The Islander, who has represented both Great Britain and the Channel Islands at the global event in the past, will line up alongside some of the county’s best paddlers in Poole on Saturday, knowing that only the top two in each category will be handed a seat on the plane to the Far East.
Rowe finished ninth for CI in the SUP surf competition at the 2017 World Championships in Denmark, having competed for GB in Nicaragua four years ago.
‘I’ll be competing in the distance and technical races this weekend, and I want to qualify in both,’ he explained. ‘But they only take the top two men and women from each.
‘We’ll have to race 14 km in the morning, then we get a two-hour break before going again for another 7 km race.
‘I’m feeling pretty good and training is going well. China is a big commitment because it’s not cheap, and it’s all self-funded, so I guess it will come down to who turns up. I’ll just rock up on the day and scope out the opposition, but I’m hoping for a good battle.’
A record 286 athletes from 42 nations competed in Denmark last year. Along with his top-ten finish in the SUP surf, Rowe finished 27th out of 68 in the distance race and 18th in the technical event.
