HONOLULU (KHON2) -- A climactic end to one of the most exciting editions in recent years. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You The 31st Hawaiki Nui Va’a lived up to the billing, with three potential teams vying for the title of champions going into the last day of races. Team OPT, after two stages, was holding on to an 8-second lead over Shell Va’a, whose second-stage performance quieted many speculations about the team’s form after their third-place finish the day before. Air Tahiti, runner-up last year, had an outside chance of upsetting the front runners with a victory and overcoming the 97 seconds that separated them from Team OPT. So the stage was set, and right after the start, a group of leaders, led by Team Huahine, Shell Va’a, and Air Tahiti, began to emerge from the pack. After one hour of lagoon racing, Team OPT maintained a top-ten position at the exit of the lagoon, within striking distance of the leaders. Hawaii, as they did in the first stage of the event, found themselves in a dire situation, coming out of the Tahaa pass in around 26th place. Shell Va’a wins 2024 Molokai Hoe Team Hawaii needed to react and decided to take a more southerly route close to the rhumbline from the Tiva pass to Pointe Turiroa. The leaders followed each other, aiming directly at the highest mountain of Bora Bora, Mount Temanu—a northerly course that had given Team OPT victory last year. Most of the 42 teams in the field followed the leaders while Hawaii was left alone. Hawaii soon discovered that their course was the fastest, as they passed 15 teams during the channel crossing between Tahaa and Bora Bora. Team Hawaii finished just outside the top ten. Molokai Hoe winners led for most of the race, but by the halfway point, Team OPT made a move and pushed forward at a higher rate. Air Tahiti followed, but Shell Va’a could not respond. They were overtaken by Team Huahine at the turn at Turiroa Point. Team Huahine gained ground on the leaders and, at one point, took the lead, but Team OPT responded and reclaimed the lead, with Air Tahiti closely following behind. Relive the 2002 Molokai Hoe World Championships The last forty minutes of the race were outstanding for fans of long-distance racing, as Team OPT and Air Tahiti offered a spectacle we have not seen in many years—a head-to-head battle to the finish line, with Air Tahiti finishing first just a few seconds ahead of Team OPT, who maintained their top placement on the leaderboard for the overall ranking. Team OPT repeated as champions. Shell Va’a finished fourth behind Team Huahine but could not manage to keep their second-place position ahead of Air Tahiti. Only 5 seconds separated the two teams. Congratulations to the victors and to Team Hawaii for making the comeback of the day. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news On the team for race day #3 were the Kahookele-Santos brothers, Alan and Tristan; Ryland Hart; Avan Bercera; Miles Orr; and Jimmy Austen.