Hovell and Smith at world champs

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

STAND-UP PADDLEBOARDING

WAINUI Surf Life Saving Club’s Sean Hovell and Jasmine Smith are competing in the ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship (WSUPPC) set to start today at Wanning, China.

It will be the second time that both have competed at the world champs after they took part last year in Denmark.

Waves in the head-high to overhead range are expected to greet the world’s best SUP surfers at China’s renowned left-hand point break, Riyue Bay, creating an excellent platform for the athletes to put their talents on display.

The festive opening ceremony will inaugurate the competition, as nearly 200 athletes from 26 countries will take part in the Parade of Nations and Sands of the World Ceremony.

The 2017 ISA SUP surfing gold medallists, Shakira Westdorp (Australia) and Luiz Diniz (Brazil), will be defending their titles.

The SUP and paddleboard technical races will follow later in the week, also at Riyue Bay.

The event will have a grand finish at Shenzhou Peninsula from November 30 to December 2, with SUP sprints, distance races and the team relay to decide the team world champions.

“Expanding SUP into new countries and regions of the world is a key priority for the International Surfing Association,” said ISA president Fernando Aguerre.

“This was one of the primary factors for coming to China and Wanning, a well-known surf spot and partner of the ISA.”

This is the fourth continent that the event has been held on in seven years.

“The ISA is proud to gather the world’s best SUP and paddleboard athletes here in Wanning, setting the stage for an epic week of country pride, competition, camaraderie and glory,” Aquerre said.

“We are also excited to lead the path for gender equality in the sport, offering a gender-equal competition format for the second year in a row.

The championship will be streamed live on www.isasurf.org