Eric Terrien is the only guy on this list who possibly needs an introduction. Not because he doesn’t deserve his spot near the top (he certainly does), but simply because the world of Stand Up Paddle racing has always been fixated on California, Hawaii and Australia.
The Frenchman hasn’t come out of nowhere though; he quietly achieved Top 10 finishes at both Battle of the Paddle races in 2011. But it’s been in the first half of 2012 that Terrien has stepped his paddling up another gear entirely.
Despite a SUP racing scene that’s absolutely exploding, Eric Terrien is still unrivalled in Europe. The guy has won pretty much every major race on the continent this year, and along the way racked up possibly the most prize money of any paddler in the world.
Eric Terrien @ the SUP Race Cup, France // photo © Michel Terrien
Terrien also showed he can match it with the best of the best by taking Bronze at the ISA Long Distance race in Peru (not far behind Jamie and Travis).
The Battle of the Paddle in September will be a big test to see where Terrien fits in among the world’s elite, though considering his results so far this year I’m confident we’ll be seeing him again in the Top 12 of 2012 come December…
Boards: BIC Sport // Paddles: Select
Eric Terrien’s major race results in 2012
1st: SUP Race Cup Beach Race, France
1st: SUP Race Cup Long Distance, France
1st: Massilia SUP Race Beach Race, France
1st: Massilia UP Race Long Distance, France
1st: Stand Up World Series La Torche Sprints, France
1st: Stand Up World Series La Torche Long Distance, France
1st: XTRM 25k Open Ocean Race, Spain
1st: Happy Summer SUP Race Namur, Belgium
1st: King Of The Olympic Canal, Spain
2nd: Lost Mills International, Germany
3rd: ISA World Championship Long Distance