Day 2 of the Gran Canaria sees epic Longboard SUP action, as Taka Inoue takes victory over 2022 World Champion Leco Salazar.

The rationale behind the integration of the SUP Longboard division was once again proven today as we saw an epic display of surfing from the world's very best, truly capitalizing on the conditions on offer.

As the rounds progressed, there were clear standouts in this division, with 2022 SUP Longboard World Champion Leco Salazar from Brazil illustrating a flawless mix of SUP longboarding to take the win in what was, without doubt, the heat of the day.

Semifinal #1 saw Leco match up with fellow Brazilian Leonardo Gimenes for a show to remember, as both athletes went blow for blow to take the win, with Leonardo even posting a 10 point ride in the process. However with a pair of nines, Leco once again came out on top mixing powerful turns with more traditional nose riding to advance onto the Finals.

The much anticipated match up between 2022 World #2 Benoit Carpentier from France (also reigning World Champion on the regular APP World Tour) and Taka Inoue from Japan did not disappoint. While the conditions were slower for this semifinal, both athletes demonstrated incredible ability, also going blow for blow, with Taka just taking the edge to advance onto the Finals despite an impressive performance by Benoit, the standout performer of the event so far.

This meant that the Final heat pitted the reigning SUP Longboard World Champion Leco Salazar against the young Japanese talent, Taka Inoue, another highly anticipated match up that did not disappoint, and it was another incredibly close affair. While Leco's magical mix of controlled power and flow was undeniable, Taka's flare and unique approach to riding the nose proved just enough to take the win and the Title for 2023.

Make sure to check out the highlights from today's action at appworldtour.com and for photos, reels and much more @appworldtour. Meanwhile, stay tuned for the next call for the Gran Canaria Pro-Am, to be taken at 7:45am tomorrow, Thursday 23rd November. With the final of the U18 boys still to come, together with the Men's and Women's Main Event, much more to come here from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Kaede Inoue makes it two for two on Day 2 of the Gran Canaria Pro-Am with victory in both the SUP longboard and U18 divisions.

Kaede Inoue dominated both SUP longboard and U18 regular SUP divisions today with another impressive performance here at La Cicer. As reigning World Champion from 2022, and leading Lady from last year's mixed Men & Women SUP Longboard division, there was no doubt that Kaede was the one to beat at this year's Gran Canaria Pro-Am.

However, the victory across both divisions was not achieved without a battle, particularly in the SUP longboard division, where we saw a close match up between the great French talent Camille Dubrana in Semifinal #1. While Camille was not able to overcome Kaede, there is no doubt that she is a major talent to watch out for in this division, with smooth and well put together surfing worthy of the podium finish she achieved.

In the Final it was a family affair, with Kaede's sister Sakura having overcome 2018 World Champion and local favorite Iballa Moreno in semifinal #2. Despite Sakura's best efforts, she was unable to match her sister in the Final, with Kaede securing victory with a dominant performance.

It was a similar story for the U18 girls, with Kaede making it a clean sweep across the best of 3 format introduced for this event. In second, was once again her sister Sakura, followed by a promising newcomer from France, Prune Guerin, who is certainly a name to watch out for in the future.

Make sure to check out the highlights @appworldtour / appworldtour.com  and stay tuned for all the updates, next call and special content from the 2023 Gran Canaria Pro-am content. There is much more exciting action on the way at this APP World Tour Finals with the final of the U18 boys, Pro Men and Pro Women's divisions still to come. Next call will be at 7:45 GMT @appworldtour