In an extremely grueling race that had a bit of everything, Fiona Wylde put in a impressive performance that saw her dueling it out with pre-race favourite and defending Carolina Cup Champion, Annabel Anderson. Fellow Dream Team rider Olivia also charged hard to finish 3rd.
Bright star Fiona Wylde lead half the race but Annabel Anderson was too strong on the day | Photo: Panas
“I’m overjoyed! I love stand up paddling, competing and just being on the water. Sharing this sport with other people is such a special feeling, and now to be ranked #2 in the world is amazing! Thank you so much to Starboard and my family for supporting me as I chase my dream”
Fellow Starboard Dream Team rider Olivia Pianna also put in a outstanding performance to finish 3rd place over in the women’s gruelling 14 mile Graveyard event
Olivia surfs her final wave into 3rd place in the womens at Carolina Cup | Photo: SUP-Passion
Stoked to cross the finish line after a grueling 14 mile race, alone | | Photo: SUP-Passion
This was my only 2nd time competing at Carolina Cup since 2013. I knew the course map just how challeging this event can be. I trained hard in the weeks leading up to this. Race day condtions were amazing with super good wind on the downwind section and nice sunny day. The upwind sections were really hard though. I missed the draft train of Fiona and Annabel by 30 m at end of the first downwind leg which meant I had to paddle the entire race alone, but I am really stoked to finish 3rd in the end,. Looking forward to being back next year!
Full results at SUPRacer.com
Hundreds of competitors and thousands of spectators were present in Wrightsville last weekend for the 2017 West Marine Carolina Cup, second stop on the WPA World SUP Tour. Amazing arial footage captured by Aerial Images ILM.
