Paolo Marconi grew up in Piombino, a small town on the coastline of Tuscany. Paolo lived an idyllic childhood, spending every day at his local beach sailing, setting the foundations for a future ocean athlete. When Paolo was 12, he began windsurfing which soon turned competitive as he made the Olympic team for the slalom discipline up until he was 19.

Paolo tried SUP for the first time in 2009 and began competing in the same year and has not stopped since. His most notable achievement is his 4th place ranking at the SUP 11-City Tour in 2019. As well as travelling the world competing on the APP World Tour, Paolo has returned home to Pimobino to run a SUP school alongside Spanish paddler Susak Molinero, creating a dream team to teach the next generation of SUPers.