We are proud to announce that the 3 x world paddle surf champion, Olivia Piana has joined our team of athletes
Hi Olivia, could you introduce yourself in a few words
Hi ! My name is Olivia Piana, I'm an outdoor sports addict! The windsurfing board that made me a fan of the sea and all it has to offer. I've been doing Stand Up Paddle since 2012. I love the world of SUP Race, the events have become very popular and the bodies of water are super varied: ocean, city, mountain lake... we run everywhere, in all conditions! The SUP Race allowed me to realize myself sportingly and to make great encounters. In 2018 I realize a dream, I become long distance world champion. I had collected five titles of vice-world champion before that, I had to pass the course one day! In 2019, I am preparing for the long distance Worlds and I won the sprint and the technical race. It's good this kind of surprise!
I love our sports where a lot of parameters come into play and make performance as unpredictable as the weather. You have to know how to adapt and slide in all conditions. My training is very varied, I never get bored! I love learning, discovering new disciplines and seeing the elements with a different perspective. I believe in the complementarity of certain sports. The arrival of the foil has brought a lot of fun to my training. I take so much pleasure in flying that I want to go even further and exceed my limits.
Why do you do Wing?
The Wing is the magic of SUP Foil with the wind! In Wing I have fun in all conditions from 12 knots. It's a gentle sport that allows me to focus on technique. It's super fun and it diversifies my training. I feel that it makes me progress on the foil, especially on the changes of feet in the gybes and the tacks. I love to surf the swell like in SUP foil but with Wing in hand, I also progress in reading the body of water. Pleasure is the engine of performance!
Do you find the Wing complementary to your Stand up paddle activity?
Complementarity is everywhere as long as we take pleasure in doing what we do. I've been SUP Foiling for a year in waves and downwind. Since then I have progressed enormously in speed in SUP Race because the SUP Foil requires a lot of power on take-off. I guess that's what got me gold at the 2019 Sprint Worlds!
The Wing gives me finesse when gliding. It is soft. It's my moment of fun where I can concentrate on the technique without putting on the red: placement of the feet, reading of the body of water, transmission. This is my fun recovery session. Of course that's at the beginning! Last weekend I sailed in 30 knots with 1.5 m of waves on the Île de Ré and there it's no longer in recovery mode! Exposing yourself to a wide variety of conditions makes you progress. The Wing makes it possible with versatile and compact gear.
What are the sensations that we feel in Wing and Sup foil?
Flying on a foil gives feelings of lightness and freedom. It's incredible, it's the feeling of speed without constraint. These are the best sensations I have felt among all the sports I have been able to practice.
Can you explain a bit about the conditions in which you do wing?
I sail from 12 to 35 knots in all conditions, except for hollow waves (not easy to duck with a Wing). What I prefer is the "unusable" surfing conditions other than in Wing, the big waves with room for everyone. In foiling we enjoy all the waves today, there is a great mentality on the water. When there are no waves, I love to go upwind and then come back down surfing the swell.
What do you think of the new Comet SW?
I love the shape of the Comet SW with its volume at the front and its double concave which forgives bumps. It is compact, stable and easy to handle. It's a healthy board that goes everywhere. I take off at 12 knots on the 4'8 65L with a large front wing. Bruno Meignan, the shaper of the Comet SW, made my first Surf foil and SUP foil boards for me in 2018. At the time, we were inspired by Kai Lenny's downwind shapes, which no longer have anything to do with the boards that I currently use. I have a lot of gratitude for Bruno who invested himself fully in the development of foil shapes when the surfers of the Landes took him for a madman. Today he is a victim of his success and I am very happy for him! It's great to keep working together for Takoon! I am very happy to join the Takoon Family!
