目次
On Saturday and Sunday, April 15th and 16th, the SUP Japan Open and ICF Overseas Athlete Selection Tournament was held at the Kumihama Bay Canoe Stadium in Kumihama-cho, Kyotango City, Kyoto Prefecture.
The venue, Kumihama Bay, is located in the northwestern tip of Kyotango City. With a narrow mouth and little impact from waves, the area is popular for canoe and kayak competitions. It has hosted the National Athletic Meet, as well as dragon boat and national junior and senior high school canoeing championships.
The bay is surrounded by mountains, and the contrast between the sea and the greenery makes for a scenic field.
The weather was unstable on both days, with periods of sudden rain and strong winds, but also periods of sunny, windless, and completely flat conditions.
There are no swells, but when the wind blows, the wind waves crashing into the narrow bay make the sea surface a bit choppy.
On the 15th, an open sprint event was held, and on the 16th, three events were held: distance and technical.
This tournament will also serve as a selection event for the 2023 ICF STAND UP PADDLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, which will be held in Pattaya, Thailand in November, with the distance and technical classes taking part.
Natsumi Baba from Team KOKUA came in first in all events, including sprint, distance, and technical, and was selected.
Shimazu Shigeaki also placed second in all events, making a good start towards the Canoe Sprint World Championships, which will be held in New Zealand from April 21st.
Kikukawa Shoki also showed some heated tactics in a race that featured a sense of speed, which is only possible with a relatively short distance of 6km, and came in 7th place.
Among the many junior athletes participating, the members of KOKUA Generation Next performed brilliantly in each race, making their presence known.
Below is the player report:
[Nariakira Shimazu]
Result:
Men's Hardboard Elite (under 14.0ft) Overseas Expedition Selection Class
●Sprint 200m 2nd place
●Distance 6km 2nd place
●Technical 2nd place
Board: [Sprint/Distance/Technical] FLY PRO 21
Paddles: [Sprint] KK PRO HA Skinny, [Distance] KK MINI, [Technical] KK PRO HA Skinny
Fin: [Sprint/Distance] KK PRO FIA [Technical] KK PRO WIZARD
"In a race where the ranking was decided by [sprint] time, I was able to take advantage of the board's fast initial speed to quickly reach top speed and maintain that speed until the end. However, I made a few mis-paddles and missed out on first place by 0.3 seconds.
[Distance] In the distance race, I used the KK MINI. I was able to reach top speed without putting strain on my body, so it was easy to respond to other riders' dashes and the easy-to-attack paddle helped me. However, I was caught off guard for a moment and finished in second place. I ended up not being able to fully utilize the paddle's performance.
[Technical] Taking advantage of my fast initial speed, I was able to take the lead from the start. The board's turning performance also helped me to paddle steadily through the race. As the top speed remains constant regardless of the conditions, this race made me realize that the FLY PRO is a highly functional all-around board. This tournament also served as a qualifying tournament for the ICF World Championships, and the top four will be selected to represent Japan, so I look forward to working hard in preparation for the ICF.
Sho Kikukawa
Result:
Men's Hardboard Elite (under 14.0ft) Overseas Expedition Selection Class
●Distance 6km 7th place
●Technical 9th place
"The race was on flat conditions, and I was able to row in a good position from the start, making good use of drafting. I was able to row steadily even in the wake from the leading group and when coming out of turns, and I felt that depending on the strategy, I could compete well even on flat water, so this race will help me in the next one."
Board: FLY PRO 22.5
Paddle: KK PRO CLASSIC
Fin: KK PRO FIA
[Natsumi Baba]
Result:
Women's Hardboard Elite (14.0ft or less) Overseas Expedition Selection Class
●Sprint 200m Winner
●Distance 6km Winner
●Technical Winner
Board: FLY PRO 22.5
Paddle: KK PRO HA Skinny
Fin: KK PRO FIA
"In all the classes, I focused on how fast I could get, rather than on my ranking. This was my first time sprinting since I started racing. There were many things I had to be aware of over such a short distance, such as board and paddle control to paddle straight towards the target, as well as minimizing paddling errors and sprinting to get to top speed as quickly as possible, and I keenly felt that I still lacked the skill in all of them. For the distance, I focused on paddling to the end without losing my rhythm. I paddled with the image of a time trial. The board's handling wasn't bad, but I still had the energy to paddle one more gear higher, so I would like to push myself to that end. In technical classes, the precision of my turns is still not high, so I would like to practice being able to make quick, clean turns on any surface or in any situation, and to be able to smoothly return to cruising speed immediately after the turn. I chose the FLY PRO board, which feels safe on both flat and rough waters. I used size 22.5. In sprints, I was able to achieve sufficient speed with size 22.5 rather than size 21. Rather than trying to force myself to be narrow, I feel that a style of speed achieved by stabilizing my feet and transferring power to the board suits me and is natural. This is my first time racing overseas. I want to aim to make the most of this experience.
Next month, on May 20th and 21st, the 2023 ISA WSUPPC Open Class Athlete Selection Tournament will be held in Izu, and more races will be held in various locations.
Team KOKUA/KOKUA Generation Next 's success is sure to grow even more.
