Spain's Marc Paré Rico won the 43rd Aloha Classic in Hawaii, strengthening his position atop the World Windsurf Tour rankings and moving closer to defending the world title he first claimed in 2025. The event, held at Ho'okipa Beach Park on Maui from October 19–30, is widely regarded as the most prestigious stop on the wave windsurfing circuit, where competitors use waves as launch ramps for aerials and rotations scored by a panel of judges. With the victory, Paré Rico heads into the season-ending Grand Final in Chile (November 14–29) with a 6,410-point lead over Germany's Philip Köster.
Paré Rico's path to the final was marked by the elimination of two of the sport's most decorated champions. Köster, the world No. 2 and a five-time world wave champion, fell in the quarterfinals in imposing four-to-five-meter waves, in a four-man heat where only the top two advanced. Brazil's Marcilio Browne, a four-time world wave champion and world No. 3, was then eliminated in the semifinals by Paré Rico, who won the heat with a score of 13.82, combining aerials, a full 360-degree turn on the wave face, and a goiter, a backward rotation initiated from the top of the wave. In the final, Paré Rico recovered from several early falls with a clean 360 and then executed an air taka and a powerful hit against the lip, securing victory by just 0.05 points.
"I still can't believe it. My goal all season was to reach the final here. I've always felt this is the event I find hardest. It's incredible to have won," Paré Rico said. The win is significant not only for his title defense but also because it came against opponents with nine world titles between them, signaling a potential shift in the sport's competitive hierarchy. The main threat to Paré Rico's title defense now comes from Maui local Bernd Roediger, who finished second in the final with 13.40 points and moved up to third in the rankings. Roediger, winner of the Maui Pro earlier this season, posted the best score of the semifinals (14.90) and is expected to discard a low 2,500-point result from a lower-tier event in Puerto Rico, meaning he can still be crowned world champion if he wins in Chile and Paré Rico finishes outside the top five.
The Aloha Classic also showcased the sport's evolving structure. Earlier this year, the Professional Windsurfing Association and the International Windsurfing Tour merged to create the World Windsurf Tour, a single circuit that has expanded beyond its traditional European base to include events in Hawaii, Fiji, Australia, and Chile. A new five-star competition system means all events now count toward the world ranking, opening the title race to new contenders. "Unifying the sport under a single circuit was aimed at giving all riders a fair opportunity to fight for the world title. This season, both titles will be decided at the last event, with new contenders in the mix. That's exactly what we were looking for with the unification," said Simeon Glasson, World Windsurf Tour director.
In the junior division, Spain's Javier Escribano Toribio, the 2025 boys' junior world wave champion, won the Junior Boys division ahead of Greece's Jason Papanikolaou and France's Raphael Dumesnil. The women's world title will also be decided in Chile, with France's Marine Hunter winning in Hawaii and sitting just 15 points behind Germany's Lina Erpenstein, who finished second. Germany's Maria Behrens took third and remains mathematically in contention. For fans and industry observers, the unified circuit and the close title races in both men's and women's divisions underscore a new era of competitiveness and global reach for windsurfing. Replays and live broadcasts are available at worldwindsurftour.com, and high-resolution images from the event can be found at https://worldwindsurftour.com/events/the-aloha-classic-hawaii-usa/photos.
