages and consistent content creation, we won’t be able to sell this sport to a broader audience or attract major sponsors. Competitive SUP will remain fragmented, relying on government subsidies and two organizations battling for jurisdiction. A few key events will continue to be funded by local tourism authorities, as long as they see value in doing so promoting their destination.
If we want to break out of this niche, we need structure. The SWR is currently the only system providing any semblance of structure. The next step is to identify key races worldwide and encourage top athletes to participate by offering prize money and decent media coverage.