Free Livestream and World-Class Racing Action
In a pleasant surprise for SUP fans around the world, the ICF YouTube livestream was available for free all day, giving viewers full access as the world’s elite paddlers battled for the prestigious ICF Technical Racing World Title.
Mariecarmen Rivera Claims Her Second Gold Medal
The women’s final delivered both excitement and a result many expected. Mariecarmen Rivera entered the race with confidence and momentum, already crowned sprint world champion just days earlier. The moment the starting horn sounded, she put her explosive sprint power to work, rounding the first buoy in the lead — and never letting anyone get close enough to challenge her.
Behind her, Duna Gordillo was the strongest contender, but a five-second gap at the finish line underlined Rivera’s dominance on the course. The battle for third was decided in a tight chase, with Alba Frey securing the bronze just ahead of Juliette Duhaime.
We did miss Sychelle in the final and only found her in Final B in which she did not start. It is not clear to us what the reasons were but we certainty would have expected her to make the A Final.
Season Trends Confirmed
The final results align closely with what we’ve been observing throughout the season: the same top athletes continue to define the pace, strength, and hierarchy in women’s SUP racing. The rankings below don’t just reflect one race — they mirror the bigger picture of the global competitive landscape.
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- Mariecarmen Rivera – 5:49.86
- Duna Gordillo – 5:55.18
- Alba Frey – 6:02.18
- Juliette Duhaime – 6:04.69
- Natsumi Baba – 6:10.38
- Rika Okuaki – 6:11.73
- Kyriaki Logotheti – 6:22.57
Men’s Technical Race – A Final Full of Surprises
The men’s A-Final was dominated by Team Japan, with four of the eight finalists representing the land of the rising sun. Spain was the next strongest force with three athletes on the start line — but just as notable were the big names missing.
To the surprise of many, Donato Freens, Manuel Hoyuela, and newly crowned sprint world champion Sergio Cantoral were nowhere to be seen in the A-Final. Even more puzzling: none of them lined up for the B-Final either. Whether injury, strategy, or unforeseen circumstances kept them out remains unclear, but their absence was definitely a loss for a big A-Final.
Race Start, Drama, and a Camera Fail
After a false start, the final got underway and unfolded just as expected in the opening meters: Shuri “Shrimpy” Araki shot to the first buoy in the lead. Behind him, Antonio Morillo suffered early bad luck, falling off his board on the way to the first turn, losing precious time he could never recover.
Shrimpy held the lead through the second and third buoys, but Aaron Sánchez stayed glued to his tail, waiting for the right moment to strike. Just as the real battle began — Sánchez launching an attack on Araki — the livestream inexplicably cut away, showing beach spectators instead of the most decisive moment of the race. Instad of watching a great battle we were forced to stare at a lady in the water taking pictures with the crowd.
When the cameras finally returned to the action, the lead had changed. Aaron Sánchez was now in front, holding his advantage to the finish line and claiming the world title.
A New Champion, A Shift in Momentum
The upset was undeniable. Shrimpy entered the event as the clear favorite and controlled the race—until the final sprint, where Sánchez surged past him and never looked back. Shuri Araki finished second, with Rai Taguchi taking bronze just one second behind.
Sánchez’s victory was the story of the day: a perfectly timed attack that toppled the pre-race favorite and rewrote the expected script.
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- Aaron Sanchez – 5:12.60
- Shuri Araki – 5:17.94
- Rai Taguchi – 5:18.90
- Fernando Perez – 5:25.49
- Nariakira Shimazu – 5:27.00
- Kotaro Miyahira – 5:36.35
- Phaedon Doukas – 5:37.61
Other Notable Results and Stories
In the Men’s 50+ category, Peter Weider once again proved dominant, winning another gold medal with a clear margin over second place. This marks his second consecutive gold medal. We remember his outstanding achievements in Sarasota in 2024, where he was the only athlete to win all three races. If things go well, he might repeat his hat trick this year — and he could even be joined by Marie Carmen Rivera.
In the Junior division, the top three men were Tatsuma Nishikawa from Japan, Viveiros Pimenta from Portugal, and Benyam Bossak from Germany. On the girls’ side, it was an all-Italian affair at the top, with Sveva Sabato taking first place, followed by Erasmia Malekaki from Greece and Vaila Pisanelli in third. A bit of a surprise came when favorites Csillag Kocsis and Claudia Postiglione failed to perform as expected. And we’re still puzzled by the absence of Cecilia Paminella.
Generally speaking, the men’s final brought several surprises — notably, Donato Freens missing the big final, as well as Sprint Champion Sergio Cantoral. Another surprise was that we were able to watch the live feed on YouTube free of charge.
What wasn’t surprising, however, was the lack of professionalism in the broadcast. While the commentators did a great job, the camera work left much to be desired. There was no drone footage, and with the sun setting, most of the shots were against the light, leaving us watching silhouettes. The biggest faux pas came when the camera repeatedly showed either the commentators or the spectators, causing us to miss key moments of the race.
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