ISA World Championship: Booth Rolls With The Punches

- By Lauren Barley

Michael Booth’s hopes of taking out the ISA World Championship in Copenhagen last weekend proved to be difficult, fighting a bacterial sinusitis infection that resulted in an upsetting 09th place.

Despite feeling the best he had ever felt weeks prior to the race, Booth said he was devastated that he couldn’t pull through on the day.

“It’s just so disappointing. I felt better than ever in regards to where I was at with my training and knowing I had put in the hard work leading up to the race”.

The 2017 ISA World Championship took place in Denmark last week, gathering the world’s best SUP racers. The event was the first championship to ever take place in Europe, making it the biggest yet.

In search of a gold Medal, Booth said he knew that his preparation days before the race wasn’t looking promising.

Michael and partner Kristi spent two unanticipated days in Singapore on their way to Denmark prior to the championships because they were too sick to travel.

Michael said he was almost ready to pack his bags and head home.

“I was fatigued and just did not feel myself at all.

“I felt 50% on the day of the race and that is the worst feeling, going into a competition exhausted before you have even begun”, he said.

Michael raced the weekend prior in the Hong Kong Classic and said that even then he wasn’t feeling himself.

“I have been travelling a lot lately, it’s probably a combination of different time zones, climates and adjusting to it all that has taken its toll on me”.

Booth said the separation of the field was evident early on in the race.

“It was clear who had good preparation and who didn’t. I was left behind early on and just couldn’t fight back like I usually would have been able to”.

Nonetheless, Booth praised fellow contestants on the day, saying the competition was certainly not easy and “the best man on the day won”.

With Battle of the Bay in three weeks, Michael is concentrating on getting healthy to put his best foot forward in San Francisco.

Having been in a similar position before and making a come back, Booth said this isn’t an unfamiliar place to be in and he knows what he needs to do.

“I’ve been here before, I know this feeling and I’ve made one of my best come backs previously from being in a very similar situation.

“I’m not too worried, these things happen and I just have to move on from them and focus on what lies ahead. There is no point dwelling on the past, it’s out of my control now”.

Michael’s partner Kristi said his attitude and outlook on racing is the best it’s ever been.

“Regardless of set backs, one thing Michael does really well is understands when things are out of his control. He has an amazing ability to re-set and re-focus, which is what he is doing right now”, she said.

Michael spoke positively after the race and said that sometimes setbacks are necessary to ensure you stay ambitious chasing your goals.

“Coming back from a disappointing result sometimes leads to the greatest breakthroughs”, he said.

“I know I’ve put in the work, it’s now I just have to trust in the process”.

Michael will race in Battle of the Bay in San Francisco on the 23rd September.