Booth Takes Out Agios Nikolaos, firing up for a big European Summer

By Lauren Barley

For Michael Booth there was no better way to start his European Tour than taking out the win last weekend in the Agios Nikolaos race held in Crete, Greece. 

Booth returned to Europe Tuesday prior to the race to attempt to combat jet lag after 27 hours of travel, as well as familiarise himself with the conditions and adjust to the climate change, giving himself the best opportunity to prepare for the race that laid ahead. 

“I had a good amount of rest in Perth after Carolina, so I was feeling fresh and really fired up heading over to begin my Euro Tour”, said Booth. 

Michael paddled various sections of the course before the race, which he believes gave him confidence and helped him take out the win. 

“The race itself was great, super exciting, mixing up lots of different elements and race techniques. The course presented us with plenty of changing conditions which made it interesting”. 

Whilst Booth explained his race wasn’t 100% perfect with a few little hiccups along the way, he was pleased with his performance overall and stoked to start off his European tour with a win.

“Whilst at some stages, competitors were quite close, I used the swell and the small chops to my advantage and was able to break away and power home to the finish line strongly”. 

Crossing the finishing line almost two minutes in front of the pack, Michael said he felt strong heading home and wanted to gain a big lead. 

“It was amazing to see so many people at the finishing line cheering us all on, as well as to see the amount of people that were watching online from all over the world”.

“Agios Nikolaos is a stunning place, the water is crystal clear and the views are phenomenal. I feel extremely lucky to have met some lovely people over here too, making my whole experience really enjoyable”. 

With an aim to race smarter throughout the 2018 season, concentrating on some serious performance goals, Booth has shifted his focus to quality racing over quantity. 

“Rather than doing every single event this year, I’m focussing on peaking my performance to ultimately race in my best form in the events that I choose to participate in. I believe this will enable me to really achieve some great results!”

Booth will next race in Costa Blanca, Spain on 2^nd June.