Donato Freens and Alba Frey Crowned 2026 European SUP League Champions

The 2026 European SUP League season is in the books. After six stops across five countries, Donato Freens and Alba Alonso Frey have been crowned the new ESL champions. The season finale in Sesimbra delivered three days of racing, nearly 200 participants and one final opportunity for Europe’s leading paddlers to fight for valuable ranking points.

The European SUP League concluded its 2026 season from September 11–13 at Praia do Ouro in Sesimbra, Portugal. After previous stops in Santa Pola, Taranto, Zurich, Rybnik and Isla Cristina, the sixth and final event brought the championship battle to the Portuguese Atlantic coast.

Three races were on the program: Sprint, Long Distance and Technical Race. And although the championship leaders arrived in Portugal in strong positions, there were still plenty of points – and prestige – on the line.

For Donato Freens, the weekend ultimately confirmed what had been building throughout the season. The Dutch paddler had led the ESL rankings for much of 2026 and finished the job in Sesimbra. On the women’s side, Alba Alonso Frey completed an equally impressive campaign and left Portugal as the clear overall champion.

Aarón Sánchez strikes twice in Sesimbra

Aarón Sánchez Quetglas emerged as the standout performer in the first two men’s races of the weekend.

The Spaniard opened with victory in the Sprint, beating Sergio Cantoral Quirant into second place. Donato Freens took third – an important result with the overall championship still in play.

Sánchez followed that performance with another victory in the Long Distance. Lluís Perotti finished second, while Freens once again secured third place.

Men’s Sprint

Place	Athlete	Country
1	Aarón Sánchez Quetglas	Spain
2	Sergio Cantoral Quirant	Spain
3	Donato Freens	Netherlands

Men’s Long Distance

Place	Athlete	Country
1	Aarón Sánchez Quetglas	Spain
2	Lluís Perotti	Spain
3	Donato Freens	Netherlands

But Freens wasn’t finished.

Donato Freens answers with Technical Race victory

The final Technical Race gave the new champion the opportunity to end his season with a win.

On a course featuring beach starts and finishes, buoy turns and repeated position changes, Freens took first place ahead of Lluís Perotti. Antonio Morillo completed the podium in third.

It was a fitting conclusion to Freens’ ESL campaign. Rather than relying on one dominant weekend, the Dutchman built his championship through strong results across the season and delivered when it mattered in the final race.

Men’s Technical Race

Place	Athlete	Country
1	Donato Freens	Netherlands
2	Lluís Perotti	Spain
3	Antonio Morillo	Spain

Alba Frey finishes championship season in style

Alba Alonso Frey arrived in Sesimbra as the woman to beat and underlined her position immediately.

Frey won the Sprint ahead of Nuria Chiquero García, with Esperanza “Espe” Barreras taking third.

Duna Gordillo Rodríguez then interrupted Frey’s winning run in the Long Distance. Gordillo took the victory, while Frey finished second and Barreras once again occupied third place.

Women’s Sprint

Place	Athlete	Country
1	Alba Alonso Frey	Spain
2	Nuria Chiquero García	Spain
3	Esperanza “Espe” Barreras	Spain

Women’s Long Distance

Place	Athlete	Country
1	Duna Gordillo Rodríguez	Spain
2	Alba Alonso Frey	Spain
3	Esperanza “Espe” Barreras	Spain

Frey returned to the top of the podium in the Technical Race, beating Gordillo into second place. Barreras finished third for the third time during the weekend.

That gave Frey two victories and one second place from the three disciplines – a strong way to close out her championship-winning season.

Women’s Technical Race

Place	Athlete	Country
1	Alba Alonso Frey	Spain
2	Duna Gordillo Rodríguez	Spain
3	Esperanza “Espe” Barreras	Spain

Donato Freens wins the 2026 European SUP League

When the final points were calculated, Donato Freens stood on top with 3,007 points.

Aarón Sánchez Quetglas’ double victory in Sesimbra helped him finish second overall with 2,881 points, only 126 points behind Freens. Sergio Cantoral Quirant completed the championship podium with 2,693 points.

2026 European SUP League – Men’s Final Standings

Rank	Athlete	Country	Points
1	Donato Freens	Netherlands	3,007
2	Aarón Sánchez Quetglas	Spain	2,881
3	Sergio Cantoral Quirant	Spain	2,693

Alba Frey takes a commanding women’s title

The women’s championship ended with a considerably larger margin.

Alba Alonso Frey accumulated 3,328 points, finishing 754 points ahead of fellow Spaniard Nuria Chiquero García on 2,574.

Italy’s Bianca Toncelli finished third with 2,289 points, preventing an all-Spanish overall podium.

2026 European SUP League – Women’s Final Standings

Rank	Athlete	Country	Points
1	Alba Alonso Frey	Spain	3,328
2	Nuria Chiquero García	Spain	2,574
3	Bianca Toncelli	Italy	2,289

Spanish paddlers dominate the Sesimbra finale

One statistic from the final weekend is particularly striking: Spanish athletes won five of the six races in Sesimbra.

Aarón Sánchez took the men’s Sprint and Long Distance, while Alba Frey won the women’s Sprint and Technical Race. Duna Gordillo added the women’s Long Distance victory.

Only Donato Freens, with his win in the men’s Technical Race, prevented a complete Spanish sweep.

Spain’s strength was also evident in the final championship standings, with four of the six overall podium positions going to Spanish paddlers. Freens nevertheless took the biggest prize of all back to the Netherlands, while Bianca Toncelli represented Italy on the women’s championship podium.

Six stops, five countries and two new champions

Sesimbra brought to an end a European SUP League season that took paddlers from the Mediterranean to Central Europe and finally Portugal.

The 2026 circuit visited Santa Pola, Taranto, Zurich, Rybnik, Isla Cristina and Sesimbra, creating a European series built around the three core racing formats of Sprint, Long Distance and Technical Race.

After six events, the final word belongs to Donato Freens and Alba Alonso Frey – the 2026 European SUP League champions.

For Freens in particular, the title rewards a remarkably consistent season at the front of the European field. Frey, meanwhile, not only secured the women’s championship but finished it emphatically with two victories at the Grand Final.