EURO TOUR Barcelona SUP World Fest 2025

Shuri Shrimpy Araki Dominates the Men’s Race at the Barcelona SUP World Fest

The Barcelona SUP World Fest turned into another showcase for Japan’s Shuri “Shrimpy” Araki, who once again demonstrated why he is considered the top male SUP racer in the world right now. Under stunning blue skies and almost glassy water conditions, the 12K race on Saturday set the stage for for an incredible competition.

Shrimpy dominated right from the start. From the very first strokes, he took the lead and never looked back. By the end of the second lap, he had built a gap of 100 meters, leaving the rest of the field scrambling for podium spots.

Behind him, a pack of 11 paddlers was fiercely battling for second and third. Among them was Spain’s Aaron Sanchez, who made a decisive move late in the race to break away from the chase group. At the end with 500 meters to go, his second-place finish looked solid—until Arthur Arutkin and Antonio Morillo surged forward, threatening his position. Titouan Puyo was also not far behind, sitting just outside the top three.

Meanwhile, Michael Booth had been holding third place earlier in the race but lost crucial ground after falling during a buoy turn. That misstep took him out of podium contention.

In the end, Shuri Araki cruised to a commanding victory with over 7 seconds lead over Antonio Morillo holding on for second, and Arthur Arutkin completing the podium in third, putting Aaron Sanchez into fourth. Having Titouan Puyo, a legend in the sport finish in up in 5th was a great accomplishment, Ti2 has retired from competitive SUP and even if he had a gap of 25 seconds to Shrimpy, he left many strong and accomplished competitors behind him. What a great moment that mus have been for him.

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Incredible Women’s Race: Marie Carmen Holds Off Duna & Alba, Espe’s Heroic Comeback

The women’s race was a thrilling and unpredictable affair from the very start. Marie Carmen Rivera got off to a flying start, closely followed by Duna Gordillo and Alba Frey in a tight draft train. Melanie Lafenetre settled into fourth early on, followed by a rising junior talent Sveva SABATO from Italy.

The biggest shock, however, came from Esperanza Barreras, who suffered a major setback just 200 meters into the race. Her leash got tangled and forced her to fall and drop to last place.

Up front, the leading trio of Marie Carmen, Duna, and Alba quickly established a 70-meter lead on the field. As Espe began her comeback, moving from last to 10th and then to 7th by the halfway point, Cecilia Pampinella made the surprising decision to withdraw from the race, reportedly sitting around 17th place at the time.

A pivotal moment came during the beach run, when Alba missed the re-entry and fell. Duna capitalized, pulling ahead while Alba scrambled to rejoin the draft. Meanwhile, Espe continued her relentless charge, overtaking Melanie Lafenetre to move into sixth.

Just past the halfway mark, Espe reached fourth place—an extraordinary recovery that stunned even race commentator Mathieu Astier from TotalSUP, who promised to eat his hat if she caught the leaders.

At the front, lead changes continued between Marie Carmen and Duna, with Alba taking a different line and eventually merging back into the leaders’ draft. In a risky move, Marie Carmen chose a tight inside line at one buoy, which allowed Duna to retake the lead.

The final stretch became a head-to-head showdown between Duna and Marie Carmen, with Alba slightly trailing and Espe now holding a comfortable fourth. In a final sprint, Marie Carmen Rivera edged out Duna for the win, Alba Frey secured third, and Esperanza Barreras completed her stunning comeback in fourth place. It was incredible!