Foil Race Kicks Off 25th Anniversary Molokaʻi 2 Oʻahu Paddleboard World Championships

July 17, 2024

Now over two weekends, the open ocean challenge begins on Sunday, July 21 with the foil race, followed by the prone and standup paddleboard race on July 28, 2024.

Foil athletes will break in a new longer and faster course that will finish off the shore of Kaimana Beach in Waikiki.

HONOLULU, HI (July 17, 2023) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The first of two race weekends at the 25^th anniversary Molokaʻi 2 Oʻahu Paddleboard World Championships (M2O), presented by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority through the Signature Events Program kicks off with the standup (SUP) and wing foil races on Sunday, July 21, 2024.

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

Link to Race Day Schedule

Link to Start List

FOIL 2024 Event Video

Live satellite tracking of athletes and results will be available at Molokai2Oahu.com. Follow both INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK for updates.

“We are so excited to launch this summer with some exciting racing this weekend in the foil categories. Dedicating a separate day of racing aligned with Paddle Imua and Maui2Molokai prior to M2O has driven new athletes from over 25 countries to descend on Hawaii to race,” said Mike Takahashi, the race director and founder of the event. “Over half of the athletes entered are first time entrants for the FOIL race joining a number of M2O vets evolving to foil racing from our classic SUP divisions.”

New this year is the Koa Kai Triple Crown where athletes can compete in three iconic downwind races, roughly covering 70 plus miles in one week. This past weekend athletes raced Paddle Imua event along the famous Maliko run on Maui, over an 8-mile course to Kanaha beach. The Molokai Holokai Hoʻolauleʻa will host the Maui to Molokai Challenge (M2M) on Friday, July 19^th. In support of Youth in Motion on Molokai, and inspiring the next generation of paddlers, the M2M will feature the Pailolo channel with roughly 26 miles of ideal conditions connecting Maui to Molokai.

The final stop will be the Moloka‘i 2 O‘ahu Foil Edition just two days later Sunday, July 21^st and ultimately decide the Triple Crown winners in addition to the event’s World Champions.

Athletes to Watch at 24th Moloka‘i-2-O‘ahu Paddleboard World Championships

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. Hawaii 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.

This year Finn Spencer, 20, from Maui will cross over to SUP FOIL after winning the inaugural M2O WING division last summer.

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.

The KOA KAI triple crown rankings for SUP Foil leading into race weekend include great positioning for Maui athlete Kane de Wilde,(23), Finn Spencer, Edo Tanas, Andrew Gibbons, and Jeffrey Spencer, (23) joining his brother at the top. The women’s division currently pits Annie Reickert and Gabriella Bella within seconds of each other.

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.

KOA KAI WING Foil leaders include locals Bobo Gallagher, Justin Simmer (20), and Jon McCabe (39).

Race Day Schedule – Sunday July 21, 2024

Start: Ilio Point, Moloka‘i

11:00 a.m. WING Foil Division

11:15 a.m. SUP Foil Division

* All start times are subject to change

Finish: Kaimana Beach

12:00 p.m. Event Expo Opens

1:00 p.m. Top finishers expected at finish.

About the Moloka‘i-2-O‘ahu Paddleboard World Championships

Founded in 1997, M2O has grown from a grassroots challenge for the legendary lifeguards of O‘ahu to the premiere event in the sport of paddleboarding. The race annually crowns world champions in the two disciplines of traditional (prone) and stand-up (SUP) paddleboarding. In 2018, a hydrofoil division was added to welcome the evolution of technology in the SUP. Connecting the islands of Moloka‘i and O‘ahu, the 32-mile race crosses the Ka‘iwi Channel, also known as the Moloka‘i Channel and Channel of Bones. Men and women from more than 20 countries will face strong currents as they navigate the fastest downwind route over one of the most beautiful and powerful channels in the world. Athletes rid mid-channel waves that can crest more than 12 feet and carry paddlers hundreds of meters. M2O starts in Kepuhi Bay on the northwest shore of Moloka‘i and finishes in Maunalua Bay on the southeast shore of O‘ahu. The annual race is a deeply personal experience, challenging every paddler’s physical and mental endurance. Every finisher experiences an individual championship.

M2O is proudly presented by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority with additional support from Duke’s Waikiki, Florence, Spartan, dryrobe®, Futures Fins, Garmin, Reyn Spooner, Maui Brewing Company, Talis Crew, Bark, Kauai Coffee, Pauwela Beverage Company, DotVison, and Ocean Paddler.