The ICF SUP World Cup 2025 kicked off the season with two days of high-stakes racing in the scenic town of Sitia, Crete, on May 1–2. Organized by the Hellenic Canoe Kayak – SUP – SURF Federation, the event featured a €9,000 prize purse and attracted top international athletes and rising local talent. Competitors faced off in two disciplines: the challenging Technical Race on Thursday and the explosive Sprint Race on Friday, each counting toward the ICF World Rankings. With a festive atmosphere, world-class racing, and a strong showing from Greece’s SUP community, Sitia delivered a memorable start to the ICF 2025 World Cup season.
Day 2 Sprint Race
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In a thrilling sprint final, it was Katniss Paris who edged out Marie Carmen Rivera by just a quarter board length at the finish line. This marks a strong start to the 2025 season for Katniss, the reigning 2024 ICF Sprint World Champion, who is arriving in Europe with impressive momentum and a clear determination to continue her winning campaign.
A full board length behind the two frontrunners followed a competitive pack featuring top athletes from Poland, Greece, Russia, and Germany. Hanna Kaminska led the chase, with Natalia Novitskaia—returning to the SUP scene after a period of absence—close behind. Kyriaki Logotheti made a strong impression for the home crowd in Greece, while Skadi Langbein excited German fans as the sole German competitor to make the journey to Sitia, delivering a solid performance in both of her races. Rounding out the field were Marta Apanasewicz and Daria Zaitseva, who also put in determined efforts.
We did miss Csillag Kocsis in the finales. Sadly she got sick and spent the day with a fever. We wish her well.
| Rank | Name | Nat | Time |
| 1 | KATNISS PARIS | USA | 00:00:41.670 |
| 2 | MARIECARMEN RIVERA | PRT | 00:00:42.160 |
| 3 | HANNA KAMINSKA | POL | 00:00:43.410 |
| 4 | NATALIA NOVITSKAIA | AIN | 00:00:43.760 |
| 5 | KYRIAKI LOGOTHETI | GR | 00:00:44.180 |
| 6 | SKADI LANGBEIN | GER | 00:00:44.300 |
| 7 | MARTA APANASEWICZ | POL | 00:00:45.580 |
| 8 | DARIA ZAITSEVA | AIN | 00:00:47.770 |
Just like Katniss, Andrii Kraitor proved once again that he is a true sprint specialist. The ICF World Champion claimed victory with a half board length lead over Matei Barbu. Barbu, considered somewhat of a dark horse in this race, delivered a standout performance. The 16-year-old Romanian, who won gold in the Junior Men’s 100m Sprint at the 2024 ICF SUP World Championships in Sarasota—setting a new championship record of 24.22 seconds—stepped up to compete against the world’s best and finished second, less than a second behind Kraitor.
A surprising result came from Shuri Araki, who finished in 7th place. The young Japanese athlete is typically a dominant force across all SUP disciplines.
| Rank | Name | Nat. | Time |
| 1 | ANDRII KRAITOR | BUL | 00:00:33.870 |
| 2 | MATEI BARBU | ROM | 00:00:34.490 |
| 3 | PHAEDON DOUKAS | GR | 00:00:35.610 |
| 4 | DONATO FREENS | NED | 00:00:35.730 |
| 5 | NIKOS MALEKAKIS | GR | 00:00:35.900 |
| 6 | TOMASSO PAMPINELLA | ITALY | 00:00:36.080 |
| 7 | SHURI ARAKI | JPN | 00:00:36.530 |
| 8 | FILIPPO MERCURIALLI | ITA | 00:00:39.950 |
Great pictures from the sprint races
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Day 1 Tech Race
Shuri Araki first season victory – Tech Race
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➡️ To see the Finals go to the very end of the video.
Shuri Araki is on a mission in Europe—to win and cash in.
He kicked off his season in style by dominating the field in his first Technical Race of the year. With a strong performance, Shuri took the win with a clear lead, finishing 7 seconds ahead of the competition. Donato Freens secured second place, just under 5 seconds behind Shuri and narrowly edging out Eri Tenorio by less than a second.
It was an exciting day for the SUP elite in Greece, made even more memorable by the unusually rainy weather that added an extra layer of challenge for the athletes.
| Rank | Name | Nat. | Time |
| 1 | SHURI ARAKI | JPN | 05:56.8 |
| 2 | DONATO FREENS | NL | 06:03.7 |
| 3 | ERI TENORIO | BRA | 06:08.0 |
| 4 | ANASTASIOS TSOURIS | GR | 06:09.8 |
| 5 | FILIPPO MERCURIALLI | ITA | 06:12.1 |
| 6 | BLUE EWER | UK | 06:18.5 |
| 7 | PAOLO MARCONI | ITA | 06:20.4 |
| 8 | PHAEDON DOUKAS | GR | 06:29.9 |
Marie Carmen set the tone from the start, breaking away from the pack right out of the gates.
Hot on her heels was Infinity teammate Csillag Kocsis. Throughout the race, Marie Carmen’s lead was never in question—and neither was Csillag’s solid hold on second place. Susak Molinero, however, had to fight to maintain her spot on the podium. In the end, she held on to third with a narrow 3-second margin, finishing strong with a clean dismount and a determined beach sprint to the line.
| Rank | Name | Nat. | Time |
| 1 | MARIECARMEN RIVERA | PRT | 06:38.8 |
| 2 | CSILLAG KOCSIS | HUN | 06:44.4 |
| 3 | SUSAK MOLINERO | ESP | 06:57.0 |
| 4 | KYRIAKI LOGOTHETI | GREECE | 07:00.9 |
| 5 | NATALIA NOVITSKAIA | AIN | 07:06.6 |
| 6 | SKADI LANGBEIN | GER | 07:10.5 |
| 7 | ATHANASIA KARAINDROU | GR | 07:14.9 |
| 8 | MARIA PATERAKI | GR | 08:20.2 |
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