Tahiti's Team OPT added itself to the illustrious list of Molokai Hoe winners on Sunday, crossing 40.8 miles across the Ka‘iwi Channel from Moloka‘i to Waikīkī in four hours, 42 minutes and two seconds on Sunday.
The first-time winners dethroned Shell Va'a, which had entered the 2025 Molokai Hoe winners of three straight editions of the race. Shell Va'a finished in second with a time of 4:44:57.
"This the first time for OPT to get the win today, and we're all only young guys on my channel, and just incredible," said crew member Temoana Taputu.
Taputu, 27, says he began paddling at 12. Winning the Molokai Hoe has long been a goal for him and his OPT teammates.
"For a long time I've paddled, but it's not finished," he said. "Many, many, many times in front of me to keep paddling."
As if overcoming Shell Va'a, a team that had won 13 of 15 Molokai Hoe titles entering Sunday weren't enough, Team OPT also dealt with adversity during the race when its canoe flipped over.
"(Shell Va'a) come back close to us and fight again, and we take again a big gap," Taputu said. "We have good waves. ... You need to push hard to catch your waves. It's not easy. That was not easy."
Popora Te Hoe Mamu finished in third, while Rurutu Hoe came in fourth.
O‘ahu native Pat Dolan, who won the 32-mile Molokai Challenge in June, competed for Rurutu Hoe on Sunday as a guest member of the team.
"To cross the channel and finish this race, it's why I continue to paddle," he said.
Maui's Wailea Canoe Club came in fifth with a time of 4:58:13, becoming the first Hawai‘i team to finish on Sunday.
"We're happy, but the level is so, so high, where we need to get to, and hopefully someday, the younger guys can be able to put in the time, and we have the resources to be able to do that," said Kekoa Cramer of Wailea Canoe Club. "But the Tahitians are unreal."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
