The first springtime World Cup at Ho’okipa in over 20 years exploded back to life today as the 2025 MFC Maui Pro-Am crowned two incredible champions in Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing / MFC) and Marine Hunter (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing). With mast-high waves, shifting winds, and a world-class lineup, Day 1 Finals Day delivered an electric reminder: the sport is roaring back to a new golden era.
Heroic Wins for Browne and Hunter
n a fiercely contested men’s final, Marcilio “Brawzinho” Browne proved once again why he’s among the sport’s greatest. With radical turns and perfect wave selection, he edged out Spain’s rising force Marc Paré (Simmer / Simmer Sails / MFC), Japan’s Takara Ishii (Goya Windsurfing) and the UK’s Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde).
On the women’s side, Marine Hunter carved her name into WWT history with explosive, fluid riding that left no doubt about her dominance. She held off powerful challenges from Guadeloupe’s Lisa Wermeister (Duotone Windsurfing / Maui Ultra Fins), Spain’s Maria Andrés, and Venezuela’s Colette Guadagnino in a nail-biting final heat.
Legends Miss Out — The Depth of the Field was Unreal
Such was the depth of the competition that huge names Kai Lenny (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC), Levi Siver (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC), Camille Juban (AB Boards / S2Maui), Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins), and Bernd Roediger (Flikka / Hot Sails Maui / Black Project Fins) — all former Ho’okipa standouts — missed the podium. That’s how stacked the field was. With 24 pro men and 8 elite women in the draw, this was a finals day where every single heat could have been a world title showdown.
Mahalo Nui Loa to our partners at MFC, the local crew, and the international riders who made this return to Maui a milestone moment. This was more than a contest — it was a homecoming, a proving ground, and a statement: the new era of windsurfing is here.
Day one of the Maui ProAm 2025, presented by MFC Hawaii, lit up Ho’okipa with classic spring trade winds and a building swell that just kept getting better. With firing conditions from the start, the Men hit the water first—2 waves and 1 jump to count—and the pace was full throttle. Heats were quickly shortened as riders filled scorecards with ease.
Robby Swift (UK | JP / Neilpryde) and Morgan Noireaux (USA | JP / Neilpryde) led the charge with standout scores, advancing alongside a stacked lineup: Marcilio Browne, Boujmaa Guilloul, Takara Ishii, Julian Salmonn, Kai Lenny, Camille Juban, Levi Siver, Bernd Roediger, Federico Morisio, and Marc Pare Rico.
The redemption round saw impressive performances from Hayata Ishii, Liam Dunkerbeck, Zdenek Maryzko, and Russ Faurot, who clawed their way back into the mix.
The first Quarter Final brought fireworks—nearly a replica of last year’s Aloha Classic final, with Marc Pare in for Bernd Roediger. With jumps included this time, riders like Camille Juban, known for wave precision, couldn’t break through. His perfect finals streak since 2022 came to an end—but he’s still recovering from his Chile injury, so we’ll put an asterisk on that.
Elsewhere in the quarters, it was clear: those who spent the winter training at Ho’okipa were reaping the rewards. The locals and committed winter warriors took out top-seeded riders, turning experience into dominance.
The semis brought intensity. Marcilio Browne and Marc Pare reignited their title battle, pushing each other to new heights. Browne posted the highest heat score of the day to reach the final, joined by Pare. On the other side, Takara Ishii and Robby Swift used their aerial game to outpace legends Kai Lenny and Levi Siver, who delivered on the waves but couldn’t match the air scores.
Final time. With wind backing off, format shifted: 2 waves to count, no jumps. And Browne turned it on. Two near-excellent rides (7.90 & 7.73) put him firmly in the lead. Swift and Ishii responded with solid waves, but couldn’t match the 4x World Champ. Pare fought back with a 6.13 and a 6.98, but it wasn’t enough to take the win. Browne moves to 2–0 over Pare this season and starts strong in his hunt for another title.
After the Men’s quarterfinals, the Pro Women hit the water in epic conditions. Round 1 winners advanced straight to the final, while the rest fought through redemption rounds.
Angela Cochran (USA | Simmer Style) led early in Heat 1 but couldn’t hold off Maria Andrés (ESP), who locked in two solid rides for the win. Heat 2 was a showdown of generations—Colette Guadagnino (VEN) used her aerial attack to dominate, while Marine Hunter and Lisa Wermeister (both FRA) impressed with strong wave riding.
In redemption, Wermeister found her groove and secured a final spot, while Hunter matched her performance and joined the top 4.
The final: Andrés, Guadagnino, Wermeister, Hunter. With only 2 waves to count, the hunt was on. Andrés started strong, Wermeister edged into the lead with a better second wave, and Guadagnino couldn’t find her earlier form. But the story of the final was Marine Hunter. She struggled at first—but then dialed in, wave after wave, finishing with the two highest scores of the heat. A powerful comeback from the young French rider, who moved to Maui this winter to train—and it paid off.
Risultati finali femminili Marine Hunter (FRA | Goya / Quatro / MFC Hawaii) Lisa Wermeister (FRA | Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) Maria Andrés (ESP) Colette Guadagnino (VEN)
Ciao a tutti, sono Fabio Calò (ITA-720), ho iniziato a fare windsurf all’età di 13 anni e da quel momento è diventata la mia più grande passione, poi la mia vita e il mio lavoro. Campione Italiano Wave nel 2013 e 2015. Vivo a Torbole sul Garda e respiro l’aria del windsurf 365 giorni all’anno.
