just uploaded my photos and found some really cool ones. check it out.
the race started at 7:30am sharp. the worlds best men and women started off together so when i was looking for Mao-san, i couldn’t believe she was in the front. look good and you will see her on the far left of this photo. OMG!
she was paddling hard from the start to the finish. not a single break for 7.5 hours straight. hard to believe it but it’s true. Isaiah and i were tripping out.
so stoked to see another Japanese escort boat supporting Japan. gosh, i wish i had a Japanese flag too! i would have raised it up above Mayuki high and proud!
as we approached Oahu, we all know this is the most hardest part of the race. the current is going backwards, the backwash is crashing off the cliffs like a washing machine, and you’re still far away from the fishing line. so close, but yet so far..
as Mao-san was approaching the finish line, i was getting chicken skin. a freaking huge accomplishment for his young water woman.
want to thank Maki-san for being at the finish line to greet the champion. yes, i said champion! or should i say World Champion?
as the results came in towards the end of the race, we found out Mao-san won her division! omg, she is the Woman’s Paddleboard Stock Open WORLD CHAMPION!!!!!
John John Florence and his waterman teammate both took turns. they paddled their hardest and did it in 6 hours 20 minutes. Mao-san did it alone and did it in 7.5 hours. so yes, she would have beat the Surfing World Champion guaranteed if he did it solo. that’s how fast and amazing it was. i’m so happy to have been a part of this amazing experience. hey Japan, you guys have another World Champion! so stoked!
