Kai Lenny, Annabel Anderson win 2013 Battle of the Paddle | SUP Magazine

Kai Lenny has won two World Tour surf Titles and a World Series race title. But a Rainbow Sandals Battle of the Paddle title, basically the surf race world championship, is the one win that had eluded him. That all changed today when the 20-year-old Maui native became the newest champion in the event’s illustrious six-year history.

“This one is definitely one of the sweetest ones ever, just because this race is so gnarly,” said Lenny, who with this win arguably became the most decorated paddler in the sport’s history (all before being able to drink legally). “I kind of got shaken up in the qualifier and in this race I just wanted to stick to my guns. I knew I’d never forgive myself if I lost that lead I built up.”

On a beautiful day in Dana Point, Calif., with a three-foot swell, Lenny didn’t beat Connor Baxter and Danny Ching because he caught a great wave or slipped into first by missing a carnage-inducing set. He won the old-fashioned way: by grinding out a hard-fought win in the flats, out-paddling both Ching and Baxter, who’ve won the last two years respectively. More; Kai Lenny, Annabel Anderson win 2013 Battle of the Paddle | SUP Magazine