Spain's Marc Paré Rico claimed victory at the 43rd Aloha Classic in Ho'okipa, Hawaii, strengthening his position atop the World Windsurf Tour rankings as he seeks to defend the world title he first won in 2025. The win, secured in a final decided by just 0.05 points, gives Paré Rico a 6,410-point lead over Germany's Philip Köster with one event remaining on the calendar: the Grand Final in Chile from November 14 to 29, where the 2026 world champion will be decided.
The significance of Paré Rico's performance lies not only in the victory but in the company he beat. Köster, a five-time world wave champion and the world No. 2, was eliminated in the quarterfinals in imposing four-to-five-meter waves, while Brazil's Marcilio Browne, a four-time world champion and world No. 3, fell in the semifinals to Paré Rico himself. Between them, the two eliminated riders hold nine world titles, making Paré Rico's composure in shifting Maui conditions a statement of intent from a rider who only claimed his first world crown a year ago. In that semifinal, Paré Rico combined aerials, a full 360-degree turn and a goiter to post a heat score of 13.82.
In the final, Paré Rico recovered from several early falls with a clean 360 before landing an air taka and a powerful hit against the lip to edge ahead in the closing minutes. "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. Replays and live broadcasts of the event are available at worldwindsurftour.com.
The result matters beyond the men's title race. Paré Rico's closest challenger is now Bernd Roediger, who grew up on Maui and won the Maui Pro earlier this season. Roediger posted the best semifinal score of 14.90 and led much of the final before finishing second with 13.40, earning the best single-wave score of the heat. He moves up to third in the rankings, 7,500 points behind Paré Rico, but is expected to discard a low 2,500-point result from a lower-tier event in Puerto Rico, meaning he could still be crowned champion if he wins in Chile and Paré Rico finishes outside the top five. The women's title is equally unsettled: France's Marine Hunter won in Hawaii and sits just 15 points behind Germany's Lina Erpenstein, with Germany's Maria Behrens mathematically in contention. High-resolution images from the event are available through the official Aloha Classic photo gallery.
Paré Rico's win comes in a season of structural transformation for professional windsurfing. Earlier this year, the rival Professional Windsurfing Association and International Windsurfing Tour merged to form the World Windsurf Tour, a single circuit that has since expanded beyond its European base to add events in Hawaii, Fiji, Australia and Chile. A new five-star competition system means all events 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.
