Kaneali'i Wilcox of Makakilo stunned a record field by winning the grand championship of the Redwings Memorial World Championships of Handboarding last weekend.

The two-day contest was run in "all-time epic" conditions at Point Panic.

"This was the 11th annual contest, and I would say it was the best conditions we've ever had," contest director Michael Kliks said. "There were waves of 12 feet, top to bottom. Just all-time epic waves for bodysurfing."

Wilcox, a senior-to-be at Kamehameha Schools, upset several more experienced competitors to win the grand championship.

"I was totally surprised," said Wilcox, 17. "I was happy just to be in the final against those guys."

Wilcox edged legendary wave-rider Mike Stewart, 52-49, in the final.

Wilcox won it with a difficult maneuver — he successfully completed a front-flip as he made his way down the face of a wave.

"Me and one of my friends saw this Brazilian guy do it on video, so I've been practicing it," Wilcox said of the front-flip. "I guess it got good scores because not that many guys do it."

Wilcox actually placed second in the junior men's division. The top two finishers in each division — including the pro division — advance to the grand championship.

Another impressive performance came from Sanja Du Plessis, who dominated the women's division, then placed third in the grand championship.

Kliks said it may be the best performance by a female in the history of the contest.

"She just wowed everyone," Kliks said. "She ran rampant over the other women, then she had a good run in the grand championship. She was right behind Mike Stewart and beat a lot of very good guys."

More than 100 competitors entered this year.

"We usually get about 50," Kliks said. "But everybody knew the waves were going to be good, so we had a record turnout."

The contest features bodysurfing with the use of a handboard.

FINAL RESULTS

Grand championship: 1, Kaneali'i Wilcox. 2, Mike Stewart. 3, Sanja Du Plessis. 4, Matt Solomon. 5, Chris Kalima. 6, Kai Santos. Pro: 1, Chris Kalima. 2, Mike Stewart. 3, Matt Solomon. Women: 1, Sanja Du Plessis. 2, Kelly Craven. 3, Leona Roberts. 4, Danielle Taggerty-Onaga. 5, Alissa Murata. 6, Morgan Hoesterey. Junior men: 1, Matt Solomon. 2, Kaneali'i Wilcox. 3, Kanekoa Crabbe. 4, Chris Mercier. 5, David Hubbard. 6, Ka'eo Awana. Senior men: 1, Kai Santos. 2, Chris Kalima. 3, Wyatt Tillotson. 4, Derrick Wilson. 5, James Duca. Masters: 1, Mike Stewart. 2, Alec Cooke. 3, Jeff Middleton. 4, Claude Higa. 5, Bill Wise. 6, Larry Russo. Paepo board: 1, Mike Stewart. 2, David Hubbard. 3, Jarret Liu. 4, Melvin Keawe. 5, Matt Solomon.

ASING KEEPS WINNING ... AND TRAVELING

Keanu Asing of 'Ewa Beach didn't have much time to celebrate his victory at the Nike 6.0 Pier Pressure junior pro Monday at Huntington Beach, Calif.

By Wednesday, he was on a flight to South Africa.

"I'm doing a lot of traveling this summer," said Asing, 16. "I'm pretty happy with how it's going so far, so just hope to keep it going."

In April, Asing won the under-16 world championship in Ecuador. Last month, he won a national high school championship in California.

The Nike contest he won this week is considered the richest event in the United States for surfers age 20 and younger.

Asing shared his $3,500 winner's check with friends, treating them to a day at a go-kart racing track in Irvine, Calif.

"I won that, too," said Asing, a junior-to-be at Elite Element Academy.

In South Africa, Asing will be part of the trials for the Billabong Pro at Jeffreys Bay. Only 12 surfers were invited to the trials, and the top three will advance to the main contest to surf against top pros such as world champion Kelly Slater.