Vaikobi foiling athlete Kai Thompson has finished second overall in the 2026 Hawaii Downwind Foil Triple Crown, completing three demanding races across Maui, Molokai and Oahu.
The Triple Crown is the biggest event of the year for the downwind foil racing community, culminating with the Molokai 2 Oahu (M2O) World Championships, which also serves as the final stop of the Downwind Foil World Tour.
Vaikobi spoke with Kai following the Triple Crown to get his perspective on the racing, the conditions and the key moments that shaped his week in Hawaii. Across the series, Thompson recorded a third-place finish in the 45km Maui to Molokai race, followed by fourth in the 16km Kamalo race, before completing the Molokai 2 Oahu World Championships in challenging conditions.
Strong Start For Kai Across the Pailolo Channel
The Triple Crown opened on Friday with the 45km Maui to Molokai race through the Pailolo Channel, where Thompson experienced what he described as the best conditions he had seen for the event.
“Paddling to the race start, the nerves built and the excitement grew. I felt controlled and ready to race,” Thompson said.
Thompson made a strong start, pushing ahead of the main pack to find clear water before settling into a rhythm through the channel. He spent much of the race battling with Kane before a mistake just beyond halfway saw the wind push his board onto the water, causing him to come off foil.
The fall cost approximately 30 seconds.
“I paddled back up as fast as I could, but I had lost 30 seconds. I pushed super hard for the last part of the race and caught a bit of time, but ran out of distance to close the gap.”
Thompson crossed the line in third place, securing a strong opening result in the Triple Crown.
With another race scheduled the following day, managing exposure and recovery was an important part of the week. Thompson raced in a Vaikobi long sleeve UV top and UV Paddle Pants to help protect his skin from the sun and elements across consecutive days on the water.
Fourth Place Along Molokai
Saturday brought the second race of the series, the 16km Kamalo race along Molokai.
The shorter course presented very different conditions from the Pailolo Channel, with closely stacked bumps and less swell available to generate speed.
Thompson again made a clean start and spent the opening kilometres working out the most effective way to move through the conditions.
“I spent a lot of the first kilometre figuring out the best way to move through these closely stacked bumps, then settled into a flow and got into the rhythm,” Thompson said.
After a series of battles throughout the race, Thompson began closing on third place approaching the finish.
He reduced the gap to approximately 20 metres but was unable to make the final pass, finishing fourth.
Molokai 2 Oahu World Championships
Following a rest day on Sunday, attention turned to Monday's final race — the Molokai 2 Oahu World Championships.
“For me, this is the race that I am the most excited about every year,” Thompson said.
Known as the Channel of Bones, the crossing would also prove to be the most testing race of Thompson's week.
Thompson woke on Monday morning to rain and very little wind. The conditions created an immediate equipment decision: race the smaller foil he had trained on for the previous three months or switch to a foil he had used only once but knew he could complete the course on.
A short test north of the start line provided the answer.
“I paddled up my small foil to see if I could make it in those glassy conditions. Within 10 seconds and a quick glance at my watch for the track line, I knew it wasn’t going to be possible,” Thompson said.
He returned to the boat, changed foils and completed another paddle-up before heading towards the start.
“I had a newfound confidence, knowing that I would be able to push this foil and make it to the finish.”
Fighting Back After an Early Fall
Thompson started alongside Kai Lenny and several other strong competitors, again looking to move into clear water and avoid the underwater wake created by other foils.
Ten minutes into the race, Thompson breached his foil and fell.
His first attempt to get back onto foil was unsuccessful, before he completed the second paddle-up and resumed racing.
“The panic of falling came, but went as I remembered it’s not the end of the race. I have time to catch back up,” Thompson said.
The light conditions made the chase demanding, with Thompson pushing to regain ground while trying to bring his heart rate back under control.
Around halfway, the wind began to return.
With his legs warm and heart rate settled, Thompson started pushing towards Oahu, using the swell to move south before connecting the wind bumps back towards the island.
Two Seconds at the Finish
Approaching Oahu just beyond China Walls, Thompson could see the riders in second and third place ahead.
Despite the remaining gap, he committed to the chase.
“I was ready to push myself to exhaustion if it meant I could catch them,” Thompson said.
Thompson caught the pair inside the final two kilometres. Second place connected with a wave ahead, leaving Thompson battling for third.
With approximately one kilometre remaining and no waves approaching from behind, Thompson pointed directly towards the finish and began straight-line pumping.
In the final 100 metres, his competitor received a push from an inside wave and crossed the finish line two seconds ahead of Thompson.
“Being able to finish this race in such gruelling and testing conditions was an accomplishment,” Thompson said.
“I am very proud of my efforts throughout the Hawaii race season, finishing the series with second place in the Triple Crown.”
Second Overall in the Triple Crown
Thompson's performances across the three races secured second place overall in the Hawaii Downwind Foil Triple Crown, concluding his Hawaiian race season and the final stop of the Downwind Foil World Tour.
Throughout the Hawaii race season, Thompson used the Vaikobi VXP2 Performance PFD, carrying his safety equipment, hydration and nutrition. His hydration setup included a 1.5L hydration bladder in the back pocket of the PFD and a 500ml hydration bladder in the front pouch for nutrition.
His race kit also included Men’s UV Paddle Pants, Newport Boardies, a white long sleeve rash top and a white lightweight ocean cap.
For Thompson, the Triple Crown delivered three very different tests — from fast conditions through the Pailolo Channel to closely stacked bumps along Molokai and the light, demanding conditions of the Molokai 2 Oahu World Championships — ending with second place overall in the series.
