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Team SA finish third with nine medals at ISA World SUP & Paddleboard Championships in Peru

Pictured: Team SA celebrates their third place in the inaugural ISA World SUP and Paddleboard 
Championships by blowing vuvuzelas on the podium during the closing ceremony in Lima, Peru, on Saturday
Photo: ISA / Tweddle
  
  

Team SA finish third with nine medals at ISA World SUP & Paddleboard Championships in Peru

South Africa finished at creditable third out of the 17 nations at the inaugural ISA World Stand Up Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championships which ended on the weekend in Lima, Peru.

The first ISA sanctioned world championships to feature the long standing watersport disciplines of Stand Up Paddle and Paddleboarding was hosted by the legendary Waikiki Club in the coastal suburb of Miraflores and were a resounding success with everyone from the hosts to the competitors and their management enthusiastically endorsing every aspect of the event.

South Africans won medals in seven of the 10 individual categories plus the team relay and the overall team standings.

Anna Notten, a 19 year-old UCT student from St James in Cape Town, was Team SA’s star, earning silver medals in both the short (5Km) and marathon (18Km) women’s Paddleboard races. Notten, a member of both the Fish Hoek Lifesaving and Peninsula Canoe clubs, had never paddled even half the distance of the marathon race before, citing the problem with sharks in the ocean around the Peninsula as a deterrent to training over long distances.

“Dead, I’ve never been so dead in my life,” Notten said immediately after crossing the finish line in the marathon race. “I caught the wave in and my arms, I couldn’t even barely catch the wave; my whole body is shaking. I’ve never paddled this far in my life. I’ve never paddled half that far in my life. But coming in hearing the vuvuzelas is the most amazing feeling.

“[Heading into the event ] I trained with my lifesaving friends, around the cans (buoys), but when they did long distance ski, I would do it on a board with them because we’ve got all of the sharks [in South Africa],” she continued, ”I can’t really train by myself in the middle of the ocean. So, it’s quite difficult.”

Notten also participated in Team SA’s bronze medal effort in the Team Relay and her results contributed significantly to South Africa’s points tally in the team standings.

Bridgette van Aswegan collected the bronze medal in the women’s marathon SUP race and the copper medal for fourth in the women’s technical (short course) SUP race. Ryan Butcher (Durban) also garnered two medals in the men’s paddleboard disciplines, earning a bronze in the short race and a copper in the marathon, with teammate Donald Brierley unlucky to finish just outside the medals when he placed fifth in both races.

Former SA junior surfing star, Penny Stemmet (Somerset West), showed her wave-riding skills by taking the bronze medal in the women’s SUP surfing final. SA longboard surfing champion Justin Bing (Noordhoek) ended ninth in the men’s SUP surfing category with SA SUP champion Ivan van Vuuren (Tableview) finishing 11th overall.

The Bertish brothers – Chris and Greg – from Cape Town, placed 12th and 16th respectively in the marathon SUP race and 9th and 20th in the technical SUP race.

SA’s relay team, comprising Notten, van Aswegan, Butcher and the Bertish brothers came in third in the team relay, earning the bronze medal and adding another 730 points to the team tally.

Australia proved their superiority in all aspects of the inaugural ISA World Sup & Paddleboard Championships, cruising to victory in the team event ahead of Team USA and South Africa, ensuring their name would the first on the perpetual Club Waikiki Trophy. Australia won seven gold medals and eight silvers while USA collected four golds and France one.

All the results from the ISA World Stand Up Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championships, along with images and video footage of the action, can be found at www.isawsuppc.com <http://www.isawsuppc.com>

Surfing South Africa (SSA) is recognised by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) and the International Surfing Association (ISA) as the governing body for the sport in South Africa. The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognised by the International Olympic Committee and is the governing body for World Surfing.

2012 ISA World SUP & Paddleboard Championships
Playa Pampilla, Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Results

Team Title Results
Gold/Club Waikiki Trophy – Australia
Silver – USA
Bronze – South Africa
Copper – Spain

Women’s SUP Surfing Final
Gold/Hector Velarde Trophy – Emmy Merrill (USA) – 15.94
Silver – Shakira Westdorp (AUS) – 10.66
Bronze – Penny Stemmet (RSA) – 10.34
Copper – Brissa Malaga (PER) – 9.37

Men’s SUP Surfing Final
Gold/Hector Velarde Trophy – Antoine Delpero (FRA) – 17.56
Silver – Justin Holland (AUS) – 12.50
Bronze – Sean Poynter (USA) – 12.20
Copper – Jackson Close (AUS) – 11.64

South Africans
9th – Justin Bing
11th – Ivan van Vuuren

Men’s SUP Marathon Final Results
Gold – Jamie Mitchell (AUS)
Silver – Travis Grant (AUS)
Bronze – Eric Terrien (FRA)
Copper – Jay Wild (USA)

South Africans
12th – Chris Bertish
16th – Greg Bertish

Women’s SUP Marathon Final Results
Gold – Brandi Baksic (USA)
Silver – Angela Jackson (AUS)
Bronze – Brigette van Aswegen (RSA)
Copper – Barbara Brazil (BRA)

Team Relay
Gold – Australia – 18:27
Silver – USA – 19:30
Bronze – South Africa – 20:53
Copper – Spain 23:01


Technical SUP Race - Men
Gold – Travis Grant (AUS) – 17:00
Silver – Jamie Mitchell (AUS) – 17:00
Bronze – Paul Jackson (NZL) – 17:39
Copper – Matt Becker (USA) – 17:44

South Africans
9th – Chris Bertish
20th – Greg Bertish

Technical SUP Race - Women
Gold – Brandi Baksic (USA) – 19:12
Silver – Angela Jackson (AUS) – 20:49
Bronze – Karina Figl (AUT) – 21:06
Copper – Brigette van Aswegen (RSA) – 21:29

Paddleboard Short Race Men
Gold – Brad Gaul (AUS) – 38:14
Silver – Joel Mason (AUS) – 39:08
Bronze – Ryan Butcher (RSA) – 41:07
Copper – Shane Scoggins (BRA) – 41:16

South Africans
5th – Donald Brierley

Paddleboard Short Race Women
Gold – Jordan Mercer (AUS)
Silver – Anna Notten (RSA)
Bronze – Concepción Escatllar (SPA)
Copper – Barbara Brazil (BRA)

Men’s Paddleboard Marathon Final Results
Gold – Brad Gaul (AUS)
Silver – Joel Mason (AUS)
Bronze – Shane Scoggins (USA)
Copper – Ryan Butcher (RSA)

South Africans
5th – Donald Brierley

Women’s Paddleboard Marathon Final Results
Gold – Jordan Mercer (AUS)
Silver – Anna Notten (RSA)
Bronze – Gillian Gibree (USA)
Copper – Concepcion Escatllar (SPA)

Team points    
1. AUSTRALIA - 25520
2. USA - 18860
3. SOUTH AFRICA - 16750
4. SPAIN - 14096
5. PERU - 13561
6. ARGENTINA - 12562
7. BRASIL - 12279
8. FRANCE - 7646
9. VENEZUELA - 7054
10. CHILE - 6822
11. IRELAND - 5015
12. GREAT BRITAIN - 4976
13. MEXICO - 4906
14. SWITZERLAND - 4520
15. NEW ZEALAND - 2680
16. ITALY - 2386
17. AUSTRIA - 340

  

Australia’s Jordan Mercer Wins the First Gold Medal of the ISA World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship

Put this name into history: Jordan Mercer (AUS). In dominating fashion she won the first-ever
 ISA Women's Paddleboard Race gold medal. Photo: ISA/Michael Tweddle

ISA World StandUp Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship

February 22, 2012
Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Australia’s Jordan Mercer left no doubt who was the clear-cut winner of the Women’s Paddleboard Race. The 18-year-old phenom, who last year won the Molokai-to-Oahu Paddleboard Race in record time, continued to cement her legacy by putting on a dominant performance in the Women’s Paddleboard Race Final, winning the first gold medal of the ISA World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship in Lima, Peru.

Maintaining a blistering pace from start to finish, Mercer, who also competes in Ironman competitions, finished with a cushion of more than five minutes between her and the second place finisher, Anna Notten (RSA). Mercer was greeted at the finish line by ISA President Fernando Aguerre.

“I feel fantastic, it was such an amazing race; what a great experience,” said Mercer, an Australian flag draped over her shoulders. “It’s an honor to be here and to be representing Australia and to be here with such an amazing team. Peru’s done a fantastic job and so has the ISA. It’s a fantastic competition and I can’t wait for the next couple of years.”

Mercer completed the five-kilometer course in 45:03.

“She has a massive, massive future ahead of her if she decides to take [paddleboard racing] seriously – the sky is the limit,” said Jamie Mitchell, who’s the captain of Team Australia and also won the Molokai-to-Oahu race 10 times, including in 2011. “She’s only 18 and she’s already got the record at Molokai and now she’s won the first ISA gold medal [at this event]; she’s one talented girl.”

Brazilian Caio Vaz has been putting together solid performances heat after heat at La Pampilla.
 Here he shows why he made it to the third round after scoring a heat total of 17.17. 
Photo: ISA/Michael Tweddle

In SUP Surfing action, the waves increased in size throughout the day and the winds remained calm, which led to some high scores in both the Men’s and Women’s heats. Australian Jackson Close and Brazil’s Caio Vaz logged the highest heat totals of the event, 17.33 and 17.17, respectively.

“Today it’s really clean, the waves are coming, and if you get the right ones and don’t fall – that was most important for me – you were going to get a good score,” Vaz said. “Team Brazil has been really good, everybody is clapping, and altogether. Yesterday there were a lot of people, yelling ‘Yeah! Caio! Caio!” I was a little nervous. But today when everyone was yelling, I wasn’t hearing it, I was more focused.”

Finn Mullen, of ever-popular Team Ireland, also advanced through the competition, winning his Repechage heat after losing in the morning to “the best of the best, Colin McPhillips.” Team Ireland has been making friends and making people laugh since they arrived.

“You’ve definitely got to keep it sunny-side up,” Mullen explained. “Look, we’re just trying to have a good time here, and part of having a good time is being sure everyone else is having a good time, because that’s what it’s all about.

“I think we definitely win whitest team here,” Mullen joked. “We’ve got an in-house competition to see who can come back [to Ireland] with the best sunburn tattoo. I’m working on mine – you can see it right here (pointing to his chest); we’ve got a bit of third degree burn going on.”

Competition resumes in the morning, with the Repechage Round 3 for Men’s SUP Surfing, followed later in the day (10:00am local time) by the next paddleboard event, the Men’s Paddleboard Race.

The webcast, which will feature both the surfing and paddling, can be viewed live at www.isawsuppc.com/live, beginning at 8:00am local time (5:00am PST).

The ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship is made possible with the support of the following event partners: IPD, ADO, Club Waikiki. Repsol, Movistar, Casa Andina, Sticky Bumps, NSP, Terra, Municipalidad de Lima, Municipalidad de Miraflores, FENTA, Marina de Guerra del Peru, JAO, and Securitas. The media partners are Terra, StandUp Latino and Surfos.

World’s Best SUP Surfers Begin Competition at the ISA World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboarding Championship

ISA competitors, from left, Colin McPhillips (USA), Jaime Mitchell (AUS) and Antoine Delpero (FRA) have a combined 14 World Titles. Each athlete bares the Olympic Rings on his lycra, since the Peruvian National Olympic Committee is a main sponsor of the event. Photo: ISA/Michael Tweddle

ISA World StandUp Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship
February 21, 2012
Miraflores, Lima, Peru

The building excitement around the inaugural ISA World StandUp Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship culminated in an exciting first day of competition in 2- to 3-foot surf at La Pampilla in Lima, Peru. With only surfing heats running, all the energy and spectators were fixated on the waves out front and the team camaraderie on the beach.

“Between the team chants, the action in the water, and the reward of running the inaugural World Championship for SUP and Paddleboard, the feeling is better than I even expected,” said Fernando Aguerre, the president of the ISA. “This is just the beginning. I imagine it will only get better.”

Though today is the smallest day of the surf forecast, with the assistance of the paddle, SUPers were able to power through sections and create speed that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.

“It’s always nice to get that first heat done, my legs were a little shaky and stuff, but it worked out,” said Colin McPhillips, a three-time ASP World Longboard Champion, who won his Qualifying Round 1 heat with the highest heat total of the day, 16.33. “When I first heard the ISA was going to have SUP here, I was super stoked. To be with a great team, a great coach, we’re having a good time so I’m just super happy that SUP is a part of it all. Everyone is just having fun, everyone’s friendly and it’s going to be a really good week.”

Team USA performed well on Day 1, with McPhillips, Sean Poynter and Emmy Merrill all winning their first heats.

McPhillips is one of three World Champions competing in the event. Australian Jamie Mitchell – who will be competing in the SUP Technical race on Friday and the Marathon race on Saturday – is a 10-time paddleboarding world champion, and France’s Antoine Delpero is a former ISA World Surfing Games Longboard Champion.

“It’s a good wave, good for StandUp,” said Delpero, after his Round 1 heat win, with a score of 14.73. “With a standup board and a paddle in the hand, you can take anything. The waves are a little bit flat but it doesn’t matter; you can always get some speed and turn and try to find the pocket on the wave.”

One of the top competitors in the Men´s Surf division, USA´s Colin McPhillips backed up the hype with the top heat score on Day 1 of the ISA StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship. Photo: ISA/Michael Tweddle

Part of the appeal of ISA competition is that world champions and unseeded competitors surf and compete for their country, side by side, and in the same heat. And sometimes the unheralded surfers advance through. Italy’s Alessandro Onofri, Ireland’s Finn Mullen and Great Britain’s Jim Richardson were among the surfers to survive through Day 1.

When the action shifted to the women, a surprise to some came when the lone competitor from Austria came out of her heat in first position. Karina Figl lives most of the year in Cape Town, South Africa, where her husband and coach, Tom Figl is from, but her roots and heart remain devoted to Austria.

“Austria’s not a big surfing power, although we’ve got talent,” Karina said. “There’s a few of us Austrians around surfing; there’s some living in Hawaii and La Herradura (Peru). We do love the sea.

“I feel very, very fortunate, very blessed to be here,” she continued. “A lot of my friends from Cape Town would have loved to be here, and I miss them, but some are here, and I feel honored, really honored to be with them. It’s a historical event, and my two daughters, 7 and 5, are watching it on the live stream and it’s awesome.”

The day’s action ended with the first round of the Men’s Repechage, where surfers get a second chance at survival throughout the event – an aspect of ISA competition that makes it unique. Rafael Tapia (CHI) considered himself lucky that the ISA decided to give every SUP surfer two opportunities to win.

“I’m feeling really good right now, actually. I’ve been competing in all different sorts of water sports all my life; it’s always been tough to compete against the best in the world coming from a third world country,” Tapia said.

Competition resumes in the morning, with the Qualifying Round 2 for Men’s SUP Surfing, followed later in the day (10:00am local time) by the first prone paddle event, the Women’s Technical Paddleboard Race.

The webcast, which will feature both the surfing and paddling, can be viewed live at www.isawsuppc.com/live, beginning at 8:20am local time (5:20am PST in the USA).

The ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship is made possible with the support of the following event partners: IPD, ADO, Club Waikiki. Repsol, Movistar, Casa Andina, Sticky Bumps, NSP, Terra, Municipalidad de Lima, Municipalidad de Miraflores, FENTA, Marina de Guerra del Peru, JAO, and Securitas. The media partners are Terra, StandUp Latino and Surfos.

Top SUP and Paddleboard Competitors From Around the World to Compete in Miraflores

ISA World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship

February 19 to 25, 2012
Miraflores, Lima, Peru

StandUp Paddling (SUP) has spawned an industry within the surfing industry – and a level of excitement not seen since the introduction of Simon Anderson’s “thruster” fin set-up. The enthusiasm surrounding SUP, and its further implementation into the wave-riding tribe is part of why the ISA and its president, Fernando Aguerre, wanted to create the ISA World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship.

The SUP population is growing exponentially; people have come to realize that any body of water could suit the big boards and paddles. While the surfing side of SUPing continues to push the envelope on any preconceived performance limitations, the racing aspect of SUPs has also attracted a new group of people to board-riding. The two disciplines will be on display for the inaugural event beginning February 19, 2012 in the waters off Lima, Peru.

“SUP is a part of our sport that’s easy to learn, but difficult to master,” said Aguerre, who’s been riding SUPs for nearly four years. “Just like surfing, it has roots in the ancient history of our sport. It was a functional activity, used for fishing and physical activity, and then later you had the Waikiki Beach Boys using it to work with tourists while they learned to surf. Now, it’s becoming mainstream and further expanding the wave-riding and board-riding community. You have people riding SUPs all over the world, from Lake Tahoe to the Red Sea. I’m excited that the ISA is bringing the best that the SUP community has to offer to one place, in Peru.”

Following the resurgence of SUP less than a decade ago, by the likes of Hawaiians Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama, the discipline has been modernized, and the sport has evolved beyond riding waves to flat-water racing on oceans and lakes, and tackling river rapids

“It’s a wonderful sport that you can do with or without waves, alone or with many people,” Aguerre said. “Pairing SUP with paddleboard racing seemed like a natural fit; both have ancient roots and have a place in our board-riding world.”

Over 140 athletes from 17 countries will make the trip to Peru to compete on SUPs and paddleboards. The event will stretch six days and include SUP surfing and racing, and paddleboard races, which will include sprint courses and marathon distances.

The event begins on Sunday, February 19 with the traditional ISA Opening Ceremony, the Parade of Nations and the Sands of the World Ceremony.

Aside from the ISA World StandUp Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard, the ISA will also host the ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in Panama in April, as well as the ISA World Surfing Games, the ISA World Bodyboard Championship, and the ISA World Masters Surfing Championship.

The event will be webcasted live on www.isawsuppc.com beginning February 19 until the final day, February 25.

About the International Surfing Association
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running Open Division World Championships since 1964, Junior World Championships since 1980, and Masters World Championships since 2007. The ISA also sanctions the World Kneeboard Titles and the Tandem Surfing World Titles, and held the first stand-alone World Bodyboard Championship in 2011 and the inaugural ISA China Cup in 2012. It will also hold the first World Standup Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship in 2012. 


ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies of 70 countries on five continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. It is presided over by Fernando Aguerre (Argentina), first elected President in 1994 in Rio de Janeiro and re-elected seven times since. The ISA´s three Vice-Presidents are Alan Atkins (AUS), Karín Sierralta (PER) and Debbie Beacham (USA). 


Más en www.isasurf.org