APP Crowns SUP Surfing 2024 World Champions

GRAN CANARIA, Spain - After several years of finishing just short, the Argentinian talent Lucia Cosoleto finally secures her maiden World Title on the APP World Tour with a dominant performance in the woman on woman final. Her road to the final was certainly not simple, but she remained consistently dominant throughout the day taking down Camille Dubrana in the quarterfinals, followed by the 2022 World Champion and last year's runner up Kaede Inoue from Japan, to come up against the young phenom Sakura Inoue in the Final.

Luchy was able to maintain her composure to overcome the young talent with another strong performance, securing a 13.50 heat score total in more challenging conditions that we have seen during past editions of this spectacular event. Sakura was a worthy runner up however, taking down the Brazilian favorite Aline Adisaka in the quarterfinals, followed by the reigning Champion Iballa Moreno from right here in Gran Canaria to take on Luchy in the Finals.

A big congratulations to all our competitors and our newly crowned World Champion, Luchy Cosoleto from Argentina. 

Taka Inoue overcomes a star studded field of athletes to take victory and secure the World Championship Crown. | Photo: APP World Tour

There were a number of favorites coming into Finals Day, from defending Champion Luiz Diniz, 2022 World Champion Benoit Carpentier and 2019 event Champion Wellington Reis, not to mention the in form surfers of the event, Sebastian Gomez and Max Torres. And while Taka finished second in 2024, he still remained somewhat of a dark horse coming into this climactic final day of action. He first had to get past Max Torres from Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals, who was doing some of the most high performance surfing of the event, and in a fiercely fought battle, it was Taka who was just able to get the edge over Max through a combination of smart wave selection and a string of dynamic, well linked turns.

It was Sebastian Gomez from Peru next, who posted the single highest score of the event and was clearly one of the favorites coming into finals day. But again, Taka was able to just get the edge, finding the right waves that provided maximum scoring potential enabling him to secure victory in another tight battle. The final hurdle between Taka and a World Title was the defending Champ Luiz Diniz from Brazil, who had faced similarly tight battles on his road to the Final, having to overcome fellow compatriot Wellington Reis in an incredibly tight battle and the ever impressive Benoit Carpentier from France.

With a dropping swell and rising tide, Taka was able to find the best waves of the heat and once again maximize the scoring potential of each of them with his unique style and flair. Meanwhile Luiz Diniz was left searching for the waves he needed to be able to showcase his incredible brand of surfing, and had to settle for 2nd place: a consummate professional as always and a real Champion.

So it was Taka's day as he navigated the El Lloret line up to perfection to secure his maiden World Championship Crown in performance SUP Surfing: an incredibly worthy Champion and another clear statement to the world that Japan is a major force in the world of stand up paddling for both Surfing and Racing, and the Inoue family is like no other. With a first, a second and a third between the 3 siblings, there is no doubt that they have established themselves as major players in the sport.

Make sure to check out the highlights from this epic close to the performance SUP Surfing in the video below. In the meantime, stay tuned for all the action from the Longboard SUP division and for the conclusion of the U21 divisions for both boys and girls still to come here at the Gran Canaria Pro-Am, with the next call at 8am Friday morning at La Cicer.

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