Edo Tanas Wins Molokaʻi-2-Oʻahu for Third Consecutive Time in Brutal Conditions
The 2026 Molokaʻi-2-Oʻahu Foil World Championships will be remembered not for record-breaking speed, but for difficult conditions, unexpected podium contenders and an emotional third consecutive victory for Edo Tanas.
For the third year in a row, Tanas was the first athlete to cross the finish line at Kaimana Beach after completing the more than 40-mile Kaiwi Channel crossing. His winning time of 2 hours and 13 minutes was approximately 17 minutes slower than his own course record, clearly illustrating how demanding the conditions were.
Light wind made it extremely difficult for competitors to connect open-ocean swells and maintain consistent speed on foil. What is normally one of the world’s most spectacular downwind races turned into a physical and mental battle across one of the most unpredictable ocean channels on the planet.
“It was a real emotional one. I never cried at a finish line, and this is the first time that ever happened for me,” Tanas said after the race. “It really means the world to me to be able to do it again, and just to prove that everyone that supported me and put in the work with me, it was all worth it.”
Edo Tanas Joins an Exclusive Three-Time Winners Club
With his third consecutive Molokaʻi-2-Oʻahu victory, Edo Tanas joins an extremely exclusive group in the history of the legendary channel crossing.
Before him, Sonni Hönscheid was the only athlete to win the Molokaʻi-2-Oʻahu three times. Tanas has now matched that achievement, while doing so in three consecutive editions of the Foil World Championships.
Winning the Kaiwi Channel once is already considered one of the greatest accomplishments in ocean racing. Winning it three years in a row under changing conditions demonstrates exceptional athletic ability, tactical awareness and consistency.
Tahitian Dark Horses Challenge the Favorites
Before the race, much of the attention centered on a highly anticipated rematch between Edo Tanas and Maui’s Kane DeWilde, while Australia’s Kai Thompson was also viewed as one of the leading contenders for the title.
Instead, two dark horses from Tahiti emerged as Tanas’ strongest challengers.
Raiarii Fadier delivered an outstanding performance to finish second overall in 2:18:58, only 5 minutes and 58 seconds behind the defending champion.
Young Tahitian talent Axel Pham followed closely behind, finishing third overall in 2:19:34. Pham completed the crossing just 36 seconds behind Fadier, giving Tahiti two riders on the overall podium.
Their performances were among the biggest stories of the race. Both athletes handled the difficult low-wind conditions exceptionally well and demonstrated the growing strength of Tahiti’s downwind foiling scene.
The podium may have surprised spectators who were expecting another battle between the established favorites, but Tahiti has a deep ocean-sports culture and continues to produce athletes with exceptional knowledge of swell, current and open-ocean racing.
With Fadier and Pham finishing second and third, the 2026 M2O may have marked the arrival of a new generation of international contenders.
Low Wind Turns M2O Into a Survival Race
The Kaiwi Channel is famous for strong trade winds and long rolling ocean swells. In good conditions, athletes can connect glides for miles while maintaining extremely high speeds.
This year, however, the expected wind failed to arrive.
Without reliable wind energy, competitors were forced to work much harder to remain on foil. Race organizers reported that 65 men completed the crossing, while dozens of other athletes were unable to finish.
The situation brought back memories of the notoriously difficult 2015 Molokaʻi-2-Oʻahu, when similarly unfavorable conditions caused several leading competitors to withdraw.
That year, Travis Grant continued through the difficult crossing and eventually claimed victory. The race concluded with large overhead waves breaking near China Walls, creating one of the most dramatic and demanding finishes in M2O history.
Although the equipment and disciplines have changed significantly since 2015, the lesson remains the same: no athlete can take the Kaiwi Channel for granted.
Annie Reickert Wins the Women’s Race
On the women’s side, Maui’s Annie Reickert claimed victory with a finishing time of 2 hours and 52 minutes.
Reickert recognized before the start that the conditions were not developing as expected. Just minutes before the race began, she decided to change her foil setup.
“I was changing my front wing 10 minutes before the race, because I was looking out there thinking this is not gonna be what we think it is,” she explained.
Her decision proved valuable, although the crossing remained extremely demanding.
“Probably one of the harder physical things I’ve done in a really, really long time,” Reickert said after reaching Oʻahu.
Only three women successfully completed the course, underlining the severity of the conditions.
The Kaiwi Channel Remains the Ultimate Test
The 2026 Molokaʻi-2-Oʻahu Foil World Championships did not deliver the fast downwind conditions athletes had hoped for. Instead, the race became a test of endurance, equipment selection, ocean knowledge and mental strength.
Edo Tanas once again proved that he is the benchmark in long-distance downwind foiling. His third consecutive victory places him alongside Sonni Hönscheid in the history of the event.
At the same time, Raiarii Fadier and Axel Pham made a powerful statement for Tahiti, while Annie Reickert demonstrated the experience and adaptability required to win one of the hardest women’s races in recent M2O history.
In the end, the challenging conditions only reinforced the reputation of the Molokaʻi-2-Oʻahu as one of the most prestigious and unforgiving ocean races in the world.
