Channel champ Danny Ching
Danny Ching becomes first non-Hawaiian to win Molokai to Oahu race. Photo courtesy of the Ching family
Redondo resident Danny Ching paddled his way into the record books recently, winning the Steinlager Kaiwi Channel Solo OC1 World Championship. Ching became the first non-Hawaiian paddler to win the 32-mile race from Molokai to Oahu, completing the course in 3 hours, 38 minutes, 51 seconds, the second-fastest time in the 18-year history of the race and just 48 seconds off the course record.
Placing first in the race, considered the world championship of long-distance paddling for one-person canoes (also known as OC-1s), has been a longtime goal for Ching. He said he has competed in the event the last six or seven years and that there have been only five paddlers to win the event before him. Two of the paddlers have, between them won the previous 11 races.
Ching spends one month prior to the race in Hawaii, training in the demanding Ka’iwi Channel. The 2001 Redondo Union High School (RUHS) graduate said he has crossed the channel 27 times including other races and practices.
“It all came to a pinnacle that day,” Ching said. “I was excited but relieved to have finally achieved my goal. All my friends were there and my uncle was on the escort boat. The local guys were really stoked for me which made it all the more special.”
A former member of the U.S. Olympic Kayak team, Ching said his victory at Molokai was among the top accomplishments in his paddling career and comparable to his first race at Molokai, which he described as “an eye opener.”
It’s difficult to keep the 27-year-old Ching out of the water or from new adventures. He spends a minimum of four hours on the water each day and has shifted his focus to Stand Up Paddle (SUP). Ching’s recent training has been in preparation for the Rainbow Sandals Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle event to be held this weekend in Oahu, Hawaii where Ching is the defending SUP Distance Champion.
In January, he started 404 Paddlesurf, designing and testing stand up paddleboards. His new 12’ 6” board is expected to be released this summer
Danny was introduced to the sport of paddling at an early age. His father, Al, founded the Redondo Beach-based Lanakila Outrigger Canoe Club in 1970, now the largest outrigger club in California.
Danny began racing at the age of 11 and later became a standout athlete at RUHS, earning MVP honors in soccer, water polo and swimming.
When he’s not training or competing, Ching coaches outrigger junior and men’s teams and in July will serve as a Los Angeles County lifeguard instructor in the Junior Guards program in El Segundo. He admits he has a lot on his plate with no aspiration to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games, despite having many friends on the team.
“I’m having too much fun traveling and competing in a variety of events,” Ching said. “Life is really good right now.” B