Molokaʻi 2 Oʻahu Paddleboard Championships gets underway this weekend

Wing and SUP foil races will open the 2025 Molokaʻi 2 Oʻahu Paddleboard World Championships, presented by the US Coast Guard, on Sunday, July 20, marking the first of two weekends of racing across the Kaiwi Channel. The prone and standup paddle board events will follow on Sunday, July 27.

This year, more than 130 athletes from around the world are expected to compete in the 40-mile crossing from Moloka‘i to Oʻahu, finishing at Kaimana Beach in Waikīkī. Live coverage begins locally at 11 a.m. on KHON2, and will stream globally on Rogue.TV and YouTube.

SUP Foil Division

The SUP Foil field is led by defending champion Edoardo Tanas, 22, of Italy, who won the 2024 Moloka‘i 2 O‘ahu (M2O) and the Koa Kai Triple Crown. Hawai‘i contenders Finn Spencer, 17, Andrew Gibbons, 26, Kane de Wilde, 24, and Malae McElheny, 17, will try to keep the title local.

Veterans Kai Lenny of Maui and James Casey of Australia return with a history of world titles in both paddleboard and SUP foil disciplines. Gage Schoenherr of the US Coast Guard and Maui’s Jeffrey Spencer also return after strong finishes last year.

In the women’s SUP foil race, Maui’s Annie Reickert, 24, defends her title against 2023 champion Olivia Pana of France and another local standout Gabriella Bella, 22. Rachel Bruntsch, a Honolulu firefighter, and multi-time champion Andrea Moller of Maui are also among the top contenders. Moller, who’s racing OC1 in Oregon over the same weekend, hopes to make the start line on Sunday.

Wing Foil Division

The Wing Foil race remains the fastest route across the Kaiwi Channel, with athletes completing the crossing in under two hours.

With 2024 winner Aidan Nicholas sidelined due to injury, 16-year-old Bobo Gallagher of Maui is a top pick. Gallagher won the Koa Kai Triple Crown last year and finished second in the M2O.

Returning veterans Jeremy Stephensen of New Zealand and Livio Menelau of Maui are also in the mix, each with more than a decade of M2O experience.

Anna Kalabukova, 23, of Honolulu leads the women’s wing foil field after finishing second in 2024 and winning the Triple Crown. She’s joined by Nohea Marlow, 39, and first-time M2O racer Tatiana Grant, 35, who returns to competition after giving birth. Sixteen-year-old Lily Buden, winner of this year’s Moloka‘i Holokai race, will attempt her first Kaiwi Channel crossing.

Koa Kai Triple Crown nears finish

The foil races this weekend are also the final legs of the Koa Kai Triple Crown, a four-part downwind race series spanning 80 miles between Maui, Moloka‘i and O‘ahu. Athletes must have completed a qualifying event earlier this summer to compete. Final rankings will be determined by combined times from the Maui 2 Moloka‘i Challenge on July 18 and the M2O.

Organizers say the series was developed to define Hawai‘i as a global destination for summer downwind paddling. Events have drawn a growing international field and helped support local causes through athlete fundraising and partnerships.

Race day

Foil athletes are expected to arrive at the finish line at Kaimana Beach Hotel around 1 p.m. HST. Spectators can watch in person or tune in live on KHON2 or Rogue.TV. Race stories, highlights, and behind-the-scenes content will be posted on social media and on the official event website.