Kauli Vaast from France has clinched the Olympic gold medal in men’s surfing, finishing ahead of Australia’s Jack Robinson, while Caroline Marks from the United States emerged victorious in a dramatic women’s surfing final at the Paris 2024 event held in Tahiti.
Hometown hero Vaast displayed near flawless skill to secure gold at Teahupo’o, leaving tube-riding expert Robinson with the silver. The 22-year-old Vaast, who grew up in Teahupo’o and has ridden some of the world’s best waves at this renowned reef pass, quickly asserted his dominance in the final and maintained it throughout, igniting joyous celebrations on spectator boats and in a small fan zone.
Robinson appeared to be the frontrunner after defeating Brazilian Gabriel Medina and American John John Florence in earlier heats, but the West Australian, who practices meditative breathing techniques and named his first child Zen, was unable to summon a second wave and had to accept silver.
Medina and France’s Johanne Defay each earned bronze medals after overcoming Alonso Correa from Peru and Brisa Hennessy from Costa Rica, respectively.
“This is a dream come true. I can hardly believe it right now, but I just made history – for me, for all Tahitians, for Polynesia, and for France,” Vaast said, adding that he lost his voice celebrating with local fans during a victory lap aboard a jet ski. “A lot of people surf, and it’s woven into our culture … I’m proud to say that surfing’s roots are in Polynesia, so this means a lot to me.”
As Vaast was presented with his gold medal, a rooster – a symbol of France – roamed around the presentation area, accompanied by the blowing of a Polynesian conch shell.
Despite Teahupo’o providing what was arguably the best day of Olympic surfing competition last week, the wave conditions on finals morning were disappointing, with sporadic swells and challenging winds. Fortunately, conditions improved as the day went on, allowing the men’s finals to take place in crisp, overhead barrels at “The End of the Road,” another name for Teahupo’o.
Vaast set the pace in the final with a score of 9.5 out of 10 following a lengthy ride through a deep tube. Robinson responded with a smaller wave, scoring a 7.83 after the wave unleashed a spray of water and air into the channel.
The French Polynesian surfer quickly added another impressive score of 8.17 with powerful turns, bringing his total to 17.67 and leaving the Australian in pursuit of a near-perfect score. However, the consequential waves failed to arrive, leaving both surfers waiting as the clock wound down.
The women’s gold medal final concluded with reigning World Surf League champion Marks narrowly defeating Tatiana Weston-Webb from Brazil, who took home the silver medal.
after newsletter promotion
The waves were also sporadic during the women’s final, with a surge towards the end nearly giving Weston-Webb enough momentum to steal the win from Marks. However, the Brazilian ultimately fell short, totaling 10.33 from two waves compared to Marks’ 10.50.
Earlier, the women’s semi-finals were filled with tension, as Marks and Defay ended their heats with tied two-wave totals, with the American advancing due to the highest scoring single wave. In the second semi-final, Brisa Hennessy made a costly mistake by dropping in on Weston-Webb without priority, resulting in a penalty that forfeited all points from her second scoring wave.
When surfing made its Olympic debut in Tokyo, Marks finished just shy of the podium in fourth place, being the youngest competitor in the event.
In September, shortly after securing her first world surfing title and guaranteeing her spot at a second Summer Games, Marks expressed to the Guardian: “I think before Tokyo, no one really knew how it was going to turn out,” she said. “For me, growing up, all I cared about was surfing, so I didn’t really pay attention to the Olympics. But now that I’ve participated, I realize how incredible it is to qualify, because of the pride in representing your country. It’s a powerful feeling. I also think it has drawn significant attention to surfing, and that’s very special.
“On the tour, everyone’s ultimate ambition is to win a world title, as it signifies you are the best surfer in the world. Competing in 10 events under various conditions against everyone and Mother Nature is challenging. However, if you ask someone who knows little about surfing, they surely recognize the importance of the Olympics. That’s why the Olympics are so significant. Ideally, winning both would be the ultimate achievement.”
