Dramatic end to technical race on Day 3 of Australian SUP Titles

PHILIP ISLAND, VICTORIA(Friday, 7 October 2022): Dramatic end to technical race on day 3 of the 2022 Australian SUP Titles.

James Casey has won the SUP technical race in spectacular fashion with several competitors falling off their boards and a late dash to the medical centre for our newest champ.

The New South Wales paddler says it was an exciting race from start to finish.

“I’d describe it as a Steven Bradbury moment with two of the guys falling off in front of me. I certainly wasn’t the fastest paddler,” he said.

The final lap saw Casey side by side with Ty Judson.

“On the first can of the final lap, Ty fell off at the turn. The pressure got to him I guess,” Casey said.

“I took my chance to go and sprinted to the second can and got a wave. I was thinking how good is this, turned and one of the last paddlers had fallen off. I copped his board to my chest and fell off. I scrambled to my feet and managed to hold on,” he said.

The drama didn’t end there.

Casey had split the webbing between his toes and was taken to the medical centre where he had four stitches.

But the mishap didn’t dampen his day.

“It was great conditions and Surfing Victoria did a great job setting it up,” he said.

Contest Director Max Wells said Casey picked the best waves.

“He was probably in my mind the most technical. We had four world class athletes, any one of them could’ve won,” Wells said.

Ty Judson, also from New South Wales, came in second, with Queenslander Jonathan Hagan third.

Surfing events wrap up tomorrow at Surfies Point.

Keep up to date with results and information at the Australian SUP Titles website.

The 2022 Australian SUP Titles are supported by the Victorian Government.