Agios Nikolaos Delivers Three Days of Action at 2026 Paddle Europe SUP Championships

AGIOS NIKOLAOS, Greece – Three days of racing, 21 European titles and an international field of paddlers came together in Crete for the 2026 Paddle Europe Stand Up Paddling Championships, as Agios Nikolaos hosted Sprint, Technical and Long Distance competition from September 18–20.

Only the second edition of the Paddle Europe SUP Championships following the inaugural event in Szeged in 2024, the competition brought athletes from across Europe to one of Greece’s most scenic coastal destinations. The opening Sprint competition featured 143 athletes representing 19 countries, while more than 160 athletes from 21 countries lined up for the Long Distance finale.

From short, explosive battles at EOT Beach to technical buoy racing and a 14 km journey across the Gulf of Mirabello, the three disciplines tested a broad range of skills and produced several standout performances.

Sprint Racing Opens the Championships

Competition kicked off Friday, September 18 with the 100m Sprint, where speed and clean starts were at a premium as athletes raced through qualifying rounds and into the finals.

One of the biggest stories of the opening day came from Romania’s Matei Barbu. Still eligible to compete as a Junior, Barbu elected to race in the Open division and delivered a breakout performance to capture the Open Men’s European Sprint title in 21.915 seconds. Lithuania’s Vadim Korobov took silver, while Spain’s Manuel Hoyuela Rojas earned bronze.

On the women’s side, Italy’s Cecilia Pampinella wasted little time establishing herself as the athlete to beat. Pampinella led the Open Women’s final from the start and claimed gold ahead of Poland’s Hanna Kaminska and Marta Apanasewicz.

The Junior races also showcased the next generation of European talent. Portugal’s Lourenco Viveiros won the Junior Men’s Sprint ahead of Greece’s Manos Farsaris and Germany’s Marlon Cem Daskiran, while Greece’s Ioanna Papadimitriou captured the Junior Women’s title ahead of Italy’s Lisa Venturelli and fellow Greek Evdoxia Gialama.

The Masters divisions added four more champions, with Martin Teichmann of Germany taking Masters 40+ Men, Claudia Luchetta of Italy winning Masters 40+ Women, Romania’s Gabriel Culea claiming Masters 50+ Men and Greece’s Penny Tsaoutou winning Masters 50+ Women.

Technical Racing Turns Up the Pressure

Saturday brought an entirely different challenge with the 1000m Technical Race. Tight buoy turns, positioning and tactical decisions became critical, with winds of approximately 12 km/h adding another variable to the course.

Denmark’s Christian Andersen successfully defended the European Technical crown he first won in 2024. Andersen battled closely with Donato Freens of the Netherlands before taking the victory in 5:30.340, just over a second ahead of Freens. Manuel Hoyuela Rojas earned his second bronze medal of the weekend.

Pampinella, meanwhile, continued her perfect championship. The Italian followed her Sprint victory with another commanding performance in the Open Women’s Technical final, winning in 6:35.112 ahead of Poland’s Marta Apanasewicz and Italy’s Claudia Postiglione.

In the Junior division, Viveiros also made it two titles in two days by adding Technical gold to his Sprint victory. Italy’s Sveva Sabato, the 2025 Technical World Champion, captured the Junior Women’s European Technical crown, with Lisa Venturelli taking silver and Greece’s Erasmia Malekaki bronze.

The Technical Team Event brought a national-team element to the day. Italy won both Junior team categories, while host nation Greece captured both Open team victories.

Long Distance Provides a Dramatic Finale

Sunday’s Long Distance race shifted the championship from short-course intensity to endurance and open-water strategy.

More than 160 athletes from 21 countries tackled the 14 km course, starting at Plaka Beach, crossing the Gulf of Mirabello with Spinalonga providing a dramatic backdrop, and finishing at Lake Voulismeni in the center of Agios Nikolaos. The race served simultaneously as the Paddle Europe European Championship Long Distance event and a SUP World Cup competition, with separate classifications.

Andersen capped his weekend by adding the Open Men’s Long Distance European title to his Technical victory. Spain’s Hoyuela Rojas took silver, completing an impressively consistent championship in which he medaled in all three disciplines, while Greece’s Anastasios Tsouris claimed bronze.

But arguably the defining individual performance of the European Championships belonged to Cecilia Pampinella.

After winning both Sprint and Technical, the Italian completed the sweep by taking Open Women’s Long Distance gold. Claudia Postiglione gave Italy a one-two finish, with Natalia Novitskaia taking third. Pampinella left Agios Nikolaos with all three individual Open Women’s European titles available in 2026.

Greece’s Penny Tsaoutou accomplished the same feat in Masters 50+ Women, adding Long Distance gold to her Sprint and Technical victories to complete her own three-title sweep.

George Fragkos also delivered a strong championship for the host nation, finishing with Sprint silver before winning both Technical and Long Distance gold in Masters 40+ Men.

Among the Juniors, Germany’s Benyam Bossack saved his best result for the final day, taking the Junior Men’s Long Distance crown ahead of Italians Gianluca Corriero and Matteo Pernisco. In Junior Women, Sabato added Long Distance gold to her Technical title, with Greece’s Erasmia Malekaki taking silver and Italy’s Lisa Venturelli earning bronze.

Italy and Greece Lead the Championship Medal Table

When three days of racing came to an end, 21 official European titles had been awarded across Sprint, Technical and Long Distance competition.

Italy finished atop the medal table with 6 gold, 9 silver and 5 bronze medals, while host nation Greece also collected six gold medals alongside four silver and seven bronze.

The event also placed a significant emphasis on developing the next generation of SUP athletes. U14 racing ran alongside the championship program throughout the weekend, allowing young paddlers to compete on the same stage as some of Europe’s leading athletes. On the opening day alone, 61 children from five countries participated in the U14 Sprint, with particularly strong representation from Greece and clubs throughout Crete.

The final day additionally included an Inflatable Open, creating another accessible racing category alongside the elite championship competition.

Agios Nikolaos Sets the Stage for More International SUP Racing

With its combination of Mediterranean conditions, challenging racing and a course that showcased the coastline around Agios Nikolaos, the 2026 Paddle Europe SUP Championships brought together both established champions and emerging talent across three distinctly different disciplines.

The European Championships also represented only the first half of the international SUP program in Agios Nikolaos. Following a rest day, competition continues with the SUP World Cup beginning September 22, featuring 121 athletes from 25 countries across Junior, Open, Masters 40+ and Masters 50+ divisions. The World Cup is an official World Ranking Event, with points earned in Greece counting toward the global rankings ahead of the ICF SUP World Championships in Sabaudia, Italy.

For Agios Nikolaos, the three-day European Championships delivered a fitting showcase of the depth of the sport—from U14 paddlers getting their first taste of international competition to European champions battling across Sprint, Technical and Long Distance racing—and set the stage for another round of world-class SUP competition in Crete.

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