The 10th Anniversary of the 12 Towers Kicks off the 2021 SUP Season in Style

After a frustrating ‘leap year’ for global sport, the landmark 12 Towers event was a welcomed return to Stand Up Paddle competition and the perfect way to kick off the 2021 season.

The Aussies certainly turned on the weather and conditions for the two days of competition, making it the ultimate proving ground for the athletes to battle it out for the 12 Towers title and the 4 sought-after spots on the APP World Tour. The top two men and women who have not already qualified for the Tour will gain an automatic spot for each stop, so it was high stakes at this may matchup.

Photo by Georgia Schofield

Saturday's technical surf race saw waves, tight buoy turns and a little bit of carnage that created problems even for the world’s best. APP veterans dominated the podium with Terrene Black and James Casey coming up victorious with Keale Dorris and Michael Booth close behind.

Check out the highlights:

Sunday's ocean race saw the girls paddle a tight race with only a couple of waves separating Terrene Black from Angie Jackson and Karla Gilbert. Another win for Black meant the 10th edition of the 12 Towers was a clean-sweep, commemorating her victory at the 1st ever edition of the event.

After a weekend-long jostle between James Casey and Michael Booth, Boothy edged out Casey on the distance race in a stellar performance, tying the two men in their overall scores. Lincoln Dews joined them on the podium, making it an all-star affair.

Photo by Georgia Schofield

Overall Results and APP World Tour Qualifiers

The APP World Tour combined the results from both the surf and the distance race to establish the two men and women who would qualify for the Tour.

Men

1st James Casey - 12 Towers Qualified

1st Michael Booth - Pre-qualified

3rd Lincoln Dews - Pre-qualified

4th Nathan Cross - 12 Towers Qualified

5th Jackson Cosgrove

6th Kaelan Lockhart

7th Sam McCullough

Women

1st Terrene Black - 12 Towers Qualified

2nd Keale Dorris - 12 Towers Qualified

3rd Chloe Walkerdene

4th Savannah Fitzsimmons

5th Amy Blakemore

Photo by Georgia Schofield

With Michael Booth and Lincoln Dews already pre-qualified, it is James Casey and Nathan Cross who have secured themselves the coveted two spots on the APP World Tour for the Men for 2021. On the women's side of things, it is Ex--APP World Champ, Terrene Black, alongside Keale Dorris, who will be joining us once again for the 2021 season.

Although he did not qualify directly, Sam McCullough has been awarded a wildcard as the top youth and clearly a bright talent for the future. The rest of the paddlers who made the top 5 and have not qualified will go onto the list for wildcard consideration, so there is still time yet!

The 12 Towers proved to be an incredible start to what will be an incredible season and the APP World Tour is excited to welcome familiar and new faces alike into the race for the 2021 world title.

Visit @appworldtour and APP World Tour for news on tour dates, registration and other regional qualifiers.