1st Austrian Stand Up Paddling Championships

The first starting signal for the short distance race, in which a total of 56 participants, including 43 men and 13 women, competed against each other in a knockout system, was given at midday yesterday. The eager paddlers were enthusiastically cheered on from the beach. The athletes paddled as hard as they could and the top 32 made it through to the next round. They paddled until the early hours of the evening and the top 8 men and women for the final were decided. While the SUP night race was eagerly awaited, the Royal Captains chilled out at the beach bar and enjoyed 100 litres of free beer from Golser. The night race lived up to its promise: the best 4 athletes paddled in the final under floodlights. The race was mystical and spectacular at the same time! In the end, Sigrid Baumgartner from Podersdorf came out on top in the women's race and Peter Bartl from Styria in the men's race, securing them the first Austrian Stand Up Paddling Championship title. The award ceremony for the short distance race was celebrated with an impressive fireworks display over Lake Neusiedl.

Double victory in stand up paddling

Who had the board in front in the long distance marathon race was decided this afternoon: with a total of 27 participants, including 24 men and 3 women, the race started with a marathon distance of 8 km. Sigrid Baumgartner and Peter Bartl were once again the fastest, securing a double victory at the first Austrian Stand Up Paddling Championships in Weiden am Neusiedler See.

Fun for everyone at Seebad Weiden

Everyone was gripped by paddle fever: The boards from the companies Starboard, Naish, C4 Waterman, Tahoe and Coreban could be tested free of charge until the early evening hours. The supporting programme also lived up to its promise. Numerous visitors came to the beach again today to cheer on the paddlers and enjoy the legendary beach feeling.

Complete satisfaction among the organisers

The organisers are highly satisfied with the first Austrian Stand Up Paddling Championships and are already looking forward to next year. Mario Lach, President of ASUPA and co-organiser: "We are all very happy: the weather was perfect, the participants in the races gave their all and the spectators had a great time - both on the water with the SUP boards and on land with the attractive supporting programme. The event was a complete success for us and we are of course already looking forward to next year!"

The first Austrian Stand Up Paddling Championships

Info under www.asupa.at

Saturday, 03 and Sunday, 04 September 2011

Burgenland, Lake Neusiedl, Seebad Weiden

The 2011 winners