Iballa Moreno and Luis Diniz new Paddle Surf world kings

Two heart-stopping finals to conclude the 2023 edition of the Gran Canaria Pro-Am Paddle Surf World Championship, where Spain and Brazil broke the Japanese domination, winning in the queen SUP SURF modality, male and female categories.

With waves that at times reached two meters and after disputing the previous heats, managed to enter the final competition and opt for the title the sisters Kaede and Sakura Inoue, the Argentinean Luchy Cosoleto and Iballa Moreno.

The Gran Canarian did not have a successful start, with two failed first attempts, as the chosen waves did not have the necessary consistency to finish the course. But it is at this moment when the experience and the claw of the Gran Canarian came to light, fighting tirelessly and climbing to the provisional second position, once the first 15 minutes were consumed.

Argentina's Cosoleto and Japan's Kaede Sakura paddled hard in the last section and until the score of the last wave, defended by the Argentinean, it was not known if Iballa took the trophy of world champion with only 17 tenths of a point: "to win a title again after so many years is a dream come true" declared this laureate international sportswoman and more multi-athlete than ever, by becoming the holder of the most important titles in two different disciplines, such as paddle surfing and windsurfing.

In the men's category, the consistency and regularity demonstrated by the Frenchman Benoit Carpentier throughout this international event, presaged a final in his favor, if he did not neglect the always restless Taka Inoue, a rider who never gives up a wave for lost, extending the maneuvers until the last breath. But the forces failed him just at the halfway point of the 40 minutes that the jury granted on this occasion, because the tide was filling up and as a result, slowing down the series.

However, it was the second wave of Brazilian Luiz Diniz with a score of 8.10, which caused a turnaround in the standings giving gas to this finalist to take the lead in the provisional. Neither the numerous vertical turns to the very rocks of Inoue nor the best scored wave of this final by the also Brazilian Leonardo Gimenes, managed to snatch the dream to Diniz, exultant once he jumped to land and be aware that he had won his first world title.

Björn Dunkerbeck, organizer of this event, was very satisfied with the development of this world championship and celebrated the fact that the women's title "will stay at home" with an athlete as successful as Iballa Moreno, which emphasizes the importance of Gran Canaria as a unique destination for the practice of nautical sports.

General classification by categories:

Men's SUP SURF

1st Luiz Diniz 15.50 points (Brazil)

2nd Taka Inoue 14.77 points (Japan)

3rd Leonardo Gimenes 14.33 points (Brazil)

SUP SURF women

1st Iballa Moreno 12.50 points (Spain)

2nd Kaede Inoue 12.33 points (Japan)

3rd Luchy Cosoleto 11.40 (Argentina)

Men's Longboard

1st Taka Inoue 16.04 (Japan)

2nd Leco Salazar 15.90 (Brazil)

Women's Longboard

1st Kaede Inoue 12.33 points (Japan)

2nd Sakura Inoue 5.63 points (Japan)

Junior Pro 18 Men

1st Kapono Fukuda 12.34 points (Japan)

2nd Enrique Pérez 9.00 points (Spain)

Junior Pro 18 female

1st Kaede Inoue 13.67 (Japan).

2nd Sakura Inoue 8.20 (Japan)

3rd Prune Guérin 4.50 (France)