A five-strong team of stand up Paddle boarders will fly the flag for South Africa at the ICF Stand Up Paddling world championships in the Polish city of Gdynia this weekend, bringing a mix of promising juniors and seasoned veteran to the global SUP stage.
Captained by the experienced Elmarie Renecle, whose sprint prowess earned her a fifth place at the 2021 world championships in Hungary in her 50+ category, the team also includes Murray James, Evette Terblanche and top juniors Cameron Tripney and Migael Terblanche.
SUPSA President Anje Burger says the team is hungry to test itself against the world’s best SUP exponents across the three different disciplines being contested.
“Cameron Tripney and Migael Terblanche will be competing in the Junior Boys category in the Sprint races, Technical Races and Long distance races,” said Burger. “These two juniors are in top form and we are very excited to see them perform in Poland.
“Cameron (Tripney) is our top Open Men’s and Junior Boys athlete in South Africa at the moment, and despite not being able to compete at a previous Worlds event due to various reasons, he is now more than ever ready to take on the world stage.
“Migael was in the Junior Team which took part in 2019 at the ISA El Salvador World Championships but could only do the technical races, as juniors only take part in one discipline at the ISA World Championships. Miggie has grown into an incredibly strong paddler whose passion grows alongside his skills,” said Burger.
Burger said that Terblanche had more international experience, and will be keen to make her mark in Poland in the tough open senior division.
“Evette Terblanche is our Open Women athlete this year, and will also be taking part in all three disciplines.” said Burger. “She competed in Hungary last year in the 40+ Women category, and has worked incredibly hard this year,
“Murray James, from Durban, will be taking part in his first World Championships this year, competing in the 40+ Men age category,” Burger said. “He is a very fast athlete and ready to take on all three disciplines with a strong focus on the long distance.”
The ICF World Championships take place from 7-11 September 2022 in Gdynia, Poland.
• 8 September: Sprint Races
• 9 September: Long Distance
• 10-11 September: Technical Races