Some of the biggest names in Stand Up Paddling have already confirmed their appearance at the 2025 International Canoe Federation SUP World Championships in Abu Dhabi.
The flagship event, set to be held from October 29 to November 2, will be the last stop of the 2025 ICF Stand Up Paddling World Ranking Series.
As the capital of the United Arab Emirates gets ready to stage a major ICF competition for the first time, with the picturesque Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri Beach serving as the venue, many stars have already registered for the flagship event.
Among them is Dutch superstar Donato Freens, who has been having a sensational season.
The 20-year-old will be heading to Abu Dhabi as the leader in the senior men's long distance and technical categories, while he is also part of the top three in the sprint.
Versatility is the name of the game for the youngster, who won double gold at the SUP Alps Trophy THE LAKE ROCKS in Villach, the last world ranking event before the World Championships.
Mariecarmen Rivera Rivera, part of the top three in the women's sprint rankings, will also be fighting for world titles in the Middle East.
The Puerto Rican stood out with a hat-trick of gold medals at the double header in Crete in May, and will be joined by Shuri Araki of Japan, another triple gold medallist in Sitia and Agios Nikolaos.
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Araki, who won the long distance world title in Sarasota last year, will face competition from Brazilian Eri Tenorio, who was the word bronze medallist in 2024.
Araki will be joined by compatriot and another teenager, Kotaro Mihahira, who holds the junior World Championships gold medal in the category.
Junior men's long distance and technical ranking leader Nikitas Tzanakis of Greece will also fight for world titles in three months.
Penny Tsaoutou of Greece and Gabor Szabo of Hungary are the 50+ stars who can be seen in action at the World Championships.
Tsaoutou is leading the ranking charts in the women's 50+ technical and sprint categories, while Szabo is number one in the long distance.
“After four superb ranking events, the focus is now on the 2025 ICF SUP World Championships in Abu Dhabi,” ICF SUP Committee Chair Noemi Horvath said.
“It is great to see some of the best in business already registering for the event, and I am sure the Local Organising Committee will deliver a fantastic event.
“With registrations still open, we hope for more athletes to come forward and throw their hat in the mix to make it an unforgettable competition.”
The deadline for registration for the 2025 ICF SUP World Championships is October 19.
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