The ISA SUP World Championship in Peru was by far the biggest event of my life! It featured a whole week of nonstop competition between competitors and nations from all around the world. It was a great honor to represent Denmark at this unforgettable event!
Waving the Danish flag after winning the Gold medal and title as World Champion
On Saturday the final of the SUP Technical Race took place. The competition course was 3-4 kilometers long and had us fight not only against each other but also against the waves. I felt strong coming into the race and after already having won a Silver medal in the Long Distance race 2 days earlier I felt no pressure. The waves looked super fun and I was excited to give it my best shot!
I got off to a good start and immediately got into the lead position. I knew how crucial the buoy turns were and I focused on not making any mistakes and scouting the horizon for the sign of any waves that could help me break away from everyone else. I linked some good waves and created a gap down to the next paddlers who were in hot persuit!
I managed to keep my lead my doing good buoy turns, catching waves and not looking back. During the last lap I felt exhausted and ready to crash. Though something inside of me kept pushing to not give up. By the last buoy I held a small 20 meter lead down to Jamie Mitchell and I could see the finish line on the beach. I kept paddling as hard as I could, but unfortunately I did not catch a wave right away. Jamie came around the buoy just in time to catch a solid wave that brought him right up on the side of me. We both rode the wave all the way to the beach..
Riding to the beach with Jamie Mitchell was unreal!
We shook hands while riding the wave together and prepared for the sprint of our lives up the beach to the finish line. It was an honor to ride wave in with Jamie, but I was not ready to have him beat me once again like in the Long Distance race!
Chaos in the shore break!
As we jumped off in the shore break, Jamie fell into deep water while I managed to jump far enough into stable sand. I never looked back and crossed the finish line in first place. The feeling was unreal! This was the biggest accomplishment of my life!
It felt unreal to be crowned World Champion!
Gold Medal for Denmark!
Gold and Silver medals in the SUP races. I couldn't stop smiling
Check out the highlights from the final day of action:
Thanks to everyone who has supported me in getting here! Family, friends and sponsors – Thanks!
The past few days here at the ISA SUP World Championship have been incredible. I have been competing everyday for 5 days straight now and I have gained a lot of competition experience and gotten some good results for myself and Denmark. Biggest of all, I won a silver medal the other day in the Long Distance SUP race!!!
Sprinting to the finish line right behind the One And Only Jamie Mitchell from Australia
The long distance race was insane! It featured a 24 km long course that had us doing 8 km laps with buoy turns and waves at each end. I had been training all winter for this race on Danger Island. The stage was set and it was time to battle it out with the best paddlers in the world for the prestigious ISA medals. I felt nervous right before the race, because this was my first actual race since December and I did not know if I had my peak form yet. The horn sounded, the race started and off into the fog we went
Drafting was a key factor in this race, but so was the fog!
The fog got really thick during the last lap and we lost visual contact with the beach. It set the perfect atmosphere for the final lap!
I had a good start and stayed with the leading group which consisted of Kelly Margetts (AUS), Jamie Mitchell (AUS), Fernando Stalla (MEX), Eric Terrien (FRA) and Paul Jackson (NZL). It was a long distance and we all knew we had to preserve energy. The waves and buoy turns at each end of the course really made things interesting. Sometimes everyone would catch the same wave and other times it would break groups apart. I was fairly unlucky with the waves in the first part of the race and had to spend a lot of my energy on catching back up to the leaders. It was a real challenge an I felt exhausted going into the last lap, but my luck turned during the last lap
Check out the video highlights from the Long Distance race and the crazy sprint to the finish line!!
Coming into the last buoy turn I was in 4th place. After turning the buoy it was a sprint to the beach. All of us were paddling as hard as our bodies allowed us after nearly 2,5 hours of racing. Jamie and I caught a wave that separated us from the group and we rode it almost all the way to the beach. I kicked out right before a rock groin that was in the way, but Jamie kept riding and almost went for a rock climbing session on the groin! I caught the wave behind, but Jamie had already reached the beach and was limping to the finish line. I hit the beach knowing that Fernando Stalla and Paul Jackson were on the same wave, I knew I had a chance of out-sprinting Jamie. I ran as hard as I could up the beach, but came short to Jamie by less than 2 meters.
I won a silver medal for Denmark at my first ever ISA World Championship. I am stoked!!
I couldn't get the smile off of my face after the race - I still can't
Now I am looking forward to the final of the Technical/Beach race Saturday. It should be fun and guaranteed world class entertainment as we race and battle in the waves here in Peru. Tune into http://isawsuppc.com/live/ Saturday around 16:00 Central European time/ 7:00 AM PST to watch the live action!
Right now I am in Peru for the ISA SUP World Championship. The competition will take place in Lima and feature over 150 athletes from 23 different countries all around the world. This event is like the Olympics of Stand Up Paddling, where athletes stand together and fight for their nations. Together with fellow Danes; Annette Carsing and Karsten Krongaard I will be representing Denmark at this year’s games.
Team Danmark ready to Rock the SUP World Championship in Peru
This is the first time Denmark has sent a team to the ISA SUP World Championships. It is an honor to represent Denmark and carry the Danish flag! We are really looking forward to doing our best and hopefully bring some medals back home to Denmark
Tune in at http://isawsuppc.com/live/ to watch the event live from February 25th to March 2nd. Team Denmark will be competing already tomorrow in the SUP Surfing. My first heat will be around 16:00 European Time and 7 AM PST.
I am super excited to get started with this great event
After an epic first day of competition at the Sunset Beach Pro I was super tired and sunburned but I had a fantastic feeling soaring through my body. That night I slept like a rock. I don’t remember ever sleeping that well and when I woke up in the morning I was ready for more action!
Check out the highlights from day 1 of the Sunset Beach Pro.
Day 2
The surf had come up even more and was lining up the whole reef at Sunset Beach. I went for a warm up session before the contest started and catching the waves was really tricky. The area in which the waves can break is the size of a big football field! I managed to pick off a few good ones and got washed back to the beach. A perfect warm up session
Before surfing Sunset Beach, you first have to get through the lovely shore break
I got to watch quite a few heats before I headed out for my round 3 match-up against Bonga Perkins and Aaron Napoleon. It was very helpful to see how the other competitors approached the conditions and it helped me plan my own heat strategy. It was going to be a hard battle against two legendary Hawaiians, but I knew that anything can happen as long as you keep fighting and don’t give up.
Commit and never give up!
As the buzzard sounded and our heat started, the waves changed. The rhythm of the ocean was suddenly very different and I had to readjust my strategy to make sure I would be in the right spot to catch the good waves. Bonga and Aaron got waves right away, but both of them got caught inside by a set and suddenly I had the entire lineup to myself. I forced myself to wait for the big sets, as I knew I could easily catch them on my 9’8” Naish Hokua gun. After what felt like ages a set appeared, and I got busy. I caught 2 good set waves that put me in the lead. Aaron and Bonga both fought hard and caught some amazing waves. Luckily my scores held up and I finished my heat in 2nd place, advancing to round 4!
Back on the beach with a big smile after learning that I made it to round 4
It was amazing to surf epic waves at Sunset Beach with just 2 other guys out. I really enjoyed myself and I was kind of shocked to learn that I had knocked last year’s event champion Bonga Perkins out of the contest. Bonga has always been a waterman that I have looked up to and it was an honor to surf with him twice in this contest.
Next up is round 4. The swell has dropped down for now, but it looks like a new swell will fill in Wednesday for the final day of competition here at the Sunset Beach Pro (Stop #1 of the 2013 Stand Up World Tour). I’m excited to surf my best in round 4 and see how far I can go! Stay tuned to sunsetbeachpro.standupworldtour.com for live coverage
Today the Sunset Beach Pro got under way here on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The forecast was calling for a growing North West swell throughout the day accompanied by light east winds. According to the forecast it was going to be an epic swell for the first stop on the 2013 SUP World Tour.
I got some unforgettable drops at Sunset Beach today!
I woke up super early this morning, and while it still was dark I made my way down to Sunset Beach. The swell had already come up over night and there were some fun waves on offer at the crack of dawn. My plan was to catch a few waves before the contest got started, just to dial in my equipment and find the right wave rhythm. Though it wasn’t easy catching waves, because 30 other World Tour SUPers had the same idea in mind
The right gear was essential today!
I was seeded into the main event, but my round 1 heat was definitely not going to be easy! I came be up against 2 time ASP World Longboard Champion and defending Sunset Beach Pro Champion Bonga Perkins. Also on the water was my Naish team captain and big wave charger Chuck Patterson and Peru’s Tamil Martino. Every heat was stacked, but I was amped to just go surf some fun waves and give it my best shot!
Hanging on tight
As my heat started the swell had picked up and there were some giant waves coming through. I focused on catching the right waves and not getting caught inside too much. It was a real challenge against mother Nature, but thanks to the guidance of North Shore legend Chris Owens and my trusty Naish Hokua 9’8” I managed to pick off some really good waves. I ended up finishing the heat in 2nd place tied with Bonga Perkins, who won the heat by posting the highest single wave score of the heat. It was amazing to surf in a heat with Bonga. I have always looked up to him and to be on the water with him was an honor!
Sharing a set with legendary Bonga Perkins!
I am SUPER stoked that I advanced straight to round 3, which will be held tomorrow in even bigger surf! Thanks to Chris Owens, Naish, Quickblade, PLASMA, Bobby, Joy and Zoe! I can’t wait to get out there and try my hardest again tomorrow
After completing a long, exciting and extremely tough year of Stand Up Paddle racing in 2012, I needed some time to unwind and relax before the 2013 SUP season began. After my trip to Hawaii and California I found myself back in Denmark enjoying Christmas and New Year’s with my family and lots of friends. It was really nice to let off from all the contests for a while and just have fun with all my friends at home
I was welcomed home by lots of snow, which was very relaxing
Back home in Denmark there was snow everywhere. The evening I arrived it was a full on snow storm and in the morning I got to play around in all the fresh powder with my brother and friends. During December we had quite a few fun frigid surf sessions with windchill temperatures reaching as far down as -20 degrees Celsius! Surfing in these conditions was extreme and it felt like survival against the element. It was fun and after every session we would sit next to the fireplace with the most amazing feeling inside us
I stuck to the Cold Hawaii tradition and on Christmas Eve I went surfing with a red Christmas hat
After spending the Holidays at home in Denmark it was time to resume training and prepare for the 2013 Stand Up Paddle surf and race season. Knowing how cold and dark Denmark can be in the winter time, I had to find another place to get my training under way. I knew of no better place to train than on a little rock in the Atlantic Ocean; Danger Island.
Atlantic Magic
I spent most of January on “Danger Island” training for the upcoming SUP races and surfing some incredible waves. The conditions were perfect for both disciplines and I got many hours on the water.
During January I experienced many fantastic days of surf on Danger Island
Cruising with the local Dangerous chargers!
My main focus during my stay was to prepare for the flat water SUP races that are getting more and more popular all around the world. It is really fun to train for this type of competitions, because it forces me to learn more about myself as an athlete and it pushes my physical boundaries even further, which in return definitely helps my surfing!
Despite the intensive flat water training, I still got some awesome surf sessions - Doubling up for safety on this one
All in all December and January were great fun and now I am gearing up for the 2013 SUP season. It’s going to be an insane year with lots of action! Stay tuned as it unfolds – First stop Sunset Beach Pro, Hawaii.
Check out my recent Naish webisode from my stay on Maui, Hawaii, back in November. I had a really good time training and surfing with the Naish boys. Maui is a really special place in many ways and is a paradise for people who love the ocean. I immediately fell in love with the island and I can’t wait to back there some time!
After hanging out on Oahu and finishing 3rd in the SUP World Championship Finals I hopped on a plane to the Hawaiian island of Maui to meet up with my friend Kai Lenny and his family. My plan was to go to Maui for just a week to test some boards, see some friends and have a fun time in the waves – But plans changed and I ended up having 3 of the most exciting weeks of my life on this little rock in the Pacific Ocean
Magical Maui
My first impression of Maui was that it was extremely windy! In the mornings the wind would almost always be calm but at around 10:00 AM it would pick up and blow out most spots on the north shore. This made for really good surf sessions in the mornings and perfect windsurf or downwind paddling conditions in the afternoons. If you knew how to use both the waves and the wind then Maui is really the perfect playground.
Thanks to Ridge Lenny my windsurfing skills got a bit better and I had some super fun windsurf sessions
Exploring the beauty of Maui
During my stay on Maui I scores some really fun waves and shared some incredible sessions with some good friends. It was really fun and I can’t wait to go back there soon
Bottomturning at Lanes
Feeling at home
All of a sudden 3 weeks passed by and now I am back in California on new adventures. Stay tuned for the video from Maui and more action as I head into the wilderness of Northern California.
Check out this recent video from my team mate Kai Lenny’s webisodes. It shows the last part of our Naish roadtrip in California and some exciting action as the final event of the SUP Race World Series unfolded on Oahu, Hawaii. From California to Hawaii, it was good times with friends
After a good day of surf on Maui, Hawaii, we took the outrigger canoes to the south side of the island for an evening paddle session with the organization “Athletes for Cancer”. It was a very incredible experience to share the magic of the ocean with these people that have spent so much energy on fighting cancer. We had a lot of fun and got to see one of the most beautiful sunsets ever while surfing the canoes and having a good time. Enjoy the magic
