by In Trieste
All photographs courtesy of Caterina Stenta
If she’s not gliding through the waves of the Adriatic, she’s up in the Dolomites conquering the mountains and the snow. Caterina Stenta, a world champion in Stand Up Paddling and Windsurfing , tells us the story of becoming the star of the sea.
How did you become passionate about the world of windsurfing?
I started windsurfing at the age of 7 thanks to my windsurf loving family but I didn’t start racing internationally until 2014. In 2019 I came in 6th in the PWA Wave World Tour.
What about Stand Up Paddling?
I became enamored with SUP fairly recently- in 2016 and instantly I started taking part in the international competitions. In 2018 I became the Italian champion and got a silver medal (in 2018) and a bronze one (in 2019) in the world championships in China, and later in El Salvador.
Fantastic!
I picked up SUP by chance, as it often happens. My former sponsor was producing both windsurfing and SUP boards and during a photoshoot session I tested one, for a joke sort of. I instantly fell in love with the sport because it enabled me to stay in the water whatever the weather, not only when the wind and waves were constant. I started practicing Stand Up Paddling parallel to windsurfing and within months I was taking part in competitions and eventually winning.
What are SUP races like?
They are speed races, ranging from long distance (10 to 20 km) to short, sprint distances of 200 m. It’s an endurance sport with a mixture of technique and balance. For those who love resistance competitions it’s a wonderful exercise as it lets you sweat in the middle of the sea.
How are you dealing with this forced off season? Are you still training?
Since the beginning of the first lockdown I came back to my hometown, Trieste, and have been here ever since. I am training here with short breaks in the mountains where I practice trail running. Right now I’m training in Sappada near the Dolomites.
Wonderful!
I never stopped training during the lockdown. At first I would work out at home and when we were allowed I started to go out running. Eventually I went back to SUP training. Even though there were a lot less competitions in 2020, I used this period to train better and with more diligence. I joined the Canoe club in Trieste called Il Circolo Marina Mercantile (CMM) and I started running regularly. Eventually, I joined Trieste Atletica team and hope to be able to combine both for the race season of 2021.
What are your goals for 2021?
Sup season is about to start in a couple of months. May is the first month of races which will end at the beginning of fall. There will be some important races, like the
Eurotour, Sup World Championshops ( mondiali di SUP) in Hungary in June and the APP World Tour.
Tons of competitions!
Yes. There will probably be less races than in the previous years but I hope to be able to take part in all of the scheduled ones. Plus, the Italian championships will restart and I need to defend the title I’ve held for the past three years.
We wish you the best of luck!
Thank you! And as for running, I will try to take part in the Golden Trail Series Italiano and some other races in the Dolomites. We’ll see how it goes, meanwhile I keep my training and hopes up.
