Alba Alonso Frey crowned European SUP League champion

Fuerteventura athlete Alba Alonso Frey was crowned European SUP League 2026 champion in Sesimbra, Portugal, this weekend. The league is endorsed by the European surfing federation. Alonso Frey secured the title through outstanding consistency across the discipline’s three events — Technical Race, Sprint and Long Distance — at the five international circuit stops she entered.

The official European SUP League calendar featured six scoring events in five countries. Alonso Frey competed in five of them, missing only the Italian stop in Taranto, and dominated particularly in the Technical Race, where she recorded a perfect five wins from five appearances (Santa Pola, Zurich, Rybnik, Isla Cristina and Sesimbra).

Alongside her unbeaten record in the technical events, Frey claimed two wins and a second place in Sprint, as well as three second places in Long Distance. Her versatility proved decisive under the European league’s scoring system, which weights the Technical Race at 40%, Sprint at 30% and Long Distance at 30%, and is designed to reward the most complete athlete.

From Santa Pola to Sesimbra: the road to the title

The European season began in April at the World SUP Festival in Santa Pola, Alicante, where the Canary Islands athlete won the Technical Race and finished second in Long Distance. In June, after the circuit’s stop in Italy, she returned to competition at The Big Paddle Festival in Zurich, Switzerland, winning the technical event again and taking second place in Long Distance.

Just a week later, at the ODRA SUP Cup in Rybnik, Poland, she enjoyed a perfect weekend, winning both the Technical Race and Sprint.

After the summer break, the European SUP League entered its final stretch in September with two consecutive events. At the Isla Cristina SUP Race in Huelva, Alonso Frey won the Technical Race again and added a second place in the 200-metre Sprint. Finally, from 11 to 13 September, Sesimbra, Portugal, hosted the circuit’s grand final. Alba sealed the championship with wins in the Technical Race and Sprint, plus a second place in Long Distance, mathematically securing the European title.

Alba Alonso: “My goal was to be a complete athlete, and I think this title reflects exactly that”

“This title means a lot because of the consistency I’ve managed to maintain throughout the season,” says Alba Alonso Frey. “I’m very happy to have been able to finish the league this way. More than any one result, I’ll remember the consistency. We competed in very different conditions, in five countries and across all three events, and I always managed to stay in contention for the top places.”

“Winning all five technical races I entered makes me especially happy, but so does getting good results in both Sprint and Long Distance. The goal was to be a complete athlete, and I think this title reflects exactly that,” adds the Fuerteventura athlete.

Alonso Frey also highlighted the work of those around her: “Behind these results are countless hours of training, travel and difficult moments. Winning a league depends on maintaining your level for many months, which is why this title means so much to me. I’m very grateful to my team, my coach, my family and, of course, my sponsors; without their support, competing in an international calendar like this would be impossible.”

Looking ahead to the European and World Championships

The continental title caps a brilliant 2026 season for Alonso Frey, who in May achieved a historic treble at the Spanish SUP Race Championships, becoming national champion in Long Distance, Technical Race and Sprint.

With the European SUP League title secured, she now faces the final part of the year with two major commitments representing the Spanish national team. First, she will compete at the European National Teams Championship (EUROSUP), to be held in Melilla from 2 to 9 October, before heading to the ICF Stand Up Paddle World Championships in Sabaudia, Italy, from 14 to 18 October. The event is organised by the International Canoe Federation.

“Now it’s time to recover after these weeks of competition and focus fully on the European and World Championships. I’m looking forward to them and feel reassured knowing I’ve already had a very solid year,” Frey concludes.

The Fuerteventura athlete is undertaking her international Stand Up Paddle season with the support of the Puerto del Rosario Town Council’s Tourism Department, Toyota Fuerteventura, H2 Go Rent and international board brand Starboard.