Jenisha, Daniel top V1 sprints

Jenisha Dubrall and Daniel Taitano powered their way to first-place finishes in the V1 500m sprints on Saturday, June 6, as paddlers returned to competition for just the second time since Super Typhoon Sinlaku disrupted the 2026 season.

It was a sunny, hot morning at Kilili Beach, with paddlers from all clubs back on the water for the first official V1 race of the season. The next race is scheduled for June 20.

In the women’s final, Dubrall of Saipan Paddling Club set the pace and never let go, finishing first in 2:55.30. Momoko Halstead came in second at 2:59.90, while Emma Chong rounded out the podium in 3:02.10.

On the men’s side, Taitano of Marianas Outrigger Club held off a close challenge from Tyler Andrew to claim gold in 2:22.70. Andrew finished right behind in 2:24.00, with Jason Tarkong taking third in 2:32.00.

After the race, Dubrall said the return to competition was an important milestone for the paddling community after weeks away from the water due to the typhoon.

With winning first place despite the time off, she said, “It feels really good. The time out of the water after the typhoon—I really felt it, but despite that, I think we are all going through some tough times, so we all did our best, and everyone did so good despite not being able to train as much as we usually do.”

On the conditions in the water, she said, “they were really great, thankfully. It wasn’t too rough—it was super high tide and the race went really good. There were a lot of first timers who really did not look like first timers out there, and everyone put up a great fight despite our absence in the water.”

For Taitano, he also welcomed the return to racing, saying he was just glad to be back on the water after the disruption caused by Super Typhoon Sinlaku. “It feels good. Glad to be back after Super Typhoon Sinlaku and I’m glad to see everyone here. Good to see everyone’s safe.”

As for the competition and winning first, he said, “It’s always great competition going against the other team’s V1 paddlers. Everyone’s pretty quick so anyone can win this race—it’s really if it’s your day or not.”

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, he said he’s excited for the races starting back and everyone showing up again. He is also looking forward to the Micro Cup that will take place in Guam this October.