Quatro Maui Pro at Ho'okipa - Day 2
by International Windsurfing Tour 2 Apr 11:56 BST
30 March - 3 April 2026
Quatro Maui Pro at Ho'okipa - Day 2 © Fish Bowl Diaries
Bernd Roediger claims men's crown in a final of former champions; Marine Hunter defends Maui Spring Title at World Windsurfing Tour's First 5-Star Event of 2026
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 of Hawaii and Marine Hunter 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 (Guadeloupe), Marcilio Browne (Brazil), and Morgan Noireaux (Hawaii) — 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 second with 14.63, and delivered arguably the single most talked-about maneuver 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 maneuver 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 finished third with 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 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 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 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 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 Hawaii, USA 16.40
2nd Antoine Martin Guadeloupe 14.63
3rd Marcilio Browne Brazil 14.74
4th Morgan Noireaux Hawaii, USA 13.50
Women's final results — Quatro Maui Pro
1st Marine Hunter France 12.83
2nd Maria Behrens Germany 11.40
3rd Angela Cochran Hawaii, USA 11.36
4th Lina Erpenstein Germany 11.30