The lingering cold weather on day three did nothing to stop the pressure and pace set by the technical race heats!

The cold weather had abated, but only to a small degree. The sea was calmer than the day before, but not perfect. Grey sky was still the keeper of the day, and the paddlers on the beach were working tirelessly at keeping their muscles warm. Another day, another lesson in the sporting life – working with the pressure of prevailing conditions.

From the start there was a fast and furious pace in and between the heats, with one race going off while another was still finishing. Supporters really had to keep their wits about them to remember which athlete went out in which race number.

The technical race tests a paddler’s speed and skills in a short space and time. 

First up was Murray James in the Men’s 40+ age group. It was hard to see how he did as the cameramen focused on the top 3 for most of the race, and before it was even over the next heat was ready to go. He ended up in 5th place, in at time of 7:52:12 for the 1000m course. As only the first 4 were pushed through, he did not make the semi-finals.

In the 50+ Women’s technical race, Elmari Renecle got off to a good start, but due to a few falls, landed in 4th place which she held comfortably until the end, “strolling” up onto the beach to take her place in the semis. Elmari finished in a time of 7:46:59 (39:85 off of the winning time).

As the Juniors got under way, the next up in the first heat was Cameron Tripney. He launched out and took a great lead, but at a point almost midway, the second position paddler tried to make a run for first spot, but it did not last long. Cam took his own back on the home stretch, coming in strong in a time of 5:27:97, ahead of the competition by 10:52.

In heat nine, Migael Terblanche took off for his technical race. The pressure was on from the start, and he held a good position in the front pack until a fall reduced him to the back. Another fall later on sadly reduced his energies and headway, but he finished in a strong 5th place. His time was 6:23:47 – a mere 57:95 off the winner’s efforts of 5:25:51.

Evette’s technical race was also a loaded field. She held her own very well, to finish at 5th position in a time of 7:04:28 against the winner’s time of 5:30:64 and sadly did not make it through to the semi-finals.

Slowing down the Semis to focus on the racers

The pace between the races abated a little in the Semi-finals, allowing us to focus on one race and one paddler that we were supporting at that time.

Elmari again got off to a fantastic start, but sadly the three falls she had over the duration of the course set her back into 4th place. Her finishing time was 7:33:40, just 1:03:46 off the winner’s time of 6:29:94. This was sadly just not enough to proceed to the finals, but what a good performance she delivered nonetheless.

Cameron’s semi-final third place was achieved in a time of 5:05:04, just 2:92 off the winning time of 5:02:12. The Junior boys are truly a strong bunch, but Cameron held out well. A buoy turn taken a bit wide gave his opponent the inside lane and he took off. We could see Cameron was tired towards the end of this race, but he still managed to push with all he had, right up to the beach sprint. He kept the supporters screaming and just missed the 2nd place by a very short distance. We will see him in the final B race tomorrow.

Well done to all of our athletes. The courses have taken their toll and you have withstood the pressure. You have been fantastic ambassadors for our sport and for our country.

A sombre grey sky and a fierce wind reset the clocks on day two of the ICF World SUP Champs, causing the organisers to twice amend the start times just to wait out the gusts!

It was not necessarily third time lucky for paddlers at the overloaded start lines as the distance races kicked into action. The mass starts were stacked, despite having been broken down into two larger categories:

Open and Masters 40+

Juniors and Masters 50+

The rules for distance racing are serious – no drafting is allowed between men and women, or even between those of different age groups. In this round, you fight a personal battle with the wind and the waves against time and the power of your mind! You have to keep focused, keep hydrated, keep your balance, and keep pushing your limits – all at the same time! And today – another demon came to haunt the paddlers – foul weather!

The Inflatables – a different “board” game altogether! 

A short while later our boys, Cameron Tripney and Migael Terblanche started to prepare for the Junior race. The thought of completing the 8km distance on inflatables in the raging waves was unnerving all the supporters – especially the mamas! We were grateful to hear that the distance required only 2 laps, as by this time rain had covered the course, destroyed any decent camera angle options and generally drenched the paddling community to the bone with a dose of the northern chills! The poor commentators were at a loss for words, and spent much energy in search of solutions, but with no joy. We settled for watching the horizon, as in the sailing days of old, waiting for a glimpse of our beloveds, and united in the common cause of making sure they got home alive!

The commentators strained to read numbers on the bibs, spectators helped to identify the paddlers they knew, and after a day of mental turmoil, waiting and freezing, the 2022 Long Distance SUP World Champions were crowned. This time the podiums were not to behold the South African flag, but we will uphold our paddlers for their endeavours! Cameron finished in 7th place, and Migael in position 23! Truly commendable, boys!

All we have for them is utter respect – for going out in the chaos and weathering the storms – for keeping on as long as was humanly possible, and for also giving us a reminder of why we need SUP training and races in our life – to grow tenacity, perseverance and the ability to handle whatever the day throws at you!

Here’s looking at you kids! 

The South Africans have stamped their presence on Poland’s ICF World SUP championship with a blazing start in the sprint arena and a good few wins to take the paddling world by surprise!

Our first athlete in the Men’s 40+ lineup today was Murray James. We were impressed at his solid start to international racing. He paddled really well, just missing a spot into the quarter finals. Murray’s time was 1:09:37 (the winning time was 56:74)

Migael Terblanche was our first Junior boy to take the lineup and gave a powerful display of raw power, to win his first heat in 58:07 (by 01:23).

Cameron Tripney stepped up next to confirm the arrival of the South African Junior forces. He annihilated all in his first heat, winning in a time of 52:61 (by 05:36 over the nearest competitor).

Our Open Women’s competitor, Evette Terblanche, just missed a spot through to the quarter finals by taking 7th place in her first heat (she was 13:32 off of the winning time of 1:02:29).

Our team captain, Elmari Renecle entered the Women’s 50+ division, and went on to start with a magnificent win in her first heat. Her time was 1:08:98 (winning by 00:05).

The Quarter and Semi Final rounds 

After a short break the first quarter finals were up – and both our boys featured in the same heat. They did not disappoint the adoring fans back home, Cameron won the race in a time of 53:58, with Migael powering behind him into 2nd place in a time of 58:05 (a difference of 04:47). The support groups online were going crazy and not a stitch of work got done at this point in the morning.

The lunch break was short and sweet, moving us on to the greatly anticipated semi-finals. The quick turnaround at lunchtime did not help the camera crews, and sadly resulted in only single camera footage for the first few races. It was hard to see Elmari’s race finish as the camera angle just missed the line, but she ended up with a 5th place and a time of 1:08:41, only 1:23 off the winner’s time of 1:07:18!

Cameron cruised to a quarter final win of 51:64 (beating his nearest rival by 00.26). The pressure was starting to mount.

Migael faced his quarter final, which was heavily loaded with some very seasoned paddlers, yet he finished with a truly respectable 7th place in a time of 1:01:24 (The winner hit 57:21)!

Hearts pounding all the way to the Finals

Unknown to the local supporters, Elmari had protested her results. We had not seen on screen, but there was interference (skew paddling out of lanes) by a nearby paddler. A great justice was done – the protest was upheld, and we were happy to hear she was through to the final! She had to do a running sprint just before her actual race too, as they only advised her at the last minute that she was in! We are so proud of her 8th place result of 1:09:62 (she was behind the winning time of 1:04:48 by only 5:14!)

The crowning race of the day was our Junior Boy Cameron’s final. Here he set about finishing off his utter domination of the field in a mind-boggling time of 50:25, keeping ahead of the ever-increasing powerful field of boys by a healthy margin of 1.72. There was a stream of joy from the South African family, friends and fellow paddlers to salute this youngster as he achieved a goal he has worked on for the last few years, overcoming so much to GET HIS GOLD!

To all our athletes today – you did us more than proud. We could not have hoped for a better launch to your World Champs entries for all of you. You have been showing your mettle in the international field with stellar results! We salute you!

Our athletes have been granted the most incredible gear from such generous sponsors. We’d love to share a bit of what they have packed to take along on their journey.

Upon arrival, they will be getting to grips with their paddling environment, testing out the Baltic waters in Poland on boards they are not used to, but which have been rented from the Austrian and Italian teams which have become great friends through the years of competing together. 

For the opening ceremony the team have a classy green golfer shirt and their national or federation blazers, ensuring that they look the part of ambassadors for our sport.  The incredible Veldskoen have covered their feet for the second year running – and remain a firm favourite – both for comfort and durability when you have a lot of walking around to do. A sweet little detail to finish off the local look are the South African flag socks made by Versus!

The paddling shirts custom made by Race Pace in all the colours of our national flag will keep the paddlers visible on the water and off.  In fact, last year the same shirts were swapped with other athletes, who loved the look of them.

On the way to the water, the paddlers can protect their feet wearing their sponsored bright red Plakkies – our local word for slip slops and pair it with the striking SA SUP TEAM visor, again, generously sponsored by OlympicSA.

On colder days, they are covered by the stylish Crossing Gear rash vests, the team shirt proudly bears our flag and the tangerine rashie is visible from far across the water – a great option for the long distance race to keep tabs on your favourite paddler.

Olympic South Africa have also ensured that our athletes are covered off the water – with cozy hoodies and sweatshirts, a cap for the sunny days, as well as a pair of socks and trainers for travelling and general everyday wear.

A hearty thanks must go out to Combustion Technology, for providing the national tracksuit. This is such a useful garment – we all know how important comfort is, and it gives our team great uniformity and identity as they travel. Thank you so much!!! 

We wish our team well – they certainly will be catching the eyes of many people as they carry our South African spirit all the way to Poland! Go and paddle up a storm for them TEAM SA!

A massive credit is also due to Billy Ackerman for his photography of our team in their gear!