STORIES Kai Lenny: “Designed to Win Is a Way of Life”

“Designed to Win, it’s a way of living.” At TAG Heuer’s headquarters, Kai Lenny speaks with the same calm composure he brings to every giant wave. The Hawaiian surfer—an icon of big-wave riding and a brand ambassador for the past ten years—visited the TAG Heuer Manufacture between two ocean swells. A fitting stopover for someone who measures life in seconds. It was the perfect occasion to discuss his understanding of the Maison’s spirit—and how he continues to stay at the top of his art.

At 33, Kai Lenny is already a legend of water sports. The youngest inductee into the Surfers Hall of Fame, a two-time Stand-Up Paddle World Champion, and famous for having surfed the monumental Jaws wave on four different boards in a single day—tow-in, SUP, windsurf, and kitesurf—his track record reflects a personal philosophy: always push your limits, explore new disciplines, and never rest on success.

For Kai, Designed to Win isn’t a slogan—it’s a true philosophy. “Every day we’re doing our little battles, but we’re also chasing our goals and our dreams,” he says. “Having that ultimate big goal to one day achieve. But along the way, it’s about being able to take those little steps that much closer.” A mindset he shares with TAG Heuer, where the pursuit of performance goes hand in hand with precision and the drive to surpass oneself.

Contrary to what one might think, fear is a constant companion for Kai Lenny—and one of his greatest sources of energy. “Fear is a really good tool. It really pushes you to, I think, go to a place that you couldn’t go on your own, and sometimes the fear of losing to another competitor. The fear of drowning or the fear of getting destroyed by a giant wave, you know, an undefeatable force that is super scary. But there’s no better feeling than when you can overcome that fear and use it as a super power to do stuff that you can’t imagine doing again.”

If he always finds a way to succeed, it’s because Kai trains his mind before anything else. For him, visualization is as essential as physical preparation. “When I’m sitting on an airplane or I’m thousands of miles from the ocean, really playing out how I want my session to go or my ride to be, you know, when I’m designing and shaping my equipment, I’m also dreaming of what it’s going to be like to ride it. And so I think visualization is the next best thing to actually riding.”

For Kai Lenny, every wave is an opportunity. Whether under the pressure of the clock or chasing giant swells across the world, everything comes down to timing. “Surfing isn’t really a sport. Surfing and all forms of surfing is a lifestyle and it’s a life pursuit. So, you know, you never dream of mastering it because it’s honestly impossible.” Like TAG Heuer, Kai Lenny reminds us that life is measured not only in seconds, but in the moments we choose to seize—and in the constant drive to pursue excellence.

Kai Lenny will appear in Chronicles of a Wild Decade and Free Birds, presented at La Nuit de la Glisse, of which TAG Heuer is a proud partner.