The 11th edition of the Air Tahiti Nui Race took place on Saturday in the V6 marathon, a long-distance race involving traditional Tahitian outrigger canoes known as va’a. Shell Va’a A won the men's senior long distance 30 km race between Taaone and Papenoo in 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 51 seconds, ahead of EDT Va’a A (2 hours, 5 minutes, and 12 seconds) and EDT Va’a B (2 hours, 6 minutes, and 43 seconds). Shell Va’a and EDT Va’a, who will be participating in the Molokai Hoe next Sunday, were well prepared for the Hawaiian event. The reigning champions of the Molokai Hoe, Team OPT, did not participate Saturday. The ATN Va’a club, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, organized an event Saturday that was expected to be exciting for sports a week before the Molokai Hoe, but the organizers also wanted to go beyond the scope of sports. Different stands were set up to address sensitive topics that are current: SOS Suicide, No Ice, and a number of female paddlers had pink knitted items in support of the October Pink campaign for breast cancer awareness. The initiative was praised by many before the public's attention turned to the va’a races, with three distances on the program. The flagship event of the day, the men's senior race, started with 30 V6s departing from the Taaone beach. Shell Va’a controlled and accelerated. The course led the paddlers to Venus Point then Rocky Point at Papenoo, where the turnaround was set before the return section toward the Taaone bay. The conditions were relatively calm with little wind up to Venus Point, but it was slightly windier afterward and head-on until Papenoo, the paddlers benefiting from the surf on the return between Rocky Point and Venus Point, the ocean being calmer in the final stretch. Almost all the top paddlers were present Saturday. Particularly those who will participate in the Molokai Hoe next Sunday, five clubs will represent the Tahitian va’a there. However, a notable absence was Saturday, that of Team OPT, which had won the Air Tahiti Race the previous Saturday ahead of Shell Va’a and may have wanted to preserve itself for the Hawaiian event, of which Team OPT is the reigning champion having succeeded Shell Va’a. Hotuiterai Poroi, the peperu of Shell Va’a A, and his partners did not spare any effort Saturday. They controlled the climb within the leading group composed of Enviropol and EDT Va’a A, Shell Va’a B, EDT Va’a B, the Team Huahine holding back in ambush, as well as Rautere and Manihi. Nothing was decided at the turnaround where Enviropol took the lead, but Shell Va’a A accelerated immediately after taking one then two lengths of lead in the surf. EDT Va’a A remained in the fight for a while but could not match its rival. This one gradually widened the gap and crossed the finish line as the winner after 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 51 seconds of racing. EDT Va’a A took second place 21 seconds behind the winner, EDT Va’a B completing the podium in 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 43 seconds. EDT Va’a on the right track. EDT Va’a confirms its return to the forefront as noted by its paddler Heiva Paie-Amo: "We are happy with the result of finishing second and close to Shell Va’a. We have trained a lot in recent weeks and the ATN Race was a good test for us in view of the Molokai and Hawaiki Nui Va’a. We have remained in the fight for a long time with Shell Va’a but they have slightly better benefited from the good waves on the return. We would have liked to test ourselves against Team OPT today but maybe it was a strategy for them not to come and preserve themselves for Molokai. With EDT Va’a, we are in reconstruction this season and it is going rather well. Our second and third places today confirm that we are on the right track." Enviropol Va’a also made a good impression Saturday by being long-time leader of the race and finishing just behind the podium ahead of Shell Va’a B and the Team Huahine. Solid performance also from Paea Oropa’a, winner in the 40-year-old veterans category. In the other long races of 15 and 22 km, note particularly the victory in the junior boys category by EDT Va’a, completing a very good day for the club. Shell Va’a has two short-term major objectives, the Molokai Hoe for which all Tahitian participants have departed for Hawaii Saturday evening, and the Hawaiki Nui Va’a. But Shell Va’a now has another long-term objective: the Vendée Va’a 2027, the shell club having indeed been rewarded with nine plane tickets to participate thanks to its victory Saturday.