Recap: Salomone Wins the Fifth-Anniversary National Championship Back Home in Charlotte
September 27, 2025 · By Council Staff
The fifth-anniversary National Pineapple Championship returned to Charlotte, North Carolina on September 20, 2025 — the same city that hosted the very first sanctioned edition in 2021, and the city where the sport itself began in a locked-down apartment kitchen five and a half years earlier.
Michael Salomone won in 0:43, a new championship record, with California's Jake Winslow taking second for the third time in five years. Hawaii's Hana Kahale finished third in her first Championship podium appearance, ahead of North Carolina's own Grace Abubakar in fourth and Arizona's Colton Reyes in fifth.
The win gave Salomone his fourth National Championship in five tries, extending a run that now includes five Southeast Regional Open titles and ten sanctioned National Championship and state-open appearances without a single finish worse than second. 'Coming back to Charlotte for this one meant more than I expected,' Salomone said. 'This is where the knife first touched the fruit, basically. Feels right to still be the one holding it.'
Related Posts
April 15, 2026 · Dana Whitfield, Staff Writer
Q&A: Michael Salomone on Five Years, One Loss, and What's Left to Prove
We sat down with the sport's all-time greatest competitor ahead of the 2026 season to talk about the 2022 loss, the Spiral, and whether he still thinks about retiring.
January 9, 2026 · Council Staff
2026 Season Preview: Can Anyone Finally Beat Michael Salomone Twice?
Every regional series returns in 2026, with the National Championship set for September. Here's who has a real shot at the top of the podium.
October 10, 2025 · Dana Whitfield, Staff Writer
Five Years, Ten Sanctioned Events, Never Worse Than Second: A Career Retrospective
As the sport marks its fifth anniversary, we pulled every sanctioned result Michael Salomone has ever posted. The full record, event by event.