This page is a summary of our most recent posts about Michael Booth

The Paddle League World Tour: Michael Booth Earns Redemption in Carolina

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

In brief: Michael Booth has survived a nail-biting finish to win the 2018 Quiksilver Waterman Carolina Cup, outlasting fast finishes from Travis Grant and Mo Freitas after two hours of epic racing around Wrightsville Beach this afternoon.

Boothy powered home in the final three miles – which turned into a full downwind leg this year – to claim “The biggest win of my career so far” and redeem himself for a poor performance here 12 months ago as well as a very frustrating runner-up finish in Tahiti two weeks ago.

The win sends Boothy to the top of The Paddle League World Rankings and cements him as one of the clear favourites for this year’s world title.

The front pack of 18 guys stuck together for the first 10 miles of the race, with the pace fairly calm and mellow in the flat water back straights, however the field scattered in the final open ocean leg. Only Travis and Mo along with Titouan Puyo could match Boothy’s pace, however despite throwing everything at the Aussie powerhouse in the final minute, Trav and Mo had to settle for second and third respectively just a few seconds behind the winner.

More to come…

Air France: Marcus Hansen Produces Stunning Comeback to Defeat Michael Booth and the Tahitian Warriors at First Stop of The Paddle League World Tour

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Marcus Hansen has announced himself as a genuine contender on the international stage, producing a stunning comeback for Team NSP to overpower Starboard’s Michael Booth and defeat a big field of Tahitian Warriors at the Air France Paddle Festival.

As the first stop on The Paddle League World Tour, the 5th Annual Air France race drew a strong international crowd to compete against the Tahitians, and the battle royale didn’t disappoint. With weather that can only be described as too good, paddlers were met with mercilessly-hot blue skies, light winds and high humidity for a challenge that tested both physical and mental limits.

But in the end it was Marcus who conquered the torture chamber, saluting in an event that produced several rollercoaster stories.    → READ MORE

Michael Booth Outlasts Titouan Puyo, Yuka Sato Stuns Aussie Women to Claim the Pre-Season Paddle League Points at the 230-Strong 12 Towers Ocean Race

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Michael Booth and Yuka Sato picked up a bag full of pre-season Paddle League points on the Gold Coast this weekend, with the Starboard duo overcoming a hot field and even hotter conditions to salute at the 7th Annual 12 Towers Ocean Race.

Boothy overpowered world number two Titouan Puyo (NSP/QB) and fast-finishing Lincoln dews (DEEP/QB), while Yuka stunned the strong Aussie women led by dark horse Kate Baker (ONE) and international star Terrene Black (ECS/QB).   → READ MORE

Drag Race: Starboard Inflatable vs Carbon (the result might surprise you)

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

[fbvideo link=”https://www.facebook.com/supracerr/videos/10155943386650761/” width=”645″ height=”363″ onlyvideo=”1″]

Watch Michael Booth and Bruno Hasulyo test out the latest Starboard inflatable against a regular carbon design at the company’s HQ in Thailand. The results might surprise you…

Starboard has been working on its new “Airline” tech that aims to bring inflatable race boards more in line to the performance of traditional carbon creations, and judging by this video they’re getting mighty close to parity.

The ‘Top 17 of 2017’ – These guys were the best paddlers in the world this year.

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Gorge Paddle Challenge
SUP Racer quietly celebrated its 6th birthday a couple of weeks ago (time flies), and if one thing has defined this site over the past half a dozen years it’s the world analysis.

I love analysing this sport. It all began with one of the earliest posts on the site: The Top 11 of 2011. That story got a lot of attention and helped kickstart SUP Racer as we know it, and from there it followed with year-end “best of” lists in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

And now it’s time for the Top 17 of 2017…   → READ MORE

The Incredible Stats Behind Team Starboard’s Mammoth ‘Battle of the Brands’ Victory

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Team Starboard's Sonni Honscheid, Olivia Piana and Fiona Wylde
Led by perennial world number one Connor Baxter, and with exceptional support from vice-captain Fiona Wylde and deputies Michael Booth and Olivia Piana, Team Starboard absolutely blizted our VMG Battle of the Brands leaderboard this season.

That Starboard won a fourth-straight Battle of the Brands title is no real surprise. Anyone that follows our sport with more than half an eye could tell you how dominant the blue boards are. But this wasn’t just a victory, it was a massacre.   → READ MORE

Michael Booth and Three of His Mates Just Paddled 226km for Charity

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Paddle 4 Ocean Heroes

While most paddlers are taking a well-earned break now the season is finally over, not Michael Booth. The Aussie powerhouse has just completed a five-day, 226km (140 mile) paddle along the coast of Western Australia with a few mates. And all in the name of charity.

The Starboard dream team rider and current EuroTour and Australian marathon champion completed the journey from Dunsborough to Fremantle in about 28 hours. He was paddling alongside mates Luke Hallam, Cam McKay and Alex Fossilo, with the group raising money for the Ocean Heroes charity.   → READ MORE

King of the Cut Race Highlights

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Highlights from the big ‘King of the Cut’ downwind showdown in West Oz on the weekend, where Jake Jensen and Angie Jackson made it a clean sweep for Team ONE.   → READ MORE

James Casey Outlasts Jake Jensen and Michael Booth to Win ‘The Doctor’ in Windy West Oz

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

The-Doctor-ocean-raceJames “Jimmy” Casey has shown once again why he’s considered a world-class open ocean paddler, taking out ‘The Doctor’ race in Western Australia in record time today ahead of Jake Jensen and Michael Booth.

Jimmy’s victory adds to his impressive run of results in Hawaii earlier this season, where he scored victories at OluKai and Maliko plus a podium finish at M2M. The Sunova team rider didn’t have it all his own way today though — he hit the beach just a minute clear of Jake, while Michael Booth was close all day to finish just another two minutes adrift.

All three of the boys finished under the magic two hour barrier.   → READ MORE

Aussie Titles: Boothy, Lincoln, Angie and Karla Earn Victories (and an Invite to the 2018 Worlds)

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Australian SUP Titles Gold Coast 2017In brief: Lincoln Dews has taken out the second race of the Aussie Titles on the Gold Coast today, winning the beach race ahead of James Casey and yesterday’s marathon champ Michael Booth to secure a spot on Team Australia for the fifth time in six years.

It was pretty close between the top three guys all the way, but Linc showed why his runner-up finish at the PPGs beach race was no fluke to add another national title to his collection. Yesterday’s runner-up, Matt Nottage, was kept down in fifth after the unheralded Ty Judson snuck onto the top four podium with a determined effort.   → READ MORE

“It Was F#$%ing Nuts!!” Casper Steinfath Goes Full Viking Mode to Win the Crazy ‘Red Bull Heavy Water’ Race in San Francisco

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Red Bull Heavy Water

“It was f#$%ing nuts! I’ve never felt so alive and focused in my life…”

That’s how Casper Steinfath described today’s epic Red Bull Heavy Water race to me shortly after he triumphantly crossed the line in San Francisco Bay, with the Danish Viking surviving massive surf at Ocean Beach to claim victory in what is surely the craziest SUP race ever witnessed.

Casper picked up a record $20,000 prize money after beating home a small but all-star field of paddlers, many of whom didn’t even finish after the event lived up to its name and delivered arguably the biggest waves ever seen in a SUP race.    → READ MORE

Michael Booth and Yuka Sato Win The Japan Cup; Matt Nottage and Kenny Kaneko Pick Up Podium Spots

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

The Japan CupIn brief: Michael Booth has defended his Japan Cup title on the black sands of Chigasaki this weekend, overpowering a small but elite field of internationals that raced alongside hundreds of weekend warriors in one of Japan’s biggest paddle events.

Boothy was too good for compatriot and PPGs podium-getter Matt Nottage, who continued his meteoric rise over the past few months with a solid runner-up finish to give Starboard yet another 1-2 result. Local hero Kenny Kaneko rounded out the men’s podium for Team JP after the results were mirrored in both the 18km marathon and knockout Survivor race.    → READ MORE

Battle of the Bay: Annabel Anderson, Connor Baxter Victorious in Iconic San Francisco

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Battle of the Bay
Annabel Anderson and Connor Baxter have highlighted their respective world number one statuses here at today’s 7th Annual Battle of the Bay in San Francisco, claiming this morning’s race around iconic landmarks Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge before backing up with victories in this afternoon’s beach race.

Here are the overall results. Check back in the morning for a full recap and some stellar photos of the scenic course…   → READ MORE

Next Stop… Hong Kong for the 3rd Annual ‘Hong Kong International’

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Hong Kong International Stand Up Paddleboard SUP Championship 14We’re still coming down from the high of the Gorge but there’s no time to rest: we’re already moving on to the next race on the international calendar.

One of the (many) things I love about the SUP racing world is just how far and wide the community has spread, and I’m always up for an adventure to some place new. So I jumped at the chance to be part of this weekend’s 3rd Annual Hong Kong International SUP race.   → READ MORE

Michael Booth’s Big Summer in Europe: Aussie Star Overpowers World’s Best to Claim the ‘EuroTour’ Crown

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Michael Booth

As a mix of light rain and sporadic sunshine drifted in across the Baltic Sea and onto the sands Scharbeutz, Germany late Sunday morning, Australia’s Michael Booth could be seen doing what he does best: paddling away from a group of other world-class paddlers to record yet another win on the European Summer of SUP, aka the EuroTour.

With his victory at Scharbeutz on the weekend, Boothy added an exclamation point to an incredible European campaign that saw him win almost every major race en route to claiming the overall EuroTour champion’s title. Along the way, he defeated the likes of Connor Baxter, Titouan Puyo and a dozen or so more of the world’s best in addition to virtually all of Europe’s finest. And he did it in style.   → READ MORE

Michael Booth and Olivia Piana Win Week 8 of the EuroTour at the SUP World Cup in Germany (UPDATED)

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Michael-BoothIn brief: Michael Booth and Olivia Piana have put an exclamation point on their European summers of SUP, with the Starboard duo taking out week 9 of the EuroTour here at the SUP World Cup in Scharbeutz, Germany.

Boothy won the 10k distance race here on Sunday morning in impressive style, while Olivia fought all the way with her team mate Sonni Honscheid before pulling clear in the final few hundred metres.   → READ MORE

Boothy Overpowers Connor, Bruno and Titou to Punctuate His EuroTour Dominance; Olivia Piana Goes Back-to-Back

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Michael Booth stand up paddling
In brief: Michael Booth has firmly cemented his reputation as the strongest paddler on the planet, with the Aussie powerhouse taking out the showdown in San Sebastian this afternoon to make it four wins in the past five weeks and cement his spot on top of the 2017 EuroTour Leaderboard

In a race that had a bit of everything – flat water, open ocean, waves, downwind bumps – and which was described by most finishers as the funnest contest of the year, Boothy outlasted Connor Baxter and Bruno Hasulyo to salute for the third week in a row, while defending champ and early race leader Titouan Puyo fought hard in the second half after getting unlucky in the waves to eventually finish just off the podium but just ahead of Trevor Tunnington.   → READ MORE

Michael Booth, Olivia Piana Win Week 6 of the EuroTour in Bilbao

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

BilbaoMichael Booth has taken a virtually unassailable lead in the race for the 2017 EuroTour championship title, with the Aussie powerhouse claiming his second straight win at the Bilbao Paddle Challenge as key rivals Connor Baxter and Titouan Puyo faultered.

After a hectic start in front of Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum, where several of the main contenders were boxed out by a deep field of European dark horses, Boothy soon moved to the front and controlled much of the 14km course up and down the central city river.    → READ MORE

Thonon: Michael Booth, Sonni Honscheid Claim the Crossing from Switzerland to France (Full Results)

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

EuroTour

In brief: Michael Booth has cemented his reputation as the strongest stand up paddler on the planet, taking out week 5 of the EuroTour in impressive fashion after breaking an elite field that included Connor Baxter, Titouan Puyo, Georges Cronsteadt, Mo Freitas and many more of the world’s best.

After the opening stages of the race were marked by the presence of rival draft trains spread out in parallel, the contest soon settled down into a more traditional draft train, with the front pack at one point turning into an unsustainable 21-man convoy.

Boothy broke the field relatively early today – at about the 4km mark of the 18km crossing between Switzerland and France – and would never be caught, slowly extending his lead all the way back to the finish line in the host town of Thonon-les-Bains.   → READ MORE