Hellenic SUP Cup 2015 – Stop 4: Loutsa

Sunday, September 27, 2015, Loutsa, Greece—The fourth and last preliminary stop of the 5th Hellenic SUP Cup, hosted by Athens Watersports Club, was held in the gulf of Loutsa. It was a beautiful day, however, there was little to no wind on the day of competition. Without the classic downwind conditions, the paddlers had a difficult day ahead of them. Despite the demanding circumstances the competitors showed strong racing and great sportsmanship.

There were over 100 registered paddlers ready to race in the 8.2 km course. The first leg started with a sprint to the first buoy where every paddler fought head to head for a better place before the first turn. Then what followed was a long light downwind run—with the eastern breeze helping—until the second buoy, and back upwind to the third. After the third buoy, the paddlers headed back to the beach to finish the first 5km leg. Everyone had to leave their boards and run 30 meters on the beach through the cheering crowd.

The last 3.2km leg of the course seemed to be the most difficult for everyone, as the competitors had to repeat the whole paddle portion one more time. This time the first buoy appeared to be further out and the downwind portion seemed more exhausting than before. By the end, only 83 of them managed to cross the finish line.

Organizers were surprised by the will that every paddler—man or woman, experienced or amateur, kid or adult—showed during the event. The Hellenic SUP Cup just seems to be growing every year with lots of children participating, the youngest at 4.5 years of age. This is a good sign that the sport has a lot to show in the future with the Greek SUP community, which seems to be growing bigger every year.

Coming up: The last stop of the 5th Hellenic SUP Cup 2015 with the grand finale at Corinth Canal. Registrations for Isthmus Speed Crossing are open. Sign up and paddle inside the historic canal of Isthmus.

Results:

Race 14’0″ – Men
1. George Fragos (Naish Javelin LE)
2. George Konstantis (Naish Javelin LE)
3. Nikos Sirigos (Naish Javelin LE)

Race 12’6″ – Men
1. John Tountas (Naish Javelin LE)
2. Marios Kritis (Naish Javelin LE)

Race 14’0″ – Women
1. Konstantina Kontarini (Naish Javelin LE)
2. Virginia Ethnopoulou (Naish Javelin)
3. Vanessa Athanasiadou (Naish Glide)

Race 12’6″ – Women
1. Eva Bodziak (Naish Glide)
2. Poly Pilou (Naish Javelin MC)

Race 14’0″ – Boys
1. Fedon Doukas (Naish Javelin LE)
2. Iason Andronis (Naish Javelin LE)
3. George Andreopoulos (Naish Javelin LE)

Race 12’6″ – Boys
1. Ilias Kropik (Naish Javelin LE)
2. George Giginis (Naish Javelin LE)
3. Nikos Krikelis (Naish)

FUN
1. Alexandros Theocharis (Naish Nalu)
2. Vangellis Avramidis (Naish Nalu)
3. Manos Mavromatis (Naish Nalu)

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