Billy Kemper is “the man” at Peahi.
And Paige Alms is “the woman” at the place otherwise known as Jaws.
Waves with 55-foot faces graced the Maui surf break Thursday, and then the two Valley Island residents climbed to the top of the moving, liquid mountains and the final standings.
Kemper added a fourth Jaws Big Wave Championships title to his trophy case. Alms won at the Peahi event for the third time.
“Pretty excited for a cocktail,” Alms said after braving the dangerous spot and topping five others in the final round. “It was some super challenging conditions today. As soon as I paddled out in my first heat the wind was here and I knew the Maui glass was on. To do it three times is all a blur and I’m pretty baffled at the moment. … It’s the ultimate feeling being on a giant wave. It’s when I feel the most alive and so it’s the double-edged sword. You’re putting your body and life on the line to ride these, but when you successfully ride one nothing beats it.”
Alms, 31, also won here in 2016 and ’17. She scored 12.34 points in the final to beat out five others in order: Australia’s Felicity Palmateer (5.43), Hawaii’s Annie Reickert (9.13), Keala Kennelly (8.17) and Emily Erickson (1.40) and Brazil’s Michaela Fregonese (0.00).
Kemper’s previous Jaws titles came in 2015, 2016 and 2018. He switched gears pretty quickly — from a win in the Billabong Pipe Masters trials Monday on Oahu’s North Shore and into that main event’s Round of 32 on Tuesday and Wednesday. He caught a plane home and showed he’s the best-ever at Peahi.
“I feel so amazing right now,” he said. “I’m over the moon. It felt like such a tough dogfight leading all the way to the final. Every morning I wake up early and I work hard and sacrifice. The time I’ve taken away from my wife and kids, it’s all for this right here. This is my pride and joy. I leave blood, sweat and tears out at Jaws. This is my backyard.”
Kemper scored 21.26 points in the final. Maui’s Ian Walsh (20.03) was second, followed in order by Haleiwa’s Nathan Florence (16.76), Maui’s Kai Lenny (16.26), Oahu’s Makuakai Rothman (9.37) and Brazil’s Lucas Chianca (1.40).
Pipe Masters could finish up today
While Jaws was pumping out 55-foot faces, Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu was maxed out Thursday.
The next call for the Billabong Pipe Masters is 7 a.m. today.
If conditions are right and the contest is a go for the Round of 16 through the two-man final, lots of hardware will be won.
The World Surf League’s 2019 champion, the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing champion and the U.S. team’s final spot for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will be determined.
Teahupoo may host Olympic surfing in 2024
PARIS >> Organizers of the 2024 Olympic Games hope to hold surfing events more than 15,000 kilometers away in the Pacific island of Tahiti.
Paris organizers said on their Twitter account on Thursday that they have chosen the village of Teahupoo, on the southwest coast of the French Polynesian island.
The tweet was accompanied by a photograph of the imposing, glassy waves Teahupoo is renowned for.
The decision to host surfing events there still needs to be approved by the International Olympic Committee.
