The 2022 Singapore SUP Race was held from the 26th to 27th of November 2022 at the beach in front of the National Service Resort & Country Club (NSRCC), also known as Longkang Point.
The event was co-organised by the Singapore Canoe Federation—SUP sub-committee in conjunction with Constant Wind Seasports & Sailing School and graced by guest of honour, the mayor of the southeast district and MP representing Geylang Serai division of Marine Parade GRC, Mr. Mohd Fahmi Aliman.
THE ART OF STANDING UP
Standup paddleboarding known by the acronym SUP or SUPing is the art of standing up on a large board and using a paddle to move through the water. SUPing has become one of the fastest trending water sports on a board in the world today.
The typical paddleboard spans 12 to 14 feet in length, is slightly more than a foot and half wide, and weighs 9 to 18 kg. SUPing can be enjoyed on flat oceans, surf zones, rivers, canals and even for adventure sport.
TWO DAYS OF RACE
The 2022 Singapore SUP race was made up of various categories held on both days. In the early morning of November 26, 2022, the 12 km and 6 km distance races in the respective gender categories took place and the technical 1.2 km race was held in the afternoon.
On the morning of the 27th of November 2022, the 1000 m and 200 m sprint races were held for both men and women in their respective age groups. To add fun and flavour to the event and a sense of community spirit, activities such as the parents and kids races and the Monster SUP that involved eight children from different age groups riding a giant SUP were held to foster family bonding and comradeship. Through ENABLE, persons with disabilities were encouraged to participate equally in all event categories.
WEATHER CONDITIONS
The event weather on 26th November 2022 was perfect for SUPing, as the water was flat with fair winds. This was not the case for paddlers on November 27, 2022 who battled swells and 20 knot winds until it subdued after the rain. Except for the experts, many paddlers toppled off their boards due to the rough conditions, but they remained calm, collected, and ready for anything.
OUR RIDERS
During this event, our riders Poh Wen Jun and Muhammed Waliyuddin have used the Atlantis SUP. Poh Wen Jun used the 14'0'' x 24' Atlantis SUP and Muhammed Waliyuddin used the 14'0'' x 22' Atlantis SUP.
Jeremy Teulade on his Atlantis SUP
RESULTS
The favourite Daojia took the top spot for men in the 12 km distance race and the open men technical race in 67 mins 46 secs and 8 min 15 secs respectively. Siew Mei finished in first place in the 12 km open women category in 102 mins 13 secs. David G. took first position for the one design men 6 km distance race in 42 mins 6 secs and Christine S. took the top spot for the women in 43 mins 9 secs. For the sprint races, Wen Jun claimed the top spot for the men open 1000 m in 11 mins 3 secs.
“The two-day event was fun, leaving participants with a new experience of a SUP race” Said Tony Lee.
Mr Lee also added that SUP races are the backbone that fuel and drive competition to generate interest in the sport with the aim of developing a base group of young paddlers for the future of SUP. As such, we can expect to see another major SUP event by the organising committee in 2023.
Tony Lee (left), Event Race Director @ASI Academy of Surfing Instructors
Congratulations to all winners and participants!!!