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The India Paddle Festival concluded over the weekend and is regarded as the first step for international Stand Up Paddling in the region. Fernando Perez Serra and Esperanza Barreras took the win in the inaugural event as part of the APP World Tour.
Press Release: APP World Tour
Mangalore, India provided the perfect venue for the APP’s first step in India with the APP sanctioned India Paddle Festival. The India Paddle Festival is the first step for international Stand Up Paddling in the region and Sasihithlu Beach provided the absolutely perfect venue to showcase the sport. A magical mix of Ocean and River conditions provided the ideal test for a selection of the World’s Best making it out for this special event and an ideal forerunner to the 2024 APP World Tour season that will be announced later this month.
Day 1 saw distance racing take center stage with a qualifier heat followed by finals format for the Men and a single final for the Women. Antonio Morillo from Spain took his moment to break away in the race and he never looked back to secure the win for the men. Espe Barreras dominated the Women’s Final to win the distance race.
Day 2 saw the Sprint racing take place in epic surf conditions. For the men, Fernando Perez Serra was able to take advantage of some confusion during the race and was able to hold his ground and take the well deserved victory in the sprints. Espe Barreras once again demonstrated that she will be the one to beat this year on the APP World Tour with another dominant performance in the sprint racing that allowed her to convincingly take the overall victory at this inaugural edition of the India Paddle Festival. With Fernando Perez Serra’s result in the sprints, he claimed the overall event win in the men’s division.
The APP’s first step in India proves an overwhelming success, as the foundations have been laid for a bright future
The small town of Mulki in Mangalore played host to the first international Stand Up Paddling event in India this past weekend and history was made. The local community came together in a monumental way to make the event happen and welcome the athletes coming in from Spain, Italy, Denmark, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Hungary and beyond for such an incredible experience.
The APP is proud to have been a part of building this new legacy with Surfing Swami Foundation and Mantra Surf Club and we are excited to take the next step with the team towards a bright future for the sport in India. The food, the people, the conditions for Stand Up Paddling and the overall experience have been unforgettable for all those who made it to this year’s India Paddle Festival and we are excited for what is to come. We look forward to returning in February of 2025.
A big thank you to Karnataka Tourism, all the partners of this event as well as of course the local community and stay tuned for the Official launch of the APP World Tour Schedule coming this month @appworldtour and www.appworldtour.com