Team USA's Carissa Moore. Photo: Tim McKenna
Over 15,000 kilometers from the host city, Olympic Surfing debuted for Paris 2024 in the deep blue waters of French Polynesia. Two years of qualification events across the globe culminated in a beautiful first day of competition that featured clean four-to-six feet of swell and barely any wind.
The intimidating reef of one of the world’s most dangerous waves, Teahupo’o, could be clearly seen through the crystal clear barrels that were expertly navigated by the world’s best surfers as Round 1 was completed for both men and women. No eliminations took place today, with first place in each heat progressing into Round 3 and the remaining two surfers reseeded into Round 2.
It was a day full of what Tahitians call Mana, with a strong camaraderie across the field, none more so than that of Team USA, whose five members include the current World No. 1 and 2 of both the men and women, along with Tokyo 2020 Gold Medalist and five-time World Champion Carissa Moore. In the last heat of the day, Moore earned a 9.00 ride and 16.50 heat total to cap wins across the board for the United States.
“I can’t wait to go back and relish in today and the success that everybody had, because it was truly pretty special,” Moore said. “I feel like we’ve been the good vibe tribe. Everybody’s just been really supportive and encouraging of each other. It was really cool, last night Griffin [Colapinto] kind of prompted an appreciation and intention for today and it was just nice to talk about our feelings and be sensitive and talk about just how grateful we all are to be here, which I think really set the mood for a fantastic day for all of us.”
Moore’s teammates also each stole the limelight. Caroline Marks easily the earned best of the day for the women, while Griffin Colapinto and John John Florence found the highest of the men, and Caitlin Simmers took out a super-heat.
Marks, the 2016 ISA U/16 World Junior Champion and 2023 WSL World Champion, wasted no time in picking up an excellent 8.50. A dramatic take-off under the lip of a heaving barrel followed, seeing her spit out and earning a 9.43, the highest single wave score of the day for the women. Her 17.93 two-wave heat total was the highest of the day overall.
Colapinto picked up the highest single wave score of the day, a 9.53, to defeat local Gold Medal hopeful Kauli Vaast (FRA) and two-time Pan American Gold Medalist Lucca Mesinas (PER).
Florence displayed why he is considered one of the greatest barrel-riders of all time, putting on a masterclass to earn a 17.33 two-wave heat total, the highest of the day for the men. Having competed in Tokyo 2020 with a significant knee injury, the two-time WSL World Champion and current World No. 1 is feeling relaxed and confident entering his second Olympic Games.
“So cool to be representing where I’m from, representing America, Hawaii, everything, and come and get into the heat and start feeling really good and excited and energized,” Florence said. “I think that’s always, you know, you get into the heat and you’re like, ‘How am I going to feel? Am I going to be nervous?’ I think I got into that and I was just excited, the waves were fun. I feel like I’m in a really good place right now.”
The casual cool of Simmers saw the 2018 ISA U/16 World Junior Champion and current World No. 1 take the win in the most talked about Round 1 match-up leading into the event. The super-heat featured two other of the world’s best barrel-riders, Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) and Molly Picklum (AUS), but the 18-year-old delivered pure style on every wave that contributed to her 12.93 heat total to earn the victory.
Six nations see their first surfing representation on the Olympic stage
21 nations were represented today across the 24 women and 24 men in the draw. Six of those nations had their first showing in Olympic Surfing history; Canada, China, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Spain.
The most anticipated Olympic debut was that of the youngest surfer to compete today, Siqi Yang of China. The 15-year-old didn’t find a score of note, but she certainly didn’t hold back, charging extremely heavy waves with no hesitation.
Mexico’s Alan Cleland Jr posted a highly respectable 14.34 two-wave heat total behind John John Florence (USA), while Spain’s Andy Criere found an excellent 8.50 ride in the same heat.
The two surfers who were awarded Universality slots, El Salvador’s Bryan Perez and Nicargua’s Candelaria Resano, both had good showings, with multiple completed barrels, but will need to bring their A-game to the next day of competition, when they will face Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) and Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), respectively.
The three goofy-footed women who brought their nation to the big stage, Santiago 2023 Pan American Games Silver Medalist Sanoa Dempfle-Olin (CAN), and Spanish teammates Janire Gonzalez-Extabarri and Nadia Erostarbe, each pushed the limits. It was Erostarbe, the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games Copper Medalist, who took the first Olympic heat win of the new nations in Paris 2024, finding an excellent 8.33 amongst an array of impressive barrels.
“I’m really happy to make it through,” Erostarbe said. “I mean, it was a dreamy day. I think we had the best conditions of the whole day. It was just perfect. Aritz [Aranburu] was just screaming to me, ‘Go, go, go!’ I’m just happy I made it through, happy to be here competing and happy to have another chance to show my surfing, hopefully in good waves.”
ISA Athlete Training Camp provides Peru’s Alonso Correa with the confidence to defeat World Champion and Olympic Medalist
2016 ISA U/18 World Junior Silver Medalist Alonso Correa earned the first excellent score of the event, an 8.50, after dropping out of the sky into a throaty barrel that he was spat out of. With a 5.83 backup, the 26-year-old’s 14.33 heat total saw him take a strong victory over two-time World Champion Filipe Toledo (BRA) and Tokyo 2020 Silver Medalist Kanoa Igarashi (JPN). Correa was one of many Paris 2024 Olympic surfers to attend an ISA Athlete Training Camp at Teahupo’o over the past year, where each surfer worked closely with local coach and Teahupo’o specialist Tereva David.
“The ISA training camp was game-changing for me,’ Correa said. “Being out here every day with the locals, that was a game-changer. I was thinking about that in the heat, like, what would Tereva [David] tell me right now.”
“It’s been incredible,” Correa continued. “Coming here I was telling myself, ‘I want you to enjoy every step of this; the boat, changing pins with other teams, the ceremony, surfing.’ I didn’t want it all to be just my heat. Being here, it’s not hard. It’s so easy to enjoy. I’m prepared, I’m feeling good with my surfing. Once the heat was on, it was on for me. I went on attack mode.”
Last minute heroics see Joan Duru claim big Round 1 win for France
The host nation of France had mixed results. Local Tahitian favorites Kauli Vaast and Vahine Fierro were split, with a victory and jump into Round 3 for Fierro and dip into Round 2 for Vaast. Reunion Island’s Johanne Defay took a knock to the head on her first wave and struggled to recover despite multiple decent attempts.
It was Joan Duru, the 2021 ISA World Surfing Games Gold Medalist, who managed the strongest performance. Emerging from a healthy barrel with two minutes on the clock, the 35-year-old earned a 7.67 to turn a heat that had been dominated by the technical expertise of Jack Robinson (AUS).
For Duru, the opportunity to compete in Paris 2024 is both redemption and a sign-off to a long, successful career. The Frenchman won the final Olympic qualifier for Tokyo 2020 but was ineligible to compete in the Olympic Games due to his two teammates having already qualified. He has announced that Paris 2024 will mark the end of his competitive career.
“It’s a huge contest,” Duru said. “It’s the biggest sporting event in the world, but I don’t know, I feel relaxed. It’s once, for me, in a lifetime. I was going to stop my career and when I heard it was in France, I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I’ll try to go,’ and be here. So that’s what I did and now I’m so stoked to be here. It’s amazing. A bit, even better than if I was here last time. I’m so stoked. I just enjoy the moment, it’s a really good experience.”
ISA President, Fernando Aguerre said:
“What an amazing and magic day at Teahupo’o!!! I dreamed about it for years, but the reality of it surpassed all my dreams… for sure a day to remember for the rest of our lives.”
The next call to determine when competition will run will take place on July 28 at 6:15 a.m. TAHT.
Stay tuned to isasurf.org for Paris 2024 results, schedule updates, content, and information.
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