With the huge increase in popularity for the water sport of Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP), it brings the question: who are the top professional paddle boarders, and what is their background?
Based on the 2019 World Cup, the Top 5 Professional Paddleboarders in the World are Michael Booth, Connor Baxter, Bruno Hasulyo, Titouan Puyo, and Lincoln Dews for the men, and Olivia Piana, Seychelle, Fiona Wylde, Sonni Hönscheid, and April Zilg.
These men and women have risen quickly in the ranks of the paddleboarding world and they are all at the top level of this sport. All of the following information on SUP racer statistics has been collected from SUP Racer.
Stand Up Paddleboarding Men’s World Rankings
#1 Professional Stand Up Paddle Boarder: Michael Booth from Australia
Michael Booth from Caves Beach, Australia originally began his career by doing surf lifesaving, surfski, and kayaking. However, once he began to do paddleboarding in 2016, he has taken strides of success! He has had lots of amazing achievements, especially in the Australian, Euro Tour, and World Champion tournaments, where he has won first multiple times.
Something remarkable about Michael Booth is his character. He always wants to challenge himself and promotes the values of perseverance and hard work when it comes to reaching goals. His five greatest achievements are:
- Michael Booth had his fifth-greatest paddleboard achievement when at the ICF Marathon he won first place with a time of 78.00.
- He reached his fourth greatest paddleboard achievement when he won second place at Bilbao with a time of 78.75.
- He had his third greatest paddleboard achievement when he won first place at Carolina Cup with a time of 83.00
- He had his second greatest paddleboard achievement was at Osaka Open. He won first place with a time of 88.50.
- Michael Booth’s top greatest paddleboard achievement was at Paris Crossing when he won first place with a time of 102.00.
#2 Professional Stand Up Paddleboarder: Connor Baxter from America
Connor Baxter grew up on the island of Maui in Hawaii. By living in a place where he was surrounded by the sea, he was in the perfect opportunistic setting to learn sports on the water. It began when he was eight years old when he started participating in water sports competitions for windsurfing and surfing. He had mastered that skill at a really young age as he was surfing the largest waves at age fourteen. That was also when he windsurfed Jaws Break, making him the youngest person to do so.
In an endeavor to expand his skills on the water, he began paddleboarding when he was sixteen. He quickly set the world record for both paddle boarding and stand-up paddleboarding in the Molokai-2-Oahu World Championships and was the youngest person to ever win the Battle of the Paddle Championship. Since then, he has continued to have incredible achievements in paddleboarding and currently is ranked 4th overall and 2nd in the men’s category for SUP. His top five achievements are:
- Connor Baxter’s fifth-greatest paddleboard achievement was at the ISA Sprints when he won second place with a time of 41.63.
- His fourth greatest paddleboard achievement was at Paris Crossing when he won third place with a time of 61.20.
- His third greatest paddleboard achievement was at the ICF Beach Race when he won second place with a time of 62.25.
- His second greatest paddleboard achievement was at the ICF Sprints when he won first place with a time of 74.50.
- Connor Baxter’s top greatest paddleboard achievement was at The Gorge when he won first place with a time of 77.00.
#3 Professional Stand Up Paddleboarder: Bruno Hasulyo from Hungary
Bruno Hasulyo, as mentioned by X-Bionic, is also known as the Hungarian Surfer boy. He loves to run and he loves the water. After learning how to do stand-up paddleboarding, he decided to train hard and turn that into a career so he can do what he loves! He and his brother Daniel compete with each other and push each other to continue to grow and improve in their beloved sport. Bruno was the 2017 ISA SUP World Champion. His five greatest achievements are:
- Bruno Hasulyo’s fifth-greatest paddleboard achievement was at the World Cup when he won third place with a time of 41.10.
- His Bruno Hasulyo’s fourth greatest paddleboard achievement was at the 11 City Tour when he won first place with a time of 47.50.
- His third greatest paddleboard achievement was at the ICF Marathon when he won second place with a time of 58.50.
- His second greatest paddleboard achievement was at the Carolina Cup when he won second place with a time of 62.25.
- Bruno Hasulyo’s top greatest paddleboard achievement was at Bilbao when he won first place with a time of 105.00.
#4 Professional Stand Up Paddleboarder: Titouan Puyo from French Polynesia
Titouan Puyo is from Rapa, French Polynesia. Noted by NSP Surfboards, Titouan originally trained on the outrigger canoe because of inspiration from his brother, and as a result, he became the champion of New Caledonia. Surrounded by the sea growing up, he developed a strong love for the water. He picked up many water sports, and it was in 2011 that he started to do stand-up paddleboarding. His five greatest achievements are:
- Titouan Puyo’s fifth-greatest paddleboard achievement was at Vendee Gliss when he won first place with a time of 53.50.
- His fourth greatest paddleboard achievement was at the ISA Beach Race when he won first place with a time of 54.50.
- His third greatest paddleboard achievement was at Air France when he won first place with a time of 57.50.
- His second greatest paddleboard achievement was at Bilbao when he won third place with a time of 63.00.
- Titouan Puyo’s top greatest paddleboard achievement was at San Sebastian when he won first place with a time of 79.50.
#5 Professional Stand Up Paddleboarder: Lincoln Dews from Australia
Lincoln Dews was born in Maroochydore, Australia in the year 1995. According to Blackfish Paddles, he first began to do surf-like saving, but after seeing an ad and a race for stand-up paddleboarding, he decided to give it a go and has been doing it ever since. He absolutely loves the water and participating in SUP races. His five greatest achievements are:
- Lincoln Dews’ fifth-greatest paddleboard achievement was at London Open when he won sixth place with a time of 22.75.
- His fourth greatest paddleboard achievement was at Osaka Open when he won sixth place with a time of 30.98.
- His third greatest paddleboard achievement was at 12 Towers when he won first place with a time of 46.00.
- His second greatest paddleboard achievement was at Paris Crossing when he won second place with a time of 76.50.
- Lincoln Dews’ top greatest paddleboard achievement was at the ICF Beach Race when he won first place with a time of 83.00.
Stand Up Paddleboarding Women’s World Rankings
#1 Professional Stand Up Paddleboarder: Olivia Piana from France
Olivia Piana grew up in La Ciotat, a town in southern France that is surrounded by the waters, specifically the Mediterranean Sea. Much of her love for the water was inspired by her mother. Men’s Journal received a lot of insight in an interview they had with Olivia.
She initially began by following her mother’s footsteps and taking on windsurfing for a few years. Something about Olivia is she loves spending time with friends and family. In fact, it was when she was with her friends that she first discovered stand-up paddleboarding. Since then, she has shown remarkable talent and determination in achieving many medals in championships. Her top five achievements are:
- Olivia Piana’s fifth-greatest paddleboard achievement was at the World SUP Festival when she won first place with a time of 62.00.
- Her fourth greatest paddleboard achievement was at the ICF Springs when she won first place with a time of 74.50.
- Her third greatest paddleboard achievement was at San Sebastian when she won first place with a time of 79.50.
- Her second greatest paddleboard achievement was at the ICF Beach Race when she won first place with a time of 83.00.
- Olivia Piana’s top greatest paddleboard achievement was at Bilbao when she won first place with a time of 105.00.
#2 Professional Stand Up Paddleboarder: Seychelle from America
Born and raised in Florida, Seychelle was fascinated with the water and developed a great love and appreciation for it. In fact, Paddle Monster shares how Seychelle went on a sailing adventure soon after she graduated from high school. In 2014, she fell in love with stand-up paddleboarding and even started her own paddleboard shop in her hometown. Impressively, she had the 2015 world record for the farthest distance paddle boarded. That is definitely no small achievement! Seychelle will readily tell you how she loves the sport! Her top five achievements are:
- Seychelle’s fifth-greatest paddleboard achievement was at San Sebastian when she won fourth place with a time of 39.75.
- Her fourth greatest paddleboard achievement was at the New York Open when she won second place with a time of 47.25.
- Her third greatest paddleboard achievement was at London Open when she won first place with a time of 65.00.
- Her second greatest paddleboard achievement was at Osaka Open when she won first place with a time of 88.50.
- Seychelle’s top greatest paddleboard achievement was at Paris Crossing when she won first place with a time of 102.00.
#3 Professional Stand Up Paddleboarder: Fiona Wylde from America
Fiona Wylde is an incredibly remarkable and inspiring woman! SUP Starboard states that although Fiona was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes around a year ago, she has not given up or let that deter her. She firmly believes that anyone can accomplish their goals if they put their mind to it, no matter their obstacles. She also loves her dog Sharky and really enjoys barbeques! Her five greatest achievements are:
- Fiona Wylde’s fifth-greatest paddleboard achievement was at Crete when she won first place with a time of 54.00.
- Her fourth greatest paddleboard achievement was at Azur Paddle Days when she won first place with a time of 63.50.
- Her third greatest paddleboard achievement was at the World Cup when she won first place with a time of 68.50.
- Her second greatest paddleboard achievement was at Paris Crossing when she won second place with a time of 76.50.
- Fiona Wylde’s top greatest paddleboard achievement was at the Gorge Paddle Challenge when she won first place with a time of 77.00.
#4 Professional Stand Up Paddleboarder: Sonni Hönscheid from Germany
Sonni Hönscheid, native to Sylt, Germany, got most of her start on the water from her father. He was an avid and professional windsurfer, so spent much time traveling around the world to places with water. According to SUP Starboard, When they moved to the Canary Islands, she learned how to windsurf, surf, and eventually paddleboard. She enjoys art and does it whenever she isn’t in the water. Most of all though, she loves the ocean! Her top five achievements are:
- Sonni Hönscheid’s fifth-greatest paddleboard achievement was at Crete when she won second place with a time of 40.50.
- Her fourth greatest paddleboard achievement was at the World Cup when she won second place with a time of 51.38.
- Her third greatest paddleboard achievement was at Glagla when she won first place with a time of 61.00.
- Her second greatest paddleboard achievement was at the ICF Marathon when she won first place with a time of 78.00.
- Sonni Hönscheid’s top greatest paddleboard achievement was at the Carolina Cup when she won first place with a time of 83.00.
#5 Professional Stand Up Paddleboarder: April Zilg from America
April Zilg had a unique start in the world of paddleboarding. She’s from North Carolina, and she was doing her master’s degree in Deep-Sea Coral Reef Ecology when she came across paddle boarding. April Zilg’s website talks about how with love and support from family and friends, she endeavored to do paddleboard sports. After a rough patch, she made a comeback and competed with flying colors. Since then, she has won several championships and is one of the top stand-up paddleboarders in the world! Her five greatest achievements are:
- April Zilg’s fifth-greatest paddleboard achievement was in London when she won second place with a time of 48.75.
- Her fourth greatest paddleboard achievement was at Paris Crossing when she won third place with a time of 61.20.
- Her third greatest paddleboard achievement was at Carolina when she won second place with a time of 62.25.
- Her second greatest paddleboard achievement was at the New York Open when she won first place with a time of 63.00.
- April Zilg’s top greatest paddleboard achievement was at the Osaka Open when she won second place with a time of 66.38.
