Nearly 300 paddleboard and kayak enthusiasts from all over the country gathered in Pingtan to ride the wind and waves. In the end, 12 individual champions and 1 group champion were decided.

"3, 2, 1, let's go!" In the morning, at the Longwangtou Beach, following the referee's order, the athletes of the long-distance race lined up on the sea under the scorching sun, and at the same time drove out of the starting point, facing the wind and waves, chasing each other.

After a day of fierce competition, Jiang Lei, a player in the men's paddleboard long-distance race (elite group), became the first person to cross the line and won the championship in this category, and also won the afternoon men's paddleboard SLS beach race (Elite Group) championship; Liang Lisi a female athlete from Macau, also won double championships in the women's kayak long-distance race and the women's kayak SLS beach race; Player Lv Weiwu took the lead with an absolute advantage, winning the Men's Kayak long-distance (Elite Group); TRANS-E Team won the team rescue championship.

"Today's temperature is relatively high, and the test for the athletes is also very big. This is the hardest one of all the sea rowing competitions I have participated in, and it is also the most memorable one." Men's Paddleboard Long Course (Elite Group) ) champion Jiang Lei said that he also enjoyed the beautiful beach and sea view of Pingtan during the competition, and the overall feeling was very good.

It is understood that this competition is the third event of the 2022 China Pingtan Beach Games, with two categories: single and team competitions.

The single race consists of 12 categories including men's and women's long-distance paddleboard races, men's and women's long-distance kayak races, men's and women's paddleboard SLS beach races, and men's and women's kayak SLS beach races. There is a team rescue game in the team competition.

According to the competition rules, the paddleboard and kayak long-distance races have to complete 8 kilometers and 12 kilometers of long-distance rowing at sea respectively, which is a double test for the endurance and explosiveness of the participating athletes. The SLS Beach Race requires the contestants to detour the corresponding buoys on the sea surface for a short distance according to the regulations, which further challenges the contestants' control of the boat. Each team in the team rescue competition consists of 6 athletes, including 4 paddlers and 2 people to be rescued. The athletes are required to cooperate tacitly and row to the designated location to rescue their companions.

This competition not only won the favor of many water sports enthusiasts, but also made more brand competition parties pay attention to the potential of Pingtan to develop water sports.

Gao Yang, deputy general manager of Xiamen Sports Industry Group, said that Pingtan is now building a "vibrant island" through sports events, so there is still a lot of room for development in water sports in the future. "We are also considering introducing some novel marine projects such as power paddle boards and wake surfing, so as to jointly develop the water sports in Pingtan." Gao Yang said.

Macau family: Live up to the beauty, live up to the hobby

As a relatively minority water sport, canoeing attracts enthusiasts from all over the country to go and sign up for each event.

Before the competition, the reporter met three special athletes - the Shen Zhaoxing family from Macau. The couple met, knew each other, and started a family because of kayaking. They have persisted in this hobby for more than 20 years. Now they bring their daughter to Pingtan to participate in the competition. "I've only seen Pingtan on TV before, but I didn't expect the beach here to be so big and beautiful," said mother Liang Lisi.

Daughter Shen Cheng has been learning kayaking with her parents since she was 6 years old. She is young and has a lot of experience. Although she is 17 years old this year, she is the youngest player in the field, but she has already experienced several large-scale competitions. This time, Shen Cheng participated in the women's long-distance kayak race with her mother. She was excited and nervous when she first came to Pingtan, so she went to the sea to try out the row one day earlier to adjust her state. "Mom said that if we cross the line at the same time, she will let me win." Shen Cheng smiled.