Paddles and wings ready: Molokaʻi 2 Oʻahu Paddleboard World Championships launch Sunday

The first of two race weekends at the 25th anniversary Molokaʻi 2 Oʻahu Paddleboard World Championships (M20) kicks off with the standup (SUP) and wing foil races on Sunday, July 21.

An international field of 130 men and women are set to challenge the new 40-mile course crossing the Moloka’i Channel from the island Moloka’i to O’ahu.

SUP foil athletes

The marque race of the weekend includes the SUP foil race, featuring the return of all top ten finishers from the men’s 2023 race. Last year’s champion, 32-year-old James Casey from New South Wales, Australia is poised to lead the pack alongside countryman and 2023 second place finisher in Oskar Johansson, 32.

Hawaiʻi racers Andrew Gibbons, 25, Kai Lenny, 31, and Eduardo Tanas, 21, from Honolulu will be in the mix at the top of the field. Tanas finished third in the 2023 M2O, and Lenny has claimed past championships in two disciplines at M2O, including SUP foil and SUP paddleboard at M2O.

The women’s SUP foil race features Maui athletes Annie Reickert, 23, and Andrea Moller, 44. The two finished second and third respectively in 2023. Moller is also a past champion in the SUP paddleboard discipline at M2O, having made the transition to foil in 2023.

Rachel Bruntsch, 40, from O’ahu, and Gabriella Bella, 20, from Maui, along with Fiona Wylde, 27, from Hood River, Oregon are also expected to vie for top spots.

Wing foil athletes

Assisted by the wind and sail, the Wing Foil Division will be the fastest among the open ocean challengers, crossing the Moloka’i Channel in less than two hours.

The men’s race features Aidan Nicholas, 25, from Auckland, New Zealand and Bobo Gallagher, 15, from Maui. The two finished second and third respectively in 2023.

The pace of the women’s race will likely be set by the 2023 second-place finisher Ann Kalabukhova, 22, from Honolulu.

At age 62, Cynthia Brown from Maui is one of the most accomplished racers in the field. Julie Scheyer-Winner, 52, from Maui and Nohea Marlow, 38, from Honolulu can be expected to be among the swiftest across the channel.

The race day schedule is available at https://www.molokai2oahu.com/m2o-foil/schedule-of-events/. To view the start list, visit https://www.molokai2oahu.com/2024-start-list-foil/.

M2O is presented by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority with additional support from Duke’s Waikīkī, Florence, Maui Brewing Company, Dryrobe, Futures Fins, Garmin, Reyn Spooner, Talis Crew, Bark, Kauaʻi Coffee, Paʻuwela Beverage Company, DotVison, and Ocean Paddler.