2016 was a whirlwind year yet again and here at Supconnect we’ve reporting on everything from top SUP events to shark attacks and even journeys across the Atlantic Ocean. Now at the end of 2016, we take a look back at our most read news stories from the year. Take a look:
What was your favorite moment from 2016? Was it seeing your favorite athlete win a major event? Was it seeing barriers being broken and limits being pushed? Or, was it all the SUP foiling? Whichever moment you choose as your favorite there is no denying that 2016 was a very eventful year in stand up paddling. Here, we list our picks for the 10 biggest moments (good or bad) in 2016.
Over 130 international, interstate and local competitors gathered for the World’s fastest downwind paddle race, the King of the Cut Race on Sunday, December 4, 2016 in Mandurah, Western Australia. Near perfect conditions blew in for the 24-kilometre race with southerly winds at 18 to 20 knots.
Australia reclaimed the Team Gold Medal and Waikiki-Peru World Team Champion Trophy at the fifth edition of the 2016 Fiji ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship. Australia had won the team title at the first three editions of the event after losing to Team USA at the 2015 edition in Sayulita.
Australia’s Michael Booth (Starboard) has won the 2016 Fiji ISA World SUP Championship, a 17km marathon race from Cloudbreak to Musket Cove in Fiji. Booth will be heading back home to Western Australia shortly to compete in the world’s fastest downwind SUP race, the Stand Up Surf Shop King of the Cut.
Women SUP and Paddleboard racers took center stage in dramatic fashion on the fifth day of 2016 Fiji ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship with hotly contested 17km Distance Races.
Last week saw the official start of the Dragon World Series as hundreds gathered to be part of the debut event at Deep Water Bay, Hong Kong. Held at Victoria Recreation Club, 13 teams of four competed on Red Paddle Co’s brand new team racing board, the Red Dragon, to be crowned the winners of this inaugural event.
With the stunning visual backdrop of Fiji’s natural island beauty, day four of the 2016 Fiji ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship saw Australia’s Michael Booth and New Zealand’s Sam Shergold emerge victorious in the divisions of SUP and Paddleboard, respectively, in an exhilarating 17km race from Cloudbreak to Musket Cove in Fiji.
Four World Champions were crowned on the third day of competition at the 2016 Fiji ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship, as the Finals of the SUP and Paddleboard Technical Races ran in the pristine waters of Fiji’s world-renowned outer reef, Cloudbreak.
After two action packed days of SUP Surfing at Cloudbreak to kick off the 2016 Fiji ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship, the racing disciplines will take center stage for the next three consecutive days of the competition.
If you’ve ever dreamed of joining the Naish Race Team, now’s your chance! Naish has just announced that they are launching a new stand up paddle domestic racer program. Basically, the program is aimed for ‘passionate paddlers and dedicated racers’ who want to step up their game in SUP racing and not have to break the bank while doing so. With this program Naish is offering the chance to receive special team pricing on their elite race boards, the Maliko and Javelin models as well as their Carbon Elite paddles.
The 2016 Fiji ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship is set to kick off on Saturday, November 12, in the tropical paradise of Fiji when the Opening Ceremony inaugurates the competition in Port Denarau. All 26 National SUP and Paddleboard Teams featuring 244 athletes have announced their rosters to compete in the SUP Surfing, SUP Racing and Paddleboard Racing disciplines for the week of competition to come.