THE LARGEST SAILING RACE IN THE WORLD
Trieste, 2 - 11 October 2026
Trieste, 2 - 11 October 2026
Barcolana - News03.10.26
Over 200 paddlers entered in the Barcolana Grado Sup Experience
More than 200 entries and 138 paddlers crossing the finish line: the fourth edition of the Barcolana Grado SUP Experience was held today in ideal weather conditions.
The easing Bora accompanied the paddlers through the first section of the course, shared by both the competitive and amateur fleets, allowing them to make fast progress towards the entrance to the Mandracchio channel. From there, the two groups split: the amateur paddlers headed directly for the finish to complete the 4-kilometre course, while the competitive fleet tackled the 7-kilometre course, which included a lap around the island of Schiusa.
In the competitive race, Hungary’s Gabor Kovacs, a keen paddler from Lake Balaton, took the win, followed by Daniele Cani and Slovenia’s Bojan Bernard. In the women’s fleet, Slovenia’s Natalija Fon claimed victory ahead of Croatia’s Natasa Cesar and Antonija Frkovic.
The amateur race featured a family battle, with Giacomo Feltrin taking victory ahead of his father Mauro Feltrin, winner of the first three editions of the Barcolana Grado SUP Experience. Ezio Ferin finished third. In the women’s standings, Hungary’s Nikolett Ferenczi took the win, followed by Croatia’s Gaia Tomazic and Eleonora De Marchi.
Full results by category are available on the Barcolana website.
“Well done to everyone,” said Mitja Gialuz, President of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano. “It was a challenging and enjoyable race, first with some waves and then, once inside the channel, with a headwind. The Barcolana Grado SUP Experience continues to grow with every edition, and seeing more and more people choosing to take part and experience Barcolana on the water is extremely rewarding. Thank you all for joining us for this fourth edition, and long live Barcolana Grado!”
The prizes were presented by Dean Bassi, Vice President of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano. Val Lubiana, the top Under-14 finisher in the amateur race, received a SUP board offered as a prize by the Camera di Commercio Venezia Giulia Trieste Gorizia.
The prize-giving ceremony and traditional pasta party at the Antiche Terme brought the day in Grado to a close.
The easing Bora accompanied the paddlers through the first section of the course, shared by both the competitive and amateur fleets, allowing them to make fast progress towards the entrance to the Mandracchio channel. From there, the two groups split: the amateur paddlers headed directly for the finish to complete the 4-kilometre course, while the competitive fleet tackled the 7-kilometre course, which included a lap around the island of Schiusa.
In the competitive race, Hungary’s Gabor Kovacs, a keen paddler from Lake Balaton, took the win, followed by Daniele Cani and Slovenia’s Bojan Bernard. In the women’s fleet, Slovenia’s Natalija Fon claimed victory ahead of Croatia’s Natasa Cesar and Antonija Frkovic.
The amateur race featured a family battle, with Giacomo Feltrin taking victory ahead of his father Mauro Feltrin, winner of the first three editions of the Barcolana Grado SUP Experience. Ezio Ferin finished third. In the women’s standings, Hungary’s Nikolett Ferenczi took the win, followed by Croatia’s Gaia Tomazic and Eleonora De Marchi.
Full results by category are available on the Barcolana website.
“Well done to everyone,” said Mitja Gialuz, President of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano. “It was a challenging and enjoyable race, first with some waves and then, once inside the channel, with a headwind. The Barcolana Grado SUP Experience continues to grow with every edition, and seeing more and more people choosing to take part and experience Barcolana on the water is extremely rewarding. Thank you all for joining us for this fourth edition, and long live Barcolana Grado!”
The prizes were presented by Dean Bassi, Vice President of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano. Val Lubiana, the top Under-14 finisher in the amateur race, received a SUP board offered as a prize by the Camera di Commercio Venezia Giulia Trieste Gorizia.
The prize-giving ceremony and traditional pasta party at the Antiche Terme brought the day in Grado to a close.
