With Gwangalli Bridge as a backdrop, Rai Taguchi makes a clean sweep and Caroline Kuntzel claims her first overall win on the APP World Tour and we see hundreds of amateur racers compete in the Busan SUP Open.
The Busan SUP Open saw the world’s top athletes assemble in Busan for stop #3 of the APP’s Racing World Tour. Saturday saw Japan’s Rai Taguchi and Denmark’s Caroline Kuntzel claim their first ever sprint win on the World Tour and Sunday’s distance race saw our athletes embark on a very technical 10km distance race, where Taguchi clinched his second win of the weekend with April Zilg winning it for the women.
The first lap of the men’s distance race maintained a tight battle between the lead pack, but by the second lap, sprint champ Rai Taguchi managed to break away from the field with fellow Japanese racer, Shuri ‘Shrimpy’ Araki. Taguchi’s ocean-knowledge and technical ability prevailed and he pulled away from Araki to be greeted at the finish line with not only the distance title but the overall title too.
In the women’s field, USA’s April Zilg was untouchable from the get go. She paddled seamlessly in the choppy conditions, with every wave taking her further away from the rest of the pack. With Zilg being practically untouchable, the battle was on for second place between Argentina’s Juliette DuHaime and Denmark’s Caroline Kuntzel. Juliette’s endurance triumphed however and she claimed second place. Kuntzel’s third place meant she secured the overall title after her victorious run in the sprints the previous day.
Gwangalli Beach provided the perfect venue for a weekend of racing for both the professional athletes and the hundreds of amateur racers in Busan, which has one of the most vibrant and hospitable SUP communities in the world. Catch all the results and watch all the best moments from the Busan SUP Open right here.
Foto: APP World Tour / Waterman League
