SUP World Cup Wraps Up in Crete with Sprint and Technical Racing
Photo courtesy: Agios Nikolaos on SUP
AGIOS NIKOLAOS, Greece – Following three days of Paddle Europe SUP Championship racing, international competition continued in Crete with the 2026 SUP World Cup, bringing another two days of high-level Sprint and Technical action to AGIOS NIKOLAOS ON SUP 2026.
The World Cup had officially begun with the Long Distance race on September 20, which counted toward both the European Championships and World Cup. Following a rest day, athletes returned on Tuesday, September 22 for the 100m Sprint before the event moved to Milatos for the 1000m Technical finale on Wednesday. World Cup points earned in Agios Nikolaos count toward the international rankings ahead of the World Championships in Sabaudia, Italy, October 14–18.
Barbu and Pampinella Continue Winning Ways in the Sprint
Tuesday's Sprint brought 107 athletes to the water across Junior, Open, Masters 40+ and Masters 50+ competition, with several of the standouts from the European Championships picking up right where they left off.
Romania's Matei Barbu once again delivered one of the performances of the day. Although still eligible to compete as a Junior, Barbu chose to race in the Open division and followed his European Sprint title with another victory against the international World Cup field.
Barbu crossed the line in 22.470 seconds, with Spain's Sergio Cantoral Quirant taking second in 22.790 and Manuel Hoyuela Rojas finishing third in 22.900. The top three were separated by less than half a second.
Italy's Cecilia Pampinella continued her dominant run in Agios Nikolaos in the Open Women's Sprint, but this time the victory came down to the smallest of margins. Pampinella finished in 26.960, edging Poland's Hanna Kaminska by just 0.060 seconds. Marta Apanasewicz gave Poland a second podium position in third.
The result marked Pampinella's second Sprint victory of the event after winning the European title four days earlier, and her fourth gold medal in Agios Nikolaos to that point.
Greek Success Highlights Junior and Masters Racing
The Sprint also delivered strong performances across the Junior divisions, which featured the day's largest fields with 48 entries. Portugal's Gabriel Milhazes won the Junior Men's race in 24.220 ahead of Romania's Nuredin Resul. Greece's Manos Kokkolakis grabbed third in an exceptionally close battle for the final podium spot.
In Junior Women, Ioanna Papadimitriou earned another victory for Greece, finishing in 28.840. Portugal's Barbara Cunha took second, while Greece's Evdoxia Gialama completed the podium in third. The Masters races produced another collection of international winners. Portugal's Rui Ramos captured Masters 40+ Men, Olga Merkulova won Masters 40+ Women and Romania's Gabriel Culea took Masters 50+ Men.
Greece's Penny Tsaoutou continued her exceptional week by adding the World Cup Masters 50+ Sprint victory to the three European titles she had already collected earlier in the event.
World Cup Heads to Milatos for the Technical Finale
For the final day of competition, AGIOS NIKOLAOS ON SUP broke new ground by bringing racing to Milatos, a seaside village on Crete's northern coast.
It marked the first time an AGIOS NIKOLAOS ON SUP race had been staged in the Vrachasi Municipal Unit, expanding the event beyond its traditional competition venues. A total of 112 athletes from 21 countries competed in the 1000m Technical across Junior, Open and Masters categories.
The change in location also brought a significant change in racing conditions. More exposed waters on Crete's northern coast produced stronger swell, while overcast skies and occasional light rain added to the challenge. The conditions put an added premium on balance, board control, buoy turns and tactical decision-making, producing frequent changes in position throughout the day.
Andersen Controls the Open Men's Technical
Denmark's Christian Andersen delivered a commanding performance in the Open Men's final. Andersen made a strong start, established an early advantage and gradually separated himself from the chasing group before taking the win in 5:44.019. The bigger battle developed behind him.
Spain's Sergio Cantoral Quirant held second for much of the race, but Greece's Anastasios Tsouris steadily worked his way through the field. Tsouris moved past Manuel Hoyuela Rojas, closed the gap to Cantoral and made his final attack late in the race to secure second in 5:51.186. Cantoral rounded out the podium in third.
For Andersen, the victory continued a strong run in Crete that also included European Technical and Long Distance titles earlier in the week.
Logotheti Wins a Dramatic Open Women's Finale
The Open Women's Technical produced one of the most dramatic races of the World Cup. Hungary's Csillag Kocsis moved into the early lead, with Greece's Kyriaki Logotheti remaining close behind. A fall by Kocsis initially allowed Logotheti to move ahead, only for the Hungarian to recover and retake first place.
With two buoys remaining, Logotheti made her move, executing a strong turn to regain the lead. Kocsis closed the gap again, but another fall in the closing stages opened the door for Logotheti to take the victory in 6:49.171. Kocsis finished second, while Poland's Marta Apanasewicz took third.
The victory was a fitting conclusion for Logotheti after a series of strong performances throughout the week and gave the host nation one of its biggest Open-category victories of the World Cup.
Greece Finishes Strong Across Juniors and Masters
Greek athletes continued to find success throughout the Technical finals. Alexandros Prapas won Masters 40+ Men after recovering from a fall that temporarily cost him the lead, while Great Britain's Louise Court took Masters 40+ Women. Italy's Reza Nasiri won Masters 50+ Men, and Penny Tsaoutou added yet another victory to her week by taking Masters 50+ Women.
The Junior divisions once again featured some of the largest fields of the competition and ended with an especially strong showing from the host nation. Greece's Nikos Farsaris won Junior Men ahead of Romania's Nuredin Resul, while fellow Greek Georgios Sfakiotakis finished third.
In Junior Women, Greece went one-two as Ioanna Papadimitriou earned her second World Cup victory in as many days. Papadimitriou finished the Technical in 6:59.938, with Evdoxia Gialama just over five seconds behind in second. Portugal's Francisca Costa completed the podium.
A Fitting Finish to AGIOS NIKOLAOS ON SUP 2026
With the completion of the Technical race in Milatos, the SUP World Cup brought the competitive program of AGIOS NIKOLAOS ON SUP 2026 to a close.
Across the World Cup's Long Distance, Sprint and Technical disciplines, athletes were challenged by everything from open-water endurance and straight-line speed to swell, buoy turns and tactical racing. The addition of Milatos as a competition venue gave the final day a distinctly different character and expanded the event's footprint within the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos.
The final two days also reinforced many of the storylines that developed throughout the week. Barbu and Pampinella continued their winning form in the Sprint, Andersen added another major victory in the Technical, and Logotheti delivered a memorable win for the host nation. At the same time, strong Junior and Masters fields highlighted the depth of international participation across age groups.
After five days of racing spanning the Paddle Europe SUP Championships and SUP World Cup, AGIOS NIKOLAOS ON SUP 2026 closed with international fields, multiple racing formats and competition staged across some of Crete's most distinctive coastal settings.
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