Re-watch the livestream from day 1 of the 2023 IWT/PWA Aloha Classic. You can expect 5 hour action in proper Maui conditions with 15 pro heats in total. After a few days of waiting for the conditions to improve the competition was kicked off on Ocotober 29. Three trial heats for the pro fleet of men and women wer completed. Directly afterwards the pro men single elimination (8 heats) and pro women elimination (4 heats) got started.
Aloha Classic opening ceremony in Ho’okipa (Photo: IWT)
What is it about?
The Maui Strong Aloha Classic is the final wave event of the new installed IWT/PWA Wave World Tour and will decide about the wave world titles in the women’s and men’s fleet. The current tour leaders are Sarah-Quita Offringa and Ricardo Campello, who is quite close to win his first Wave World Tour title in his career. The event period is from October 23 until November 3, 2023. The organizers can run competitions on 5 days within this 12 days period. At the moment it looks like the conditions only will allow a single elimination for men and women.
It’s indeed an exciting year with probably the most complete wave windsurfing tour we’ve seen in years. Some riders aren’t at the finals in Maui. Daida Ruano Moreno’s – her career came to an end after winning the Pozo Izquierdo event at the age of 45 in July – isn’t competing at the finals. Multiple wave world campion Philip Köster, currently ranked number 5, is still in recovery mode after a severe injury on his left foot earlier in the season.
Current tourleader Ricardo Campello (Photo: IWT)
Sarah-Quita Offringa arrived well in Maui, as the current number 1 in the overall rankings
Conditions on day 1 at Ho’okipa, Maui (28/10/2023):
Definitely a rideable swell the waves were quite close together rolling with a 11 second period mixed with proper wind from 10 – 18 knots. The action started with the trial heats. We saw Maui local Shawna Cropas from Canada and Svenja Djudoba, a snowboarder, from Switzerland qualifying through a ladies heat with 4 riders. The talented French brothers Julien & Titouan Flechet qualifyied in the trials for the main fleets (2 men trial heats with 3 riders each & 1 rider qualifies from each heat) .
Men single elimination
2 trial heats and 8 heats of the first round got completed. The local riders showed their great knowledge and skills at his spot. Bernd Roediger collected the most points for a single wave ride (7.37 points). Graham Ezzy scored 7.00 points on his best wave ride. Hayata Ishii had the third highest score for a single wave ride with 6.75 points. Pozo local Marino Gil-Gherardi impressed with radical wave rides hitting the lips. Marino Gil, who made it in second place at the Pozo event this summer, is a very tough competitor. His top score for a single wave ride was 6.07 points.
Very solid riding we saw from the locals Kai Lenny, Robby Swift, Morgan Noireaux, Jake Schettewi and Marcilio Browne. Current tour leader Ricardo Campello made it into the second round and is still competing for the title. Thomas Traversa , Takara Ishii, Adam Warhol, Arthur Arutkin and Antoine Martin
A few big names struggled with the conditions, the not ideal wave wind direction (no side off) and the short distance of the waves. Marc Paré Rico, who is still in the title race, Victor Fernandez, local Levi Siver, Antoine Albert, Takuma Sugi, Liam Dunkerbeck, Julian Salmonn, Leon Jamaer or Jules Denel are a few names, who failed to make it through the first round of the single elimination.
Kai Lenny tweaked in his first round heat of the single elimination (Photo: IWT)
Ladies single elimination
The ladies sailed 5 heats in total. One trial heat with 4 riders and the first round with 4 heats. We saw some upsets in close heats. Local Sarah Hauser, Australian Jessica Crip and 2023 Sylt winner Marine Hunter unfortunately didn’t make it through the first round. The main title contender, Sarah-Quita Offringa (5.33 points) and Maria Andres (5.40 points) had the top scores on their sheets. The Euro riders Coco Foveau, Lina Erpensten and Maria Behrens qualified for the top 8. Ozzie rider Jane Seman and US ripper Angela Cochran made it to round 2, too as local Shawna Cropas did.
Maria Andres in a clean cutback (Photo: IWT)
You can check out all results from the first round just below the livestream video. Green light has been given for Sunday October 29. Skippers meeting will be held at 10:30 am with a first possible start at 11:00
2023 ALOHA CLASSIC – TRIALS, MEN & WOMEN SINGLE ELIMINATION 1st ROUND (day one 28.10.2023)
Current overall rankings wave:
Women:
1.Sarah-Quita Offringa
2.Maria Andres
3.Sarah Hauser
4.Jane Seman
5.Marine Hunter
6.Lina Erpenstein
7.Justyna Sniady
8.Jessica Crisp
Men:
1.Ricardo Campello
2.Marcilio Browne
3.Marc Pare
4.Antoine Martin
5.Philip Köster
6.Robby Swift
7.Baptiste Cloarec
8.Takuma Sugi
