Big Weekend: Here are the key match-ups to watch in Carolina and Santa Pola
It's going to be a big weekend as the iconic Carolina Cup returns for its 12th edition while in Spain the ill-timed World SUP Festival will attract a strong field to week three of the Euro Tour. Between these two events, half a dozen of the world's best will make their season debuts and setup a series of sensational skirmishes. Here are the big names to watch...
The Passion of the Gui
In late 2018, for a brief moment there, the eyes of every SUP racing fan in the world were locked on one young man: Guilherme dos Reis from Brazil. Guilherme, or just "Gui" as he's known, was leading the final of the Pacific Paddle Games aka the biggest race of the year. The traditional "Super Bowl" event that took over from the Battle of the Paddle and kept southern California as the centre of the sport for a few more years. It was a big deal.
PanAms in Panama: Brazil and Argentina win gold, Canada’s comeback queen qualifies for Santiago 2023
With all the buzz building ahead of next weekend's big double header in Carolina and Spain, let's not forget that another important event is happening right now... The Pan American Surfing Games - sort of like the "ISA Worlds of the Americas" - are being held in Panama this week as a second-chance qualifier for the 2023 PanAm Games in Santiago, Chile - sort of like the "Olympics of the Americas"
594 days and a major injury later, former number one Fiona Wylde is ready for a comeback
After missing all of season 2022 with a serious shoulder injury, former world number one, 3x world champ and all-round ambassador for the sport Fiona Wylde will make her long-awaited return to racing at the Euro Tour in Spain next week.
Last Paddler Standing: The guinea pigs are returning for more Sisyphean punishment
Last Paddler Standing is still eight months away yet entries for what is arguably the world's craziest SUP race are already filling up. Despite the sheer absurdity of this Sisyphean challenge, the 2023 edition will probably be a sell out. And not only that but more than half the guinea pigs from last year's inaugural edition have re-signed.