2024 ICF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

In Sarasota, Florida, USA The 2024 ICF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS was held from November 19th to 24th .

Team KOKUA will be represented by Nariakira Shimazu and Natsumi Baba.

Nari will compete in the Junior Men's Sprint, Technical and Distance events, while Natsumi will compete in the Open Women's Technical and Distance events.

The event was held at Nathan Bendarson Park, a canoeing venue. The water was flat and there was little natural influence other than the wind. The race depended on the athletes' rowing ability and drafting skills.

Nari
In the Sprint, he was heavily affected by the wind and unfortunately missed out on the A final, but in the Technical, although he got off to a slow start, he dashed in the straight and overtook the leading boat with his turns to take a brilliant victory.
In the distance race on the final day, he continued to fight with the top group from start to finish, and in the final sprint he was in a dead heat, finishing in second place.
He ended his final year as a junior on a high note.

"This summer, I achieved my goal in canoeing, and now I've decided to aim to become number one in SUP, where my best result was second place.

Although I was a bit worried about the preparations, I decided to take on the challenge with pride, grateful to my family who have supported me in my dual sport and to the people who have supported me. I realized that the way I used my senses and core strength also came in handy in SUP, and that I was able to go faster with more ease than last year.

And at this World Championship, where I competed in top form, I finally won the title of "WORLD CHAMPION." I was finally able to break free from perpetual second place and achieve the view I had dreamed of so many times.

I've been doing SUP for about six years, and I gave it my all at the World Championships. I'm still inexperienced, but I'll keep doing my best and carry the title of world champion on my shoulders."
*Excerpt and summary from his Instagram

Natsumi

This was his second year competing in the world championships. Despite making a series of mistakes in the Technical event, he advanced to the A Final, which he missed last year, and finished in 5th place. In the Distance event, he placed 14th. Although it was a disappointing result, it was a race that will help him in the future.

"This is my second year competing in world championships, and this year I have had my sights set on the ICF. Although I am disappointed with the result, I was able to put all my current abilities to the test. Although I made a series of mistakes in the technical events, I was able to advance to the A final, which I missed last year, and although I finished in 5th place, I was able to learn a sense of speed and technique from the top rowers, which I would not have been able to experience in Japan. As distance is an event I am good at, I participated in the race with the aim of testing how well my current abilities would hold up. Drafting at around 10km/h is very difficult for me, and I realized that I still need more experience and practice. I have certainly gained experience, and I feel that I want to compete with the top rowers next year, so I will use this experience to understand my strengths and weaknesses and continue training. "

We look forward to seeing KOKUA's board gear take flight around the world with its riders next year as well.