HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The coronation is complete for John John Florence. The Oahu native put on a show Friday in the World Surf League finals to capture the third title of his career.
The victory caps off what’s already been such a banner year for the superstar from Haleiwa, and Friday’s final was a best of three-heat showdown.
He managed to win the first heat in the final seconds and only caught two waves.
Then, in the start of the second frame: pure magic.
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Florence, not wasting any time, strung together an incredible ride for a score of 9.7 — the highest single score in WSL finals history.
Credit to Brazil’s Italo Ferreira who fought his way from the five-seed to the final round, but John John was on a mission, going on to win the final by a score of 18.1.
This is Florence’s third world championship of his career and his first since 2017.
“My family, my wife, my son, my team, everyone, I couldn’t have done it without them. The injuries, the down days, so much going into these last few years to get to this point. I cant believe it,” Florence said.
The world-renowned surfer is also the first Hawaii surfer to win three world titles since Andy Irons ripped off three straight in the early 2000s.
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And now, Florence gets to enjoy some much needed down time after a busy year that also saw him compete in the Olympics — and become a father.
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With the popular luau Paradise Cove Luau in the Ko Olina development on Oahu set to close at the end of the year, and following the announcement of a Duke’s Restaurant opening in Ko Olina, plans have been revealed for a new cultural framework and cultural programming.
The Native Hawaiian-led organization Hawaiian Council will be taking the lead, creating cultural workshops, such as lei making and lauhala weaving, for residents and visitors. It’s also planned two major productions in 2026: A luau with Hawaiian, Tahitian and Samoan storytelling and a play titled “The Epic Tale of Hiiaka.”
“As native Hawaiians, our culture holds the stories, truths and responsibilities of this place — our island home,” said Kuhio Lewis, CEO of Hawaiian Council. “What we are building with Ko Olina is far more than a set of programs. It is a cultural foundation that restores dignity to our traditions, opens doors for our people and ensures that Hawaiian stories are told by Hawaiian voices.”
Jeffrey Stone, the master developer of Ko Olina Resort, added, “Ko Olina today stands at the threshold of a new era, one centered on embracing native Hawaiian culture and restoring the original intent and spirit of Hawaiian hospitality. This renewed vision recognizes the profound responsibility Ko Olina holds as one of Hawaii’s premier resort destinations to honor culture, uplift community and model what the future of tourism in Hawaii can and should be.”
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Ko Olina, on Oahu’s western side, also houses the Four Seasons Resort Ohau at Ko Olina and Disney’s Aulani Resort.
Each week before Cal plays a football game, we ask someone who covers Cal’s next opponent five questions about that opponent.
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To answer questions about Cal’s Hawaii Bowl opponent Hawaii this week we enlisted the services of Stephen Tsai, who covers Hawaii football for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and has been named Hawaii sports writer of the year seven times.
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We were particularly intrigued by his answer to Question No. 5, where Tsai noted that there would portably be no Hawaii Bowl without Rolovich, a former Hawaii head coach and Cal’s interim head coach for the Hawaii Bowl.
—1. Every team has a home-field advantage, but it seems Hawaii has been even better than most teams at home. Is that true, and if so, why?
There are several obstacles for visiting teams. There’s the time difference. Hawaii games usually kick off at 6 p.m., which is midnight on the East Coast during daylight savings time, 11 p.m. for standard time. Because the Ching Complex is a temporary home venue, there are open areas in the corners, allowing for cross winds that affect field-goal attempts. The so-called “Manoa Mist” also impacts the ball-handling positions.
The visiting team is assigned a makeshift locker room combining the neighboring baseball stadium’s locker room and part of the concourse. Before the walls were built, the concourse area was cordoned off with curtains. Nothing like being near concession stands while preparing for a football game. Because of the time difference, a team can depart the West Coast in the morning and practice in Hawaii that afternoon. In contrast, teams lose preparation time for the next game when traveling back to the mainland.
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—2. How much will the absence of all-conference wide receiver Jackson Harris affect Hawaii’s offense?
Aside from the deep threat — he had four TDs of 70-plus yards — Harris was sure-handed (three drops in 74 targets), clutch on scramble plays (37 of his 49 receptions resulted in first downs), and used his height and reach to attack 50-50 balls. As the left wideout, Harris benefited from left-handed QB Micah Alejado’s rollouts and left slotback Pofele Ashlock’s decoy routes.
Hawaii has experienced wideouts in Karsyn Pupunu and Brandon White, but the Warriors will have to be creative to make up for Harris’ deep-pass threat.
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—3. Assess the abilities of Hawaii quarterback Micah Alejado.
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Alejado is accurate and has a coach’s knowledge of the Warriors’ read-and-attack, four-wide offense. He’s quick to decipher schemes with pre-snap reads. At 5-10, Alejado is like the detective behind a one-way mirror. He can find receivers yet it is a challenge for defenders to see him behind a taller offensive line.
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—4. Who are the top two or three players on Hawaii’s offense and defense?
Alejado, running back Landon Sims and left guard and Zhen Sotelo are the impact players on offense. Jalen Smith, who can play both linebacker spots, and De’Jon Benton, who lines up as 3-tech tackle or end, provide defensive versatility. An opposing coach mused that UH could run a 1-10 formation with Benton.
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—5. Do Hawaii fans still remember Nick Rolovich, who is Cal’s interim head coach for the Hawaii Bowl?
Without Rolo, there probably would not be a Hawaii Bowl. He threw eight touchdown passes to help the Warriors stomp then-unbeaten BYU in the 2001 regular-season finale. But with no postseason bowl invitation for the 9-3 Warriors, the leaders of UH, WAC and ESPN created the Hawaii Bowl the next year.
Rolo was innovative as a UH offensive coordinator and play-calling head coach. He ran his variation of June Jones’ run-and-shoot offense. He also provided entertainment, bringing an Elvis impersonator to media day; awarding a scholarship at a wrestling match and another in a koala cage at an Australian zoo; and designing a rivalry trophy for the matchup against UNLV.
On the road, he once conducted a quarterbacks’ meeting in the hotel jacuzzi. He also coined the popular phrase: Live aloha, play Warrior.
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Honolulu police opened a murder investigation today after finding the body of a 60-year-old woman while doing a welfare check at a Hawaii Kai home.
Police said officers arrested the victim’s 29-year-old son and a 27-year-old woman who were inside the residence and identified as suspects.
After receiving a 10:25 a.m. welfare check call, HPD officers responded to a home on the 6200 block of Upolo Place and found a woman dead on the floor inside the residence.
“Preliminary investigation revealed the woman sustained fatal injuries,” HPD said.
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The two suspects were arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and the investigation is ongoing, according to police.
