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Jamie Mitchell has conquered his 10th consecutive victory at the Molokai-2-Oahu Paddleboard World Championship (M2O) and established an new record time of 4 hours, 40 minutes, 31 seconds, beating his 2007 record (4:48:23) by eight minutes.
The Australian waterman saw favorable race conditions with 15 to 20-knot winds and eight foot swells to complete his goal over the 32-mile crossing of the Ka’iwi Channel – also known as the Molokai Channel.
The 34-year-old stood in victory on his 18-foot unlimited class paddleboard as he drifted across the finish line, pumping his hands to the sky before jumping in to Maunalua Bay.
"It’s my fastest time, but it didn’t feel like it," Mitchell said referring to the varying winds and currents. "It feels great to set the record. I’m not looking too far ahead, but this may be my last world championship on a traditional paddleboard. This is a great way to move on to a new challenge, but I just want to enjoy this feeling for a while."
Mitchell’s possible departure from the prone class leaves others to wonder if they could have ever beaten the 10-for-10 champion known as Mitcho.
There's a new hero in the SUP division. As the finish line announcer yelled, "“It’s Baxter time," the men’s stand-up paddleboard division welcomed a new, young champion in Connor Baxter. The 16-year-old from the island of Maui finished in 4:26: 10, taking down Dave Kalama’s record time from 2010 (4:54:15) by nearly 30 minutes.
Baxter’s win didn’t come without feeling of total exhaustion that is often experienced by the athletes who challenge the Molokai Channel. "I found the lucky line," Baxter said. "When I turned down (in to the bay) I took the lead. I’m stoked to be here and I can’t wait to go lie down."
A teenager also prevailed in the women’s prone paddleboard division. In her first attempt at the Molokai Channel, Australian Jordan Mercer, 17, crushed the women’s record set in 2004 (5:53:49) by Kanesa Duncan Seraphin by more than 30 minutes at 5:22:31. The humble champion described her record as a bonus, but was real about the enormity of the race.
"To finish this race is such a mean feat in itself," said Mercer. "I don’t think I can describe how hard that was and I don’t think anyone can prepare you for the pain that I just experienced." Both Baxter and Mercer are the youngest solo champions in M2O World Championship history.
Andrea Moller staged a repeat performance from 2010, finishing at the top of the women’s SUP field in a time of 5:26:51. She beats her record of 6:00:00. The big wave surfer wanted to come back this year and enjoy competing in a record field of female racers.
"I am proud of all these girls who are training so hard for this race – it will only make the sport stronger," Moller said. "Crossing the Molokai Channel is a dream."
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