Quatro Maui Pro
Day two of the Quatro Maui Pro delivered everything that makes Ho'okipa the spiritual home of wave windsurfing. Under consistent trade winds and punchy Hawaiian surf, the world's best wave sailors traded wave after wave in a display of power, precision, and creativity that left spectators — and judges — searching for superlatives. When the spray finally settled, Bernd Roediger (Flikka / Hot Sails Maui / Black Project Fins) of Hawaii and Marine Hunter (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) of France had claimed the titles at the World Windsurfing Tour's first 5-star event of the season.
MEN: A FINAL OF CHAMPIONS — ROEDIGER WINS WITH A WAVE FOR THE AGES
The Men's Final brought together four former Aloha Classic champions — Bernd Roediger, Antoine Martin (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC), Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing / MFC), and Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins) — in what head judge Luis Escribano later described as one of the highest-performing contest heats ever witnessed at Ho'okipa.
It was Roediger, the Hawaiian local hero, who rose above the field with a final score of 16.40, claiming his second WWT victory of the young season — following his win at the Puerto Rico 3-Star — and adding another chapter to his legendary relationship with this beach.
His decisive wave was something else entirely. Entering the critical section with full commitment, Roediger executed a taka into a one-handed turn deep under the lip, the sail briefly released as he carved with full rail pressure — a move that was simultaneously radical, functional, and breathtakingly stylish. Judges awarded it an 8.93. Many watching felt the number should have been higher.
"It's really hard to get into that level of just like carefree sailing," Roediger reflected after his win. "You feel pressure, you feel expectation. I found since the last time I won it, it's gotten harder to compete — it's become more difficult to manage the expectation. But to be able to get to the point where you feel totally carefree, totally unattached to the result — like, I'm just gonna go out there and see what happens — you feel it. I'm in last place in the heat. Cool. It's not going the way I thought it would. But you just keep sailing and keep believing."
Roediger also revealed an unusual omen from his opening heat. "The timing lined up exactly with the launch of the Artemis mission — that rocket that just took off. I don't know, it just kind of felt like a charm day the whole time. And that's Ho'okipa. It's got good vibes, good energy."
He closed with heartfelt thanks: "I'm so grateful to have this event. Last year it was an experiment — this year it's really happening, and it's happening on this level. Shout outs to Francisco and the team at Quatro and Goya, my own team at Flikka and Hot Sails for supporting me for this long. It's unreal."
Antoine Martin of Guadeloupe finished third with 14.63, and delivered arguably the single most talked-about manoeuvre of the entire event. In the semifinal, Martin landed a no-handed goiter — releasing the sail completely mid-rotation — that drew gasps from the beach. Head judge Luis Escribano singled out the move as one that pushed the boundaries of scoring. "I think he was pushing the judges to score higher," Escribano said. The manoeuvre received 6.53 — a score that many felt undervalued what was one of the most technically demanding and visually stunning moves ever attempted in competition at Ho'okipa. In the final, Martin continued to push boundaries with a series of one-handed goiters. As Escribano noted: "No hands is better — but one-handed is also great."
Marcilio Browne of Brazil, led for much of the final and eventually finished second on 14.74, narrowly edged out of second on countback. Morgan Noireaux of Hawaii rounded out the podium in fourth with 13.50, but his words may have captured the day best: he described the level of sailing as some of the highest-performance windsurfing he had witnessed in a contest at Ho'okipa in a very long time.
WOMEN: HUNTER MAKES HISTORY; BEHRENS AND COCHRAN SHINE
Marine Hunter of France claimed back-to-back victories at the Maui spring event — successfully defending her title from last year's 4-star edition at this year's elevated 5-star contest. In the Women's Final, Hunter was a class apart, scoring six waves all above 5 points for a total of 12.83, winning by a margin of 1.43 points.
Her surfing drew consistent praise for its flow, power, and precise connection with the lip across a range of conditions. "I'm super, super happy," Hunter said after her win. "We had really nice conditions for the final — it was cross-off, super smooth waves. Awesome."
Maria Behrens (Duotone Windsurfing / Maui Ultra Fins) of Germany claimed second place with 11.40 in what marks her second podium result at a Maui event — a remarkable statement from a young athlete who is quickly establishing herself as a force in women's wave windsurfing. Behrens showcased powerful turns, great style, and intelligent wave selection throughout the competition.
Angela Cochran (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) of Hawaii, a former world champion and true legend of the discipline, finished third with 11.36 — back-to-back podium results at this event, and a powerful reminder that she remains one of the most competitive women in the fleet at the highest level.
Lina Erpenstein (Severne Windsurfing) of Germany finished fourth with 11.30, just 0.06 points behind the podium — a heartbreakingly narrow margin for a sailor who performed at an exceptional level throughout the day.
Swiss standout Pauline Katz (Severne Windsurfing) had been one of the highlights of the entire competition, her performances drawing attention at every stage. A crash in the B-Final resulted in a knee injury that forced her to limp to the finish line. The World Windsurfing Tour wishes Pauline a full and speedy recovery and looks forward to seeing her back competing at full strength very soon.
A NEW FORMAT THAT DELIVERED
Today marked the debut of a new advancement structure from the Semifinal onward: first place in each semi advanced directly to the Final, while second and third advanced to the B-Final — four-rider heats that gave everyone a podium path. The effect was immediate. With less pressure on survival and more incentive to attack, riders went for their most committed and risky maneuvers. Antoine Martin's no-handed goiter — the move of the event — came in a Semifinal under exactly this format. It worked.
THE JUDGES' VIEW
Head judge Luis Escribano, surveying the day's action with characteristic passion, left little doubt about where this event stands in the global canon. "The level of windsurfing here is amazing. These guys make it look easy, like a swimming pool — but it's not a swimming pool. I always come here and I didn't expect anything, but I always go home saying: my God, this is the best windsurfers in the world, doing the best moves on the best beach. That's the show."
LOOKING AHEAD
Competition at the Quatro Maui Pro continues tomorrow with the Junior and Master fleets taking centre stage. The forecast is excellent, with more trade wind and surf conditions expected to deliver another full day of competition. Following the extraordinary standard set by the Pro fleet, expectations are high.
MEN'S FINAL RESULTS — QUATRO MAUI PRO
1st Bernd Roediger
2nd Marcilio Browne
3rd Antoine Martin
4th Morgan Noireaux
WOMEN'S FINAL RESULTS — QUATRO MAUI PRO
1st Marine Hunter
2nd Maria Behrens
3rd Angela Cochran Hawaii
4th Lina Erpenstein Germany
ABOUT THE QUATRO MAUI PRO
The Quatro Maui Pro is a 5-star rated event on the World Windsurfing Tour (WWT), held at Ho'okipa Beach Park on the north shore of Maui, Hawaii — widely regarded as the world's premier wave windsurfing venue. The 2026 edition marks the event's second year and its elevation to full 5-star status, making it the highest-rated event on the tour's opening schedule.