All Ireland SUP Championships in Bundoran a major success
Beautiful clear skies and sunshine on Bundoran’s Main Beach provided excellent conditions for the 2014 All Ireland STAND UP PADDLE BOARD National Racing Championships on Saturday the 20th and Sunday the 21st of September. A record turnout of athletes competed for five All Ireland National titles providing a wonderful spectacle for onlookers of the world’s fastest growing water sport.
Saturday saw young gun Peter Kosinski (17) claim his third consecutive Men’s title in the technical race over 6 kilometres. Peter went on to also claim the Marathon Title on Sunday making it a double for the young Meath man. Katie McAnena from Galway was crowned as the new 2014 Women’s Champion. Speaking about her victory Katie said, “It was a gruelling course but the weather, the atmosphere and the crowd made the whole race experience exceed any of my expectations.” Sunday saw one All Ireland title go to Donegal with Emmet O’Doherty winning the Men’s Distance Paddle and Dublin’s Sarah Gannon take the Women’s title for the first time.
A series of crossover races for recreational paddlers and a Monster SUP team paddle were also held on the Saturday with over 40 entries. An exhausted Emmet O’Doherty commented, “It is truly wonderful to see such growth in a young sport, well done to all who took part, many of whom it was their first race at this level. I was just delighted to see so people take pleasure in this fantastic sport and the beautiful environment we have to enjoy it in. I would also like to thank our main sponsor Discover Bundoran for their continuing support in the staging of this event and that we will see the event grow in popularity and stature in the years to come”.
