Published on May 14th, 2015 | by Supworldmagazine

World SUP Championship – Day2, Men Long Distance (Full report, results and Video)

1. Danny Ching (USA) en 1h42’00
2. Javier Jimenez (Mexico) 1h42’11
3. Connor Baxter (Hawaii) 1h42’33
4. Zane Scwitzer (Hawaii) 1h42’34
5. Casper Steinfath (Denmark) 1h42’35
6. Titouan Puyo (France) 1h42’36
7. Georges Cronstead (Tahiti) 1h42’40

(Full results below)

USA’s Danny Ching Wins SUP Race, Australia’s Lachie Lansdown Wins Paddleboard Race at 2015 ISA World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship Presented by Hotel Kupuri

USA’s Danny Ching, crossing the finish line placing first and earning the Gold Medal in his ISA debut in the SUP Long Distance Race. Photo: ISA/Bielmann

Day 3 saw dramatic Men’s SUP and Paddleboard 20Km Long Distance Races at the 2015 ISA World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship (WSUPPC) Presented by Hotel Kupuri.

Over 65 of the world’s best SUP and Paddleboard Racers took on the exciting long distance course, paddling four loops with the colorful, coastal village of Sayulita, Riviera Nayarit, Mexico, in the backdrop.

The Paddleboard racers line up, waiting to take on the 20 kilometer course. Photo: ISA/Brian Bielmann

The races featured the most elite level of competition this event has witnessed. In a world-class field of competitors from every continent, the Gold Medalists and new World Champions are USA’s Danny Ching and Australia’s Lachie Lansdown in the SUP and Paddleboard races respectively.

Taking over as the pack leader, Javier Jimenez digs deep for Team Mexico in front of his hometown crowd. Photo: Ben Reed

The SUP race was extremely close starting with 15 elite racers leading the pack for the first three laps. Sayulita local, Javier “Bicho” Jimenez, put on an incredible performance, as he was able to overtake the leader, Danny Ching (USA). Jimenez gained a lead of about 100m with the help of a wave he caught rounding the last buoy, causing the local Mexican crowd to erupt in cheers.

Los espectadores locales aplauden a los corredores mexicanos quienes demostraron un gran desempeño. Foto: ISA/Bielmann — With a heroic effort, Danny Ching, who made his first appearance in the ISA competition, broke away from the pack on the final lap to chase Mexico’s impressive racer. Mid-way through the final lap, Ching caught up to Jimenez and overcame him. With precise technical turns on the final buoys, the American solidified his lead as he made his way to the finish line, earning the Gold Medal for USA.

Ching and Jimenez during the final lap ©supworldmag.com/ FFS

“For a distance race it’s about as exciting as it gets. It’s just incredible to be here. The ISA puts on an amazing event that I’ve been trying to get down to for years,” said the new Gold Medalist, Danny Ching. “Paddling for someone besides yourself is always special. Paddling to represent your country, your teammates, your friends and family back home is a big deal. You can dig deeper for this than you can for yourself.”

Jimenez raced up the beach to the cheers of the Mexican spectators and the international teams. Jimenez’s Silver Medal is the first for the host country in this ISA World Championship.

4 paddlers sprinting for bronze! Connor Baxter will take the spot after a sprint on the beach 3. Connor Baxter (Hawaii) 1h42’33,4. Zane Scwitzer (Hawaii) 1h42’34, 5. Casper Steinfath (Denmark) 1h42’35 6. Titouan Puyo (France) 1h42’36 ©supworldmag.com / FFS

“I’d like to thank the support from my town and Mexico,” praised Jimenez. “I am very happy to get second place for my country and we are going to bring it all in the Technical Race. The only thing I was thinking with Danny Ching behind me was that he is one of the strongest racers in the world and to keep on paddling. I am happy to have finished behind him. This is one of the best races of my life to date. I am very happy to compete against all of the best athletes in the world.”

The third and fourth place were also highly contested and decided by less than a second. Teammates from newcomer team, Hawaii, Connor Baxter and Zane Schweitzer, overtook multiple competitors after the final buoy turn to take the Bronze and Copper Medals respectively. Click here to see the full results.