Few races carry the history and prestige of the Moloka‘i 2 O‘ahu Paddleboard World Championships. The 32-mile crossing of Hawaii's Kaiwi Channel remains one of the greatest tests in ocean paddling, demanding skill, endurance and ocean knowledge from every competitor. The 2026 edition crowned champions across prone paddleboarding, SUP and foiling, with Charlie Verco extending his remarkable paddleboard reign, Edoardo Tanas securing a third consecutive SUP foil title, Annie Reickert winning the women's SUP foil race, Hayato Yamamoto taking traditional SUP honours, and Kanesa Duncan Seraphin and Allison Schillinger leading the women's paddleboard divisions. But beyond the winners, this year's event also reflected the changing landscape of competitive ocean paddling.
Foil Continues to Grow
The M2O Foil Edition, held six days before the traditional crossing, attracted a large international field, with more than 100 athletes lining up across the SUP foil divisions.
Italian, Hawaii-based Edoardo Tanas claimed his third consecutive men’s SUP foil title, while Annie Reickert took victory in the women’s event after another impressive crossing.
French Polynesia once again demonstrated its strength in downwind foiling, with Raiarii Fadier and Axel Pham joining Tanas on the men’s podium, while Naumi Eychenne finished runner-up behind Reickert and Andrea Moller completed the women’s podium.
The wing foil divisions were won by Livio Menelau and Monika Hagen.
Reports from Hawaii described lighter, more technical conditions than many competitors had hoped for, turning the crossing into a demanding endurance challenge rather than a classic fast downwind run.
Traditional SUP Tells A Different Story
When the traditional Moloka‘i to O‘ahu race took place six days later, the picture looked very different.
Japan’s Hayato Yamamoto claimed victory in the Unlimited SUP division, while Robert Stehlik won the Stock division after another strong Kaiwi Channel performance.
However, the overall participation numbers were impossible to ignore.
Only seven solo athletes competed across the traditional SUP divisions—five in Unlimited and two in Stock. And for the first time in recent memory, there were no women on the traditional solo SUP start line. While the foil event produced competitive men’s and women’s fields, no female athletes contested the traditional SUP divisions in 2026.
The performances of Yamamoto, Stehlik and the other finishers deserve huge respect. Crossing the Kaiwi Channel under paddle power remains one of the toughest challenges in ocean sport.
Yet the contrast between the foil event and the traditional SUP race raises interesting questions about where elite ocean racing continues to grow.
Paddleboarding Remains Strong
Traditional prone paddleboarding, meanwhile, continues to thrive.
Australia’s Charlie Verco secured his fourth consecutive Moloka‘i 2 O‘ahu title while also setting a new course record, reinforcing his place as one of the dominant athletes in the event’s history.
Stewart McLachlan claimed victory in the 14-foot division, while Harrison Stone won the Stock paddleboard race.
In the women’s divisions, Kanesa Duncan Seraphin took the Unlimited title and Allison Schillinger claimed victory in the Stock division, continuing the strong turnout seen across prone paddleboarding.
The Bigger Picture
The 2026 Moloka‘i 2 O‘ahu wasn’t a story about one discipline replacing another.
Instead, it reflected how open-ocean paddling is evolving.
Foiling continues to attract growing international participation and some of the sport’s biggest names, while prone paddleboarding remains deeply rooted in the event’s history and continues to enjoy healthy participation.
Traditional SUP, however, finds itself at a crossroads. The quality at the front of the field remains exceptionally high, but with just seven solo competitors—and no women’s race in 2026—the discipline faces an obvious challenge if it is to rebuild participation at one of its most iconic events.
2026 M2O Winners
SUP Foil
Men: Edoardo Tanas
Women: Annie Reickert
Wing Foil
Men: Livio Menelau
Women: Monika Hagen
Traditional SUP
Unlimited Men: Hayato Yamamoto
Stock Men: Robert Stehlik
Paddleboard
Unlimited Men: Charlie Verco
14′ Men: Stewart McLachlan
Stock Men: Harrison Stone
Unlimited Women: Kanesa Duncan Seraphin
Stock Women: Allison Schillinger
Photo: Mike Ito