A stunning win last weekend has made Jimmy Austin and Simeon Ke-Paloma contenders in a world championship race this weekend.

Austin and Ke-Paloma won the Kaua'i World Challenge relay race last Saturday. They completed the 34-mile course in 3 hours, 37 minutes, 33 seconds.

"For us to beat all those big names, really makes you feel good," Austin said. "But the way we did it — it was like the comeback of the century — makes it even better."

The Kaua'i race is for one-person canoes, also known as OC-1s. The course is divided into four separate legs, and each "team" consists of two paddlers. Each paddler must complete two legs.

Austin said he fell off his canoe minutes into the start of the first leg, and was several minutes behind the leaders by the time he got back on.

"I was so disappointed," he said. "But I kept going hard. I didn't want to let my partner down."

By the end of the first leg, Austin was in sixth place. By the end of the second leg, Ke-Paloma was in fourth place. By the end of the third leg, Austin was in second place.

In the final leg, Ke-Paloma surfed his way past Mael Carey for the win. Carey and Danny Ching placed second, 54 seconds behind Austin and Ke-Paloma.

"Jimmy is crediting me, but I'm crediting him," Ke-Paloma said. "When he came in (for the last leg), he put me in position. I only had to pass one guy."

Austin, 29, and Ke-Paloma, 20, are teammates for Outrigger Canoe Club. They have been training together — most days at 6:30 in the morning — since December.

"This is the hardest I've ever trained," Austin said. "Simeon is one of the young up-and-coming guys in the sport, so he pushes me to get out there and work hard."

Austin and Ke-Paloma will enter as individuals for Sunday's Steinlager Kaiwi Solo OC1 World Championship. The 32-mile race from Kaluako'i, Moloka'i, to Koko Marina, O'ahu, is considered the world championship of long-distance solo canoe paddling.

The top contenders from Hawai'i include Kai Bartlett, Mike Judd, Aaron Napoleon, Manny Kulukulualani, Maui Kjeldsen, Kea Pa'iaina and Tapa Worthington. And now, Austin and Ke-Paloma.

"Just last year, I considered most of those guys untouchable," Ke-Paloma said. "If I can even get top 10, I'll be happy."

Lauren Bartlett and Andrea Moller won the women's division of the Kaua'i race in 4:13:22.