目次
On Saturday, November 26th, the JAPAN CUP Chigasaki was held at Headland Beach in Chigasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture.
There were probably many players who were excited to use this tournament as the final tournament of the season.
Team KOKUA will be represented by Nariakira Shimazu, Natsumi Baba, and Yea Tsurui.
The race was scheduled to start at 12:30, so there was a long waiting time.
In the morning, SUP surfing was taking place in parallel on the east side, across the breakwater called the T-bar.
The course starts on the beach west of the T-bar, goes around a mark about 500m offshore, then heads east for 1.3km, turns around and takes a simple triangular course of 1.25km. The elite class completes four laps of this course, each about 3km long.
The tide crashed into the T-bar, creating choppy side waves, and the swell grew stronger as the tide went out near the second mark. Many competitors got caught in this area.
There were swells offshore that could be ridden, and the tides were flowing from side to side, so even for a simple course, deciding which sea surface to paddle on and how to row was important.
In ocean races, it is often difficult to follow the progress of the race in real time, but this time the field made it easy for spectators to follow the progress of the race, and especially from the T-bar, they were able to watch the athletes up close and hear the cheers of their support.
Immediately after the race, the wind was weak and the conditions were relatively calm, but towards the end of the race the wind picked up and the sea became rough, reminiscent of the sea conditions last year. The top finishers were hardly affected, but as the race progressed, more and more runners began to struggle with the wind and rough seas.
Shigeaki Shimazu finished in first place, unable to catch up with the second-placed rider. He rowed dynamically to the end, not slacking on the approach to the beach.
Natsumi Baba made a mistake at the start and got off to a slightly slower start, but she remained calm throughout the race, maintaining her own pace and finishing in first place.
Yae Tsurui also pulled away from the runners behind her and finished in second place, achieving revenge against the runner who came in third this time, whom she had narrowly lost to in the River Do! race held in Hiroshima two weeks earlier.
Team KOKUA won both the men's and women's races, bringing the final race of the year to a successful conclusion.
Below is the player report:
[Nariakira Shimazu]
Result: 0:57:54 Winner
" Starting from the very end near the T-bar, I rode the backwash and current well and rounded the first buoy in the lead. The second buoy was located closer to the shore, and I decided that approaching it straight would mean going against the current, so I changed course and went around from offshore. In the end, I succeeded in rounding the second buoy with a lead over the second place. Up until the third buoy, I paddled in the lead, conscious of taking advantage of the current and small swells. Like last year, I expected the wind to pick up and swells to appear towards the end of the race, so I used WIZARD fins. As expected, the swells appeared in the second half, and the WIZARD fins came in handy. Furthermore, the current in the sea of Chigasaki was unfamiliar to me, so I was almost swept away several times, but thanks to the WIZARD I was able to continue paddling steadily without falling off. "
[ Natsumi Baba ]
Result: 01:02:55 Winner
"It was the last race of the season, but I was able to approach it relaxed. I was always able to row with ease, and I had the leeway to try different courses on each lap. I also focused on maintaining my rhythm when rowing.
Even when he got stuck in the shore break at the start, he managed to slide the board smoothly without making any mistakes, and he also managed to ride the swell well and return to the beach in a clean manner. I felt that one of his future challenges would be to do everything carefully and without being careless.This time I used the FLY PRO 24. This was the first time I'd used it since the ISA qualifying round, and it did feel a little heavy, but it was so incredibly stable that I didn't have to worry about balancing at all and could just concentrate on getting the board going. The board itself is very stable, so I used FIA fins. I also used the HA Skinny paddle, which allowed me to control my rhythm in line with the water surface. I want to improve my technique, physical strength, and mental strength in all aspects in preparation for next season.
Yae Tsurui
Result: 01:08:02
This year's event was a huge one, with international athletes participating and two events held over two days: Distance and Survivor. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was scaled down. However, signs of an end to the current unrest are beginning to appear, and the number of races has increased dramatically this year. And the level of Japanese athletes has risen so much that it's hard to believe they've been standing still.
The junior members of Team KOKUA, who are full of potential, also impressed us by showing off their unique paddle skills on the world stage.
Team KOKUA will continue this momentum next year, not only in various parts of Japan but also heading out into the world.
