The first round of the UIM Aquabike European Continental Championship is less than a month away, and the entry list for the July 3-5 event in Mira, Portugal is already shaping up to be a strong one. Several current and former Aquabike World Champions have confirmed their participation, setting the stage for a competitive opening round.
Among them is current Ski GP1 World Champion Oliver Koch Hansen, who arrives in Mira with momentum but something still to prove on the European stage. The Danish rider has steadily climbed the European Championship standings — fourth in 2023, third in 2024, second in 2025 — and a strong result in Mira would put him in contention to add a first European title to his existing world crown.
One of the more anticipated storylines heading into Mira is the return of Jonna Borgstrom, the 2021 Ski Ladies GP1 World Champion, who has been away from Aquabike competition for several seasons. Borgstrom has European Championship pedigree — she claimed a European title back in 2017 — but she’ll need to reestablish herself at the top level against a competitive field that includes her own sister, Sofie Borgstrom.
Runabout GP1 competitor Samuel Johansson brings a different kind of pressure to Mira. The fellow Swede and 2024 World Champion is already a two-time European titlist (2019 and 2022) and will be looking to claim a third European crown.
In Freestyle, reigning World Champion Roberto Mariani returns to a venue where he has found success before, having won last year’s Mira round on his way to claiming an eleventh European Freestyle title. His son Francesco Mariani will also be on the water, competing in the Ski GP4 Junior category.
Portuguese fans will have home riders to cheer as well, with Paulo Nunes, Lino Araujo, and Joana Graca among the local contingent confirmed for the event.
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Friday, June 12th – With less than a month until the UIM Aquabike European Continental Championship gets underway in the season’s first instalment in Mira, Portugal, the growing entry list of riders already confirms the presence of multiple Aquabike World Champions set to battle it out on July 3-5.
The pressure will be on for current Ski GP1 World Champion Oliver Koch Hansen to maintain his excellent form from last season and translate his success on the world stage to the European Championship. So far, the Dane has been on a constant upward trajectory in his European Championship standings, coming fourth in 2023, third in 2024, and second in 2025. That means the only way is up for Koch Hansen, with a strong result in Mira needed to set him up to add a first European title to his name.
Having been absent from Aquabike racing in the past few seasons, Jonna Borgstrom makes a much-anticipated return for the opening race in Mira. The 2021 Ski Ladies GP1 World Champion is no stranger to European Championship success either, having won a European title in 2017, but with almost a decade now separating her from that title she will have to prove her pedigree at the top of the sport once again. Trying to stand in her way will be Jonna’s own sister, Sofie Borgstrom, against whom she will compete in Mira.
Fellow Swede and former World Champion Samuel Johansson will be hoping that success in Mira sets him up for a third European Championship title, with the Runabout GP1 star having already claimed European titles in 2019 and 2022 on his way to claiming the sport’s highest accolade with his World Championship win in 2024.
Roberto Mariani is another current World Champion already confirmed for Mira, with the Italian freestyler hoping to emulate his first place finish from last year’s round in Mira that helped him go on to claim a stunning eleventh European Freestyle title. Roberto will not be the only rider from the Mariani family fighting for success in Mira, with his son Francesco Mariani also on the entry list, competing in the Ski GP4 Junior category.
With more riders joining the entry list by the day as racing in Mira looms closer, past success for the many World Champions competing in Mira will bring no promise of repeated victory, with a great many challengers preparing to make Aquabike history of their own. Among those challengers will be a significant contingent of home talent with the likes of Paulo Nunes, Lino Araujo, and Joana Graca among those filling up the ranks of Portuguese riders for local fans to cheer on.
