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