Bernardo Pereira, an athlete from Clube Naval da Calheta, has been crowned the Under-23 European Ocean Racing Champion at the 2026 Paddle Europe Ocean Racing Championships SS1 event in Brest, France. Pereira finished the race in 1:33:44, securing not only the U23 European title but also first place in the overall men's standings.
The Madeiran athlete was faster than the Open Men's category winner, Pierre Vilella, by one second. João Ornelas, from Associação Náutica de Câmara de Lobos, also delivered an excellent performance, finishing 10th in the Open Men category with a time of 1:38:34. International referee Décio Chaves was part of the competition's officiating team, enhancing Madeira's representation.