Six-time SUP World Champion Casper Steinfath has announced the end of his 17-year partnership with Naish, closing one of the longest and most recognisable athlete-brand relationships in stand up paddling. The Danish paddler shared the news on social media, describing his departure as a heartfelt goodbye and reflecting on a relationship that began when he was still a teenager. “Naish was always so much more than just a sponsor or the boards under my feet,” - Casper.
During their 17 years together, Casper developed from a young SUP racer from Klitmøller into one of the sport’s most successful and influential athletes.
Known throughout the paddling world as the Danish Viking, he has won six SUP World Championship titles, four European titles and claimed consecutive victories at Red Bull Heavy Water in 2017 and 2019.
His career with Naish has also extended far beyond racing.
In 2018, Casper became the first person to cross the Skagerrak Strait between Denmark and Norway on a stand up paddleboard. He later turned his attention to SUP foiling, completing a 128-kilometre crossing of the Kattegat between Denmark and Sweden, before paddling approximately 1,400 kilometres around Denmark in 2022.
Casper gave particular thanks to Robby Naish, whose mentorship and belief helped shape both his sporting career and his life away from competition. He also thanked the wider Naish team for supporting him through the successes, setbacks and adventures of the past 17 years.
The partnership covered an important period in the development of modern SUP. Casper and Naish became closely connected during the rise of international SUP racing, with the young Dane helping establish Europe as a major force within a sport initially centred around Hawaii.
Casper has not yet announced whether he will join another equipment brand or what the next stage of his watersports career will involve.
Whatever comes next, his 17 years with Naish represent a major chapter in both his own career and the history of stand up paddling.
View Casper’s announcement here.
Image: Kasper Bøttern