Stand Up World Series – Stop 3 Rome

In some epic surf here in Rome for the Final Stop of the 2015 #EUCup Racing Series. Dylan Frick took the Sprints win along side Ane Zulaika on Day 2 of the Italia Surf Expo. Congratulations to Casper Steinfath and Ane Zulaika who win the European Cup.

Press release : Waterman League

26/7/15

Zane Schweitzer wins the Italia Surf Expo in epic conditions on the final day of action with a 2nd place in both sprints & long distance

Today could not have dawned better for the young Hawaiian Zane Schweitzer (Starboard), with solid surf and thus his ideal conditions for the final day of action here in Rome, the World Series Sprint Racing.

Through the rounds, Zane was looking strong, all the way through to the final, where solid sets hit, creating chaos and a split field for the final 8. Revelling in the conditions, Zane battled his way to the finish line with eventual sprint winner and team mate Dylan Frick (Starboard), taking 2nd place for his effort, enough to secure him the overall win here at Stop #3 of the European Cup in Italy.

This result was enough to propel him to 2nd place overall in the European Cup, after his 6th place in Barcelona, 3rd place in Finland and now the win here in Italy. While he wasn’t able to defend his 2014 Title, Zane put on an inspirational performance this weekend and to finish his European Cup campaign with a win is the next best thing.

Casper Steinfath secures the European Cup victory with a 2nd place finish here in Italy in epic sprint racing conditions

Casper Steinfath (Naish) has looked more focused and more determined than ever over this year’s European Cup campaign, each event, building on the last, and looking stronger and faster than ever.

After such a dominant performance in Finland, he was able to back it up with another impressive win in the long distance yesterday here in Rome and was looking poised for an strong finish in the sprints as we worked our way through the rounds.

However during a flurry of sets in the final, Casper got caught behind on the first leg, and then went down again on the second, as he came around the inside buoy, he was able to regain his composure and get himself back into the picture over the last 2 legs of the dynamic ‘M’ course to finish in 5th.

While 5th wouldn’t have been his chosen finish, with the caliber of competitors lined in the final, it was going to be a battle whatever happened. However, 5th was enough to secure him a well deserved 2nd place, which in turn was enough to secure the European Cup Title for 2015. Another incredible achievement from the young Viking who seems to only go from strength to strength as his career develops.

Dylan Frick secures victory in the sprint racing today, propelling him to 4th overall for the event and on the 2015 European Cup

Dylan Frick (Starboard) had a slow start to this final stop on the European Cup in Italy, with a disappointing showing in the long distance on day 1. However, refreshed and fired up for today’s sprint racing, Dylan navigated a perfect final heat to get the win over one of the very best surf sprinters in the world, Zane Schweitzer (Starboard).

This win in the sprint racing propels Dylan into 4th overall for the event, but also secures him 4th overall for the 2015 European Cup – an impressive performance from the young South African talent as his forward momentum in the face of the World’s very best stand Up paddlers is undeniable.

Leonard Nika continues his consistent form, narrowly missing out on the European Cup win, having to settle for 3rd overall

Coming into the final day of competition, Leonard Nika (Starboard) was well within reach of both the event and European Cup Title, and his start in the final heat of the day was a testament to not only his determination, but his capability of taking victory here in Italy.

Leonard had a commanding lead coming into the inside buoy of the ‘M’ course, as he headed out for the final 2 legs and to what he hoped would be victory. However a stumble on the inside, followed by getting hit by another wave on the outside allowed Dylan Frick (Starboard) and Zane Schweitzer (Starboard) to sneak past, forcing Leonard to have to settle for 3rd in today’s racing.

His 3rd place today combined with his 3rd place yesterday put him in 3rd overall for the event, but also the overall European Cup for 2015, with Zane Schweitzer just sneaking past him into 2nd.

While the European Cup Title and a victory in front of his home crowd eluded Leonard Nika this year, there is no doubt that he is one of Europe’s and the World’s leading racers and will continue to be a real force to be reckoned with.

Davide Ionico puts on a stellar final day performance to secure a 4th place in the sprints and 5th place overall for the event

Davide Ionico (Fanatic) is one of Italy’s rising stars: as a teenager, he is strong and fast and destined to make his presence felt on the global racing scene. WIth a 7th place finish in the long distance, Davide took on today’s sprint Final as if his life depended on it, battling his way around the dramatic course to secure an impressive 4th place finish, propelling him to 5th place overall.

Watch out for this rising talent, as there is no doubt that led by their leader Leonard Nika (Starboard), there is a hotbed of young talent coming out of Italy as we are excited to watch them make their presence felt on the global stage over the coming year.

Italia Surf Expo has once again closed the European Cup in style, with epic racing, a world class expo and day & night entertainment

The Italia Surf Expo Roma is such a unique event: it is a beach culture festival that brings together World Class racing, a Surf, skate and SUP expo, skate ramps and competition, offroad courses to showcase the unique capabilities of Jeep vehicles and a beach social program that is quite simply second to none.

It is the perfect way to close the European Cup, and today’s conditions provided one of the most spectacular days of racing so far this year, with pumping surf and the dynamic ‘M’ sprint course providing an exciting and dynamic showcase of Surf sprint racing at its best.

In addition, a valiant group of amateurs took to the water to do battle in today’s sprint racing, with the Spaniard Daniel Parres (Naish) taking the win, which coupled with his win in yesterday’s long distance, gave him the overall win for the event

A big ‘Grazie’ goes out to all the Italia Surf Expo team who did a phenomenal job this weekend, as well as the sponsors of this incredible event. On behalf of the athletes and all of us here at the Waterman League, we can’t wait to come back.

Ane Zulaika Aranburu secures victory in the sprint racing today, taking the overall event win and the European Cup Title

Ane Zulaika Aranburu (Bic SUP) has been one of the most consistent competitors across this year’s European Cup, putting on a solid performance at the Barcelona SUP World Series to finish in 5th, then a runner up finish behond Celine Guesdon (Bic SUP) in Finland, and now backing it up with a win here at the Final event of the Cup here in Italy after 2 epic days of racing.

In the intimidating conditions, the women stepped up to be counted, with Ane posting a 1st and two 2nds across the best of 3 heat format adopted for the women’s division today. This gave her the sprint racing win, but also the overall event win, with the tie with 2nd place finisher Manca Notar (Naish) being broken like in Finland and Barcelona through a relative time comparison between long distance and sprint racing.

A solid performance from Ane, who like Casper Steinfath (Naish), seems to have gone from strength to strength through this European Cup, bringing the trophy home to Spain after her impressive performance across the Cup Series in 2015. There is no doubt that Ane is a talent to watch out for over the coming season on the Stand Up World Series, as we look forward to seeing more of her through 2015 and into the 2016 season.

Manca Notar finishes in second in the sprint racing today, securing 2nd place overall for the event & 3rd place on the European Cup

Manca Notar (Naish) once again showed her prowess today, putting on a solid and consistent performance across all 3 heats of the women’s racing to finish in 2nd in the sprints, and 2nd overall for the event. While she was disappointed not to take the event win, Manca is without doubt a major force to be reckoned with and one of the world’s leading lights in the SUP racing scene.

This result propels Manca into 3rd overall for the 2015 European Cup, which considering that she missed event #2 in Finland is an impressive performance to say the least and a true testament to her ability and competitive nature.

Susak Molinero secures 3rd in the sprints, which coupled with her 3rd in the long distance gives her 3rd overall for the event

While Susak Molinero is Spanish, she has strong roots here in Italy and clearly flourishes competing here with another solid performance today in the World Series Sprint Racing. A 3rd place finish today, combined with her 3rd place from yesterday puts her into an undisputed 3rd place overall for the event.

This result propels Susak into 5th overall on the European Cup for 2015, clearly showcasing that she is a force to be reckoned with, coupled with the fact that she is one of the best natured and friendliest athletes on the Series.

Celine Guesdon has a disappointing finish here in Italy, but secures 2nd on the European Cup after strong finishes in the first 2 events

Coming into this final event on the European Cup Series, it looked as though Celine Guesdon (Bic SUP) was pretty much untouchable, especially with the form she has been carrying across the first 2 events of the Cup Series. However, this final event of the Series ended up just not being her event, finishing in a disappointing (for her) 6th place overall, allowing Ane Zulaika Aranburu (Bic SUP) to just edge ahead to take the Title in 2015.

While this will have been a disappointing finish for the talented French athlete, a 2nd is still an impressive result and Celine will have learned a great deal from this experience. There is no doubt that her grit determination and commitment to the sport will doubtless deliver the results she deserves over the coming year.

Youth and Women Racing celebrated with the open division as well as surf initiation and a phenomenal close to the European Cup

It has been an amazing weekend here in Italy, from the action on the water with the spectacular conditions we witnessed today, to the party on the beach and the non stop entertainment of the event.

We were also proud to witness a young and talented amateur women’s field step up to do battle at this final stop on the European Cup in Italy, as the sport continues to flourish in this beautful country. In the end it was Laura dal Pont who took victory in the women’s division, but a big congratulations to all the girls who took part.

Well that wraps an incredible Italia Surf Expo and European Cup for us here at the Waterman League. Once again, our sincerest thanks to our local partners, the sponsors and of course the athletes for making this weekend one to remember. We can’t wait for the 2016 edition!

The Final Stop of the 2015 #EUCup reaches it’s dramatic climax at the Italia Surf Expo in Rome Italy. With Casper Steinfath & Local favourite Leonard Nika battling it out for the European Cup it was Casper Steinfath that took a step closer to lifting the trophy after his win in the Long Distance. Naish Team-mate Manca Notar took her first win was she beat a tough fleet in the Female Division.

25/0715

Casper Steinfath strengthens his lead in the European Cup standings with a win in the long distance race here in Rome

A dramatic day of racing here on day 1 of the Italia Surf Expo saw the Viking, Casper Steinfath (Naish) take the win in the long distance putting him in a solid position coming into day 2 of the event, the World Series Sprints.

A great start saw Casper take control of the race through the 1st of 3 laps today, a lead that he maintained through the entire race, only threatened by 2nd place finisher and 2014 European Cup Champion Zane Schweitzer (Starboard) through the backend of the 1st lap after a great read of the bump by the young Hawaiian.

Despite this surge from Zane, it was definitely Casper’s race today, as this win now strengthens his chances of an overall victory here in Italy, but also the chance of turning his European Title win in 2014 into an overall European Cup victory.

Having said this, it is a tight race at the top, as Casper will have to overcome the local favorite Leonard Nika (Starboard) (both pictured above) in tomorrow’s sprint race to take the overal event result here in Italy, as if Leonard overtakes him, this could well swing the balance in the Italian’s favor.

Make sure to stay tuned as it will all unfold here at Santa Severa Beach tomorrow with the World Series sprints and the culmination of this dramatic European Cup Finals.

Zane Schweitzer surfs his way to 2nd place with a solid performance in today’s long distance Race

Zane Schweitzer (Starboard) put on a solid performance in today’s long distance race, finishing in 2nd place and showcasing impressive ocean lecture to close the gap on Casper on all the downwind runs, making it an exciting battle for the win here in Rome.

There is forecast to be a bump up in swell for tomorrow as the World Series Sprints promise to provide a dramatic close to this 2015 Italia Surf Expo World SUP Challenge. This will be welcomed news for the young Hawaiian, who not only revels in the surf, but is one of the most dangerous in the World Series Sprint Racing format.

While Zane is trailing the top 2 in the European Cup ratings, a win tomorrow could well improve his chances of defending his Cup Title. Whatever the outcome, it promises to be an exciting day in all respects for this dramatic close to the 2015 European Cup.

Leonard Nika stands strong in front of a home crowd to finish in 3rd place, keeping his European Cup Title hopes alive

Leonard Nika (Starboard) had a great start, leading the pack right up until the 2nd buoy, right on the inside, where the eventual winner Casper Steinfath was able to get inside of him and take the lead.

He continued on strong, but was unable to fend off the in form Zane Schweitzer (Starboard), having to settle for a still very credible 3rd place, rounding off the podium for today’s racing.

As we come into the final day, Leonard is still very much in the running for the European Cup Title, not to mention the event win, as it will all come down to the World Series Sprints tomorrow to decide both here at the Italia Surf Expo at Santa Severa Beach.

Manca Notar puts on a dominant performance here on Day 1 of the Italia Surf Expo, taking the win in front of an excited crowd

Manca Notar (Naish) put on a dominant performance today in the Long distance race taking a convincing win to back up her solid performance at the World Series opener in Barcelona last month.

Finishing well up the field of men and a solid distance ahead of the next girl, Manca once again showed herself to be a major force to be reckoned with and continues to strengthen her reputation as one of the brightest women stars in the world of SUP.

Tomorrow is another day, as the women will once again battle it out in increasing surf for the final day of action here at the Italia Surf Expo.

Ane Zulaika Aranburu posts another solid performance here in Rome, taking 2nd place in the long distance race today

Ane Zulaika Aranburu (Bic SUP) put on another impressive performance in today’s long distance race, following up from her 2nd place overall at the last European Cup Race in Finland.

A 2nd place in today’s racing puts her in a strong position coming into the final day of action here in Rome, where the sprint racing will see increased surf and epic conditions for what will be some of the most dramatic racing yet.

Ane has proved herself on this year’s European Cup, currently sitting in 2nd place overall and with the Title in her sites after today’s performance, as a win here in Italy might just secure her the overall Cup Title if Celine Guesdon finishes 3rd or worse tomorrow.

Susak Molinero once again posts a solid result here in Italy, strengthening her chances for a strong finish on the European Cup

Susak Molinero has a great history here in Italy, with a solid finish at last year’s Italia Surf Expo, and backed it up again today with another impressive finish in today’s long distance, with a 3rd place, that only strengthens her position in the overall European Cup Ratings.

With a rise in swell and a packed beach anticipated for the final day of action here in Rome, we wait to see how Susak steps up, as it will all come down to this final day of action for overall Event and Cup win.

One thing is for sure, it will be a day to remember as history is once again made in the region of Santa Marinella for the conclusion of the 2015 Italia Surf Expo Roma.

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