The 2026 ICF SUP World Championships in Sabaudia, Italy, brought together one of the biggest fields in the history of the event. On the flat, sheltered water of Lago di Paola, riders racing on Starboard gear won 24 medals: 10 gold, 5 silver and 9 bronze. That is one in every three podium places across all 24 races.

🥇 10 gold · 🥈 5 silver · 🥉 9 bronze

Riders on Starboard boards took gold in all three disciplines, in age groups from Junior to Masters 50+. Three podiums were made up entirely of riders on Starboard gear. Their results reflect years of race board development, done together with the riders who race them.

Racing in Sabaudia: flat water and tight finishes 

From 14 to 18 October 2026, the world's best SUP racers came to Sabaudia, about 90 km south of Rome, for the ICF World Championships. 934 athletes from 59 nations were on the entry list, making it one of the biggest editions of the event. Italy hosted the World Championships for the first time.

Racing took place on Lago di Paola, a sheltered coastal lagoon inside Circeo National Park.

The 100 m Sprint rewarded the fastest starts and pure acceleration. The Technical Race used a 900 m course with several buoy turns, a direct test of how quickly a board turns and how stable it stays. The 11.5 km Long Distance tested endurance and pacing, and a fast, smooth glide made every stroke count. The protected water kept the fields close. The Open Women Sprint final was decided by 0.21 seconds, and in the Masters 40+ Men Sprint, two riders finished at exactly the same time and shared gold.

Host nation Italy 🇮🇹 brought the largest team, with 136 registered athletes, followed by Spain 🇪🇸 (116), Greece 🇬🇷 (72), Hungary 🇭🇺 (53), Germany 🇩🇪 (52), Poland 🇵🇱 (50), France 🇫🇷 (43) and Czechia 🇨🇿 (27).

Starboard's champions: leading the way

Cecilia Pampinella

🇮🇹 Italy | 🥇 Gold (Sprint)

In front of a home crowd, 20-year-old Cecilia won her first senior world title. She covered the 100 m in 28.69 seconds and beat the defending champion by 0.21 seconds.

"I'm so happy to be the world champion in the sprint. It was very short, but I put all the energy I had in my body into it. It's amazing to win more or less at home, because I live a two-hour drive from here. My coach and I trained a lot for this, and I did it."

Cecilia Pampinella

Photo: Damiano Benedetto

Aaron Sanchez

🇪🇸 Spain | 🥇 Gold (Technical) | 🥈 Silver (Long Distance)

Aaron defended his Technical world title riding his Starboard All Star. He took the lead at the start of the 900 m course and held it all the way to the finish in 4:37.39. A day later he added silver in the Long Distance, so Starboard Dream Team riders took first and second place in the men's race.

"The feeling is so good. The race was so quick, but I felt strong in every stroke. I kept first position from the beginning and had the power at the end to win. It was difficult because I couldn't use my eyes, because everyone was behind me. So at every buoy, I listened for anyone trying to pass me, and I protected my position."

Aaron Sanchez

Photo: Damiano Benedetto

Shuri Araki

🇯🇵 Japan | 🥇 Gold (Long Distance)

Shuri came back strong after a difficult Technical final and won his third straight Long Distance world title. Riding the Starboard Katana, he saved his attack for the final stretch of the 11.5 km course and crossed the line in 1:04:55.82, ahead of teammate Aaron Sanchez.

"The long distance race was very difficult, with lots of people. It was the highest-level race of the year. When the others pulled away, it was hard. But I train in the ocean, so I'm good at catching the small bumps and small waves. I stayed calm, the board worked so well, and I kept it up, kept it up, until I took first place. I did a good race, I proved my skill, and I'm very happy."

Shuri Araki

Photo: Damiano Benedetto

Noïc Garioud

🇫🇷 France | 🥈 Silver (Technical)

On his return to the World Championships, Noïc took silver in the Technical Race, finishing 6.12 seconds behind Aaron.

Connor Baxter

🇺🇸 USA | 🥉 Bronze (Technical)

Multiple world champion Connor Baxter completed an all-Starboard Technical podium, crossing the line in 4:45.58.

Photo: Jay

Esperanza Barreras

🇪🇸 Spain | 🥈 Silver (Long Distance)

At 42, Esperanza launched a late attack over the 11.5 km course to take silver. She raced the Starboard Sprint with the Lima Paddle.

Alba Alonso Frey

🇪🇸 Spain | 🥉 Bronze (Technical)

Alba, the 2026 European SUP League champion, reached the Technical podium in 5:10.77.

Photo: Damiano Benedetto

Tatsuma Nishikawa

🇯🇵 Japan | 🥇 Gold (Junior Technical) | 🥇 Gold (Junior Long Distance)

For the second year in a row, Tatsuma won both the Junior Technical and the Junior Long Distance world titles. He raced the Technical on the Starboard All Star and the Long Distance on the Starboard Sprint, both with the Lima Paddle.

Photo: Damiano Benedetto

More world champions on Starboard gear 

Beyond the Dream Team, riders who trust Starboard gear to race on won 14 more medals, including 5 world titles:

• 🥇 Otono Hirata 🇯🇵, Junior Women Long Distance, plus 🥉 in Junior Women Technical
• 🥇 Bianca Toncelli 🇪🇸, Junior Women Technical
• 🥇 Matei Barbu 🇷🇴, Junior Men Sprint, in 23.74 seconds
• 🥇 Pavlina Kankova 🇨🇿, Junior Women Sprint
• 🥇 Michael Fargier 🇫🇷, Masters 50+ Men Technical, by 0.33 seconds
  
  

Two more junior podiums were made up entirely of riders on Starboard gear. With Tatsuma Nishikawa and Matei Barbu, Marlon Daskiran  and Lourenço Viveiros  swept the Junior Men Technical and Junior Men Sprint. Hanna Kaminska, Claudia Luchetta and Penny Tsaoutou added further medals.

From juniors winning their first world titles to Masters racers winning by fractions of a second, riders on Starboard gear were among the fastest in every age group. Congratulations to every athlete who lined up on Lago di Paola.

Explore the gear that powered the wins in Sabaudia

› Starboard All Star:

5 world titles and 16 medals (🥇 5 · 🥈 4 · 🥉 7), the most of any Starboard board. Gold for Aaron Sanchez, Tatsuma Nishikawa, Bianca Toncelli, Cecilia Pampinella and Pavlina Kankova.

› Starboard Sprint:

4 world titles and 7 medals (🥇 4 · 🥈 1 · 🥉 2), including two titles in the 11.5 km Long Distance. Gold for Tatsuma Nishikawa, Otono Hirata, Michael Fargier and Matei Barbu.

› Starboard Katana:

🥇 Shuri Araki's third straight Long Distance world title.

Stay tuned for the official release of the board soon!

› Lima Paddle:

used in 6 of the 10 gold medal races, with 17 medals in total (🥇 6 · 🥈 3 · 🥉 6).

Moments from Sabaudia

The World Championships are about more than results. For five days, athletes, coaches, families and fans from 59 nations shared one lagoon, one start line and the same passion for paddling. Riders who raced hard against each other on the water met again on the shore, shared stories and celebrated each other's results.

From the whole Starboard team, thank you to every athlete who raced in Sabaudia, on the podium or not. Thank you to our Dream Team riders and to every rider who trusts Starboard gear to race on. Your feedback from the water helps shape every board we build.

Thank you to Paddle Worldwide, the organisers and the volunteers for a great championship, and to our partners for their support, both on site and from home.

This week showed how strong and how connected the SUP racing community has become. We can't wait to see you all on the start line again at the next World Championships.

See you on the water!

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Photos: Damiano Benedetto

See full ICF results