Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the Californian aerospace and surf culture. Windsurfing gained a popular following across Europe and North America by the late 1970s and had achieved significant global popularity by the 1980s. Windsurfing became an Olympic sport in 1984.
Gal Fridman is an Israeli windsurfer and Israel's first Olympic gold medalist. Fridman won a Bronze Medal in the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics, and his gold medal in the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics. He is the first of two Israelis athlete to win two Olympic Medals, and the first Olympic Gold medalist in Israeli history. His first name, Gal, means "wave" in Hebrew.
The International Canoe Federation (ICF) is the umbrella organization of all national canoe organizations worldwide. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and administers all aspects of canoe sport worldwide. 157 countries are affiliated with the ICF after seven national federations were added at the 2008 ICF Congress in Rome.
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is the world governing authority for surfing, SUP racing, SUP surfing, para surfing, bodyboarding and all other wave riding activities. The ISA is recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
Robert Staunton Naish is an American athlete and entrepreneur who has won 24 World Championship Windsurfing titles. He is also considered a pioneer of kiteboarding and standup paddleboarding.
The Italian Figure Skating Championships are a competition held annually to determine the national champions of Italy. Medals may be awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, ice dancing, and synchronized skating.
Standup paddleboarding (SUP) is a water sport born from surfing with modern roots in Hawaii. Standup paddleboarders stand on boards that are floating on the water and use a paddle to propel themselves through the water. The sport was documented in a 2013 report that identified it as the outdoor sporting activity with the most first-time participants in the United States that year. Variations include flat water paddling, racing, surfing, whitewater SUP, yoga, and fishing.
The Italian Athletics Championships are the national championships in athletics, organised every year by the Federazione Italiana di Atletica Leggera.
Roray Kam is a surfer, a multiple-time winner of longboard surfing competitions and an early participant in stand up paddle boarding in South Florida. He is a surfing coach and the founder of RK Ocean Gear, and in 2013 resides in Fort Lauderdale, FL and works for the Broward County Sherriff's Office. Kam has hosted a number of Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) events and races.
Anna Bongiorni is an Italian sprinter, whose most prestigious achievement at the international individual senior level is the bronze medal at the Universiade. Bongiorni is a two-time national champion at senior individual level. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in 100 m.
Paola Paternoster was an Italian athlete. She competed in the discus throw at the 1956 and 1960 Summer Olympics and in the javelin throw in 1956, and placed 11th–20th.
The Italian Cross Country Championships is an annual cross country running competition that serves as Italy's national championship for the sport. It is usually held in February or March. It was first held in 1908 and featured a men's long course race only. A women's race was added to the programme in 1926.
Lena Aylin Erdil is a professional windsurfer from İzmir, Turkey. She is competing in the PWA World Tour mostly in the slalom event. She is currently sponsored by NRV, Starboard Windsurfing, Point7, Salzbrenner Würstchen and FGH.
Francesco Fortunato is an Italian male racewalker, which participated at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics. He competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in 20 km walk.
Elisa Molinarolo is an Italian female pole vaulter, that won two national championships She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in pole vault.
Silvia Rampazzo is an Italian female long-distance runner and mountain runner who won the gold medal at individual senior level at the 2017 World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships.
The 2022 ISA World Surfing Games took place in Huntington Beach, California, from September 16 to 24, 2022. The event was organized by the International Surfing Association (ISA), and it was the first time it had been held in "Surf City, USA" since 2006.
The ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship is the premier SUP/Paddleboard championship organised by the International Surfing Association. The competition has been held since 2012 and has taken place roughly annually since. There is a similar world championship in this discipline organized by the International Canoe Federation called the ICF Stand Up Paddling World Championships, which originated a litigation from ISA to the ICF. The arbitration was eventually ruled in favor of allowing to keep both championships by CAS, but giving ISA the international recognition of the sport in case of an entry at the Olympic Games.
The 2022 ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship took place in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from October 28 to November 6, 2022. The event was the 2022 world championships in standup paddleboarding (SUP) and paddleboarding, and was organized by the International Surfing Association (ISA).
Connor Baxter is an American standup paddleboarder. Between 2015 and 2022, he was the recipient of one gold medal, five silver medals, and two bronze medals in the long distance, technical, and sprint races at the ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship. At the ICF Stand Up Paddling World Championships, he has won two silver medals and one gold medal (2022) in the technical race, and a further two gold medals and one silver (2021) in the sprint race. At the 2019 Pan American Games, he won a gold medal in standup paddleboarding race. At the 2022 ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship, he won a gold medal in the sprint race. He has also served as a brand ambassador for the sportswear brand Dakine.
