December 8, 2018, Paris France – Both Casper Steinfath and Annie Reickert took the Naish Maliko 12’6” to the podium in the Sprints as they concluded their 2018 APP World Tour campaigns at the Paris SUP Open.

Hosted at the Nautic Paris Boat Show at Porte de Versailles made an epic venue with an excited and animated crowd lining the a pool as racers went head-to-head. Competition was fierce as everyone layed it all on the line for the final race of the year as Casper and Annie both battled their way to the final heat.

Despite being the youngest female competitor in Paris, Annie has been the one to watch with a collection of podium finishes throughout the year. Coming all the way from Maui, Annie didn’t waste the opportunity to end the year on a high note. In the finals, Annie was pitted against event favorite Shae Foudy, who got the jump at the start. Working from behind, Annie closed the gap by the second buoy turn. Crossing the finish line, Annie claimed victory with a .26 second margin.

The men’s action was even more intense as Casper faced off against Frenchman Arthur Arutkin. While many competitors were on 14’0” boards, Casper opted to race on the Naish Maliko 12’6” as it felt better for the short, compact course. As Casper rounded the final buoy turn of 2018, the race came down to a photo finish. In the closest finish in SUP racing history, Casper was only a mere 0.06 seconds behind Arthur and ended the day in second place.

The Viking was all smiles as he finished his year on the podium. In a statement on Instagram he exclaimed: “This weekend I was reminded about the magical thrills of SUP Racing! My second place in the Sprints in Paris ignited a new fire inside me and helped shake off my disaster from China, last week, at the (ISA) World Championship.”

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PHOTO CREDIT: APP World Tour