Sebastian Szubski: Olympian, Guinness record holder and Poland's only entry at the 2026 surfski Worlds

Published

2026-10-05T18:56:26+00:00

Author

PaddleStats

Sebastian Szubski: from the Olympic course to open water

Sebastian Szubski was born in Poland, raced at the Olympics for Brazil and is now preparing to compete under the Polish flag. On Friday 9 October, he is due to line up at the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships in La Vila Joiosa, Spain. He is the only Polish paddler on the entry list, racing in men's masters 45–49 with bib 583. His career already includes an appearance at the Athens Olympics, four records recognised by Guinness World Records and a record-breaking circumnavigation of Great Britain.

Paddling runs in the family. Sebastian and his father, Zdzisław, competed in the same Olympic event, the K2 500 m, 24 years apart. Both have also taken on long-distance challenges on the Vistula and attempted 24-hour kayaking records.

Sebastian Szubski at a glance

After years of sprint racing, Szubski also moved into coaching and running his own gym. He began leading CrossFit sessions in Bydgoszcz in 2012, initially on Mill Island before moving to the Zawisza sports grounds at 163 Gdańska Street. CB163 opened in March 2013. According to the gym's history, paddlers from Astoria and Zawisza were among its early members.

A family steeped in paddling

Zdzisław Szubski was born in Grudziądz on 26 January 1958. A prominent figure in Bydgoszcz paddling, he won four world championship medals in the K4 10,000 m: bronze in Sofia in 1977, followed by silver in Belgrade (1978), Duisburg (1979) and Nottingham (1981). At the 1980 Moscow Olympics, he and Waldemar Merk finished seventh in the K2 500 m final.

The day Sebastian was born was particularly memorable. In memoirs published on the local history blog Dziwna Bydgoszcz, Zdzisław recalled racing at the Polish team trials in Wałcz on 26 April 1981. After winning the 5000 m, he heard national coach Ryszard Marchlik congratulate him over the loudspeaker: his son had been born in Bydgoszcz that morning.

Sebastian's mother, Mirosława Szubska, née Pasińska, also represented Poland in kayaking before becoming a coach. His parents' coaching careers took the family first to Portugal and then to Brazil. Zdzisław led the Portuguese national team from 1987 to 1993, spent more than a decade working in Brazilian paddling and later coached the national teams of Greece and Chile. Mirosława also coached Brazilian paddlers.

Sebastian started out at Astoria Bydgoszcz. According to the city of Bydgoszcz's website, he moved to Brazil at 16. It was in Brazilian colours that he achieved his biggest sprint results.

Brazil's K4 and the Athens Olympics

At the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Szubski won K4 1000 m silver alongside Carlos Campos, André Caye and Sebastián Cuattrin. A few weeks later, the same crew raced at the World Championships in Gainesville, finishing sixth in their heat in 3:00.205 and ninth in their semi-final in 3:03.634.

The following year, Szubski and Cuattrin teamed up in the K2 500 m at the Athens Olympics. They finished sixth in heat three in 1:35.917, advancing to the semi-finals. Eighth place in their semi-final, in 1:37.466, brought their campaign to an end. These results match both the PaddleStats database and the official Olympic results book.

Germany's Ronald Rauhe and Tim Wieskötter went on to win the final in 1:27.040. Poland's Marek Twardowski and Adam Wysocki finished fourth, just 0.052 seconds short of bronze.

Four Guinness World Records

Over time, short races gave way to much longer challenges. Guinness World Records recognises four record-breaking performances by Szubski: a 24-hour flat-water paddle, two journeys along a specified stretch of the Thames and a circumnavigation of Great Britain.

More than 250 kilometres in a day

In 2019, Szubski paddled 251.71 km in 24 hours on flat water at Oćwieka, Poland. Guinness notes that he succeeded on his fifth attempt.

The challenge echoed his father's exploits on the Vistula in the 1980s, both in a double kayak with Andrzej Dziura and during a 24-hour solo paddle. The distances are not directly comparable, however: paddling down a river and covering a flat-water course involve different conditions and separate record attempts.

The Thames: solo, then reunited with his Olympic partner

On 17 July 2023, Szubski set a solo record on the Thames of 26 hours, 16 minutes and 55 seconds, improving the previous mark by more than seven hours. The record course runs from Lechlade to Teddington Lock, rather than the full length of the river from source to sea.

In June 2024, he returned with Cuattrin, his partner from Athens. They paddled from St John's Lock in Lechlade to Teddington in 21 hours and 57 minutes, taking 2 hours and 15 minutes off the previous doubles record. Guinness lists both paddlers as Brazilian in that record entry.

Around Great Britain in 36 days, 6 hours and 20 minutes

Szubski also paddled 941 km of the Vistula in 2024, from Oświęcim to the river mouth. He later said the idea for his next challenge came on the third day of that trip: a lap of Great Britain. His preparations included surfski training on England's south coast with Mike Lambert, who had already completed the journey himself.

Szubski set off from Arisaig on Scotland's west coast on 12 June 2025 and returned on 18 July. His time of 36 days, 6 hours and 20 minutes was recognised by Guinness as the fastest male circumnavigation of Great Britain by kayak or canoe.

The expedition also carried a personal message. It was part of the Polish campaign “Nie widać, a płynę”, run with the mental health foundation Nie widać po mnie. Szubski speaks openly about living with bipolar disorder and used the challenge to raise awareness of mental health and the importance of support. The foundation's account of the campaign explains their work together.

Next stop: the World Championships in La Vila Joiosa

Szubski's next scheduled race is at the 2026 ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships. The timetable available on 5 October lists the single-surfski races for Friday 9 October at 13:00 local time, which is also 13:00 in Poland.

The men's masters 45–49 start list contains 56 entries. Sebastian Szubski is listed with bib 583 and the country code POL — the only Polish entry on the available list for the championships.

It is a strong field. South Africa's Dawid Mocke and multiple canoe marathon world champion Hank McGregor are entered, along with Spain's Walter Bouzán, Ukraine's Borys Markin and Morocco's Abdelmajid Jabbour. Read more in our 2026 Ocean Racing World Championships preview.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Sebastian Szubski?

He is a Bydgoszcz-born kayaker who started at Astoria, represented Brazil at the Athens Olympics and went on to set Guinness World Records. He also runs the CB163 CrossFit gym in Bydgoszcz.

Why did he represent Brazil at the Olympics?

His parents worked in Brazilian paddling, and he moved to Brazil as a teenager. He won Pan American Games silver for the country in 2003 and competed at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

Is he Zdzisław Szubski's son?

Yes. His father competed at the Moscow Olympics and won four world championship medals in the K4 10,000 m. Their father-and-son relationship is also recorded by Olympedia.

Which Guinness World Records has Sebastian Szubski set?

Guinness recognises four: 251.71 km in 24 hours on flat water in 2019; a solo paddle of the Thames record course in 26:16:55 in 2023; the same course in a double with Sebastián Cuattrin in 21 hours and 57 minutes in 2024; and a circumnavigation of Great Britain in 36 days, 6 hours and 20 minutes in 2025.

Which category is he entered in at the 2026 surfski Worlds?

Men's masters 45–49, representing Poland with bib 583. On the entry list available on 5 October, he is the only Polish paddler.

Twenty-two years after Athens, Szubski is preparing for another appearance on the world stage, this time on open water. Results will be available on the 2026 Ocean Racing World Championships page.

View on PaddleStats