Caroline Marks (USA) and Kauli Vaast (FRA), two 22-year-olds born just twelve days apart, won Surfing’s second Olympic Gold Medals on a historic day at Teahupo’o, French Polynesia’s idyllic location for Surfing in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It was always going to be an incredible Finals Day, and Tahiti delivered once again, with tension building throughout the day, punctuated by a fresh swell that rose heat-by-heat.

On paper, the match-ups held undeniable promise, showcasing the ISA as a strong pathway to the Olympic Games. Three of the four men in the Semifinals were ISA Medalists, who had qualified for Paris 2024 through the ISA World Surfing Games, (WSG) and each of the four women to make the Semifinals were ISA Medalists, three of them ISA World Junior Champions.

The host nation of France claimed two medals, their first in Surfing. Vaast’s Gold Medal was complimented by a Bronze Medal for Johanne Defay. Brazil also earned two medals, the Silver for Tatiana Weston-Webb and Bronze for Gabriel Medina.

Caroline Marks was able to retain the Gold Medal for Team USA, backing up the Gold Medal her teammate Carissa Moore won at Tokyo 2020, while Australia’s Jack Robinson bettered the Bronze Medal Owen Wright took home from Tokyo by winning the Silver Medal.

Reigning World Champion Caroline Marks retains Gold Medal for Team USA

Caroline Marks (USA) added to her growing list of achievements with the addition of an Olympic Gold Medal to that of ISA World Junior Champion and WSL World Champion. The youngest surfer to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is also the youngest to ever qualify for the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), or compete in a CT event. At 22-years-old, she is now the youngest woman to win Olympic gold in Surfing.

“It’s really hard to put into words what this feeling is like,” Marks said. “I feel like it hasn’t really hit me yet. I’m just really happy and trying to soak everything in because it’s probably the best day of my life.”

It was a slow build in the women’s Gold Medal Match. The first waves surfed came one after the other at the 11-minute mark, with Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) falling on take-off and Marks pulling off. Another few minutes passed before Marks found the wave that defined the heat, a 7.50 for a clean barrel. She was unable to pick up more than a 3.00 back-up, however. With two minutes left, Marks used priority, coming very close to coming out of the best barrel of the day. Weston-Webb took off behind with a series of solid turns, putting it all on the line but coming unstuck over dry reef on the finish. Her number arrived as a 4.50, just 0.18 shy of the requirement, leaving Marks as victor, though it took a moment for both surfers to process the number.

“I wasn’t quite sure of the exact score that Tati needed,” Marks continued. “I was just trying to focus on paddling back out and trying to get another score. Nothing came and they were taking a minute to process the score. I was just looking at everyone like, ‘What happened? What happened?’ We both didn’t quite know what each other needed. Once they announced she didn’t get enough I burst into tears, just super emotional. Your whole life goes into a moment like this so it’s just really special.”

It’s the second time Weston-Webb has missed out on a major achievement by a single turn, after a similar moment in the 2022 WSL Finals saw her finish the season as runner-up. That moment took a long time for the 28-year-old to recover from, however she was in good spirits after her Silver Medal finish.

“The world wants me to get second,” Weston-Webb laughed. “But you know what they say, first is the worst, second is the best. I’m just kidding. What an honor to be able to surf at my favorite wave. I got so much time out there, especially in the last few months. What a blessing.”

Local Tahitian Kauli Vaast claims victory for host nation

Growing up down the road from Teahupo’o, and surfing his first wave at the notoriously dangerous location at the young age of 8, Kauli Vaast (FRA) has been primed for precisely this moment. Throughout his life, the 22-year-old has built a defining profile in its death-defying waves, having ridden the wave of the year there just days before competition began.

It wasn’t his big wave skills that were required today, but his deep knowledge of the intricacies of the reef. Vaast stayed highly active in his Semifinal against Peru’s Alonso Correa, but played a patient game against Jack Robinson (AUS).

In the Gold Medal Match, the local immediately took the commanding position in the lineup from the Australian and waited almost 10 minutes to catch his first wave. A long, deep barrel with multiple sections that grew down the reef earned him a 9.50, which he backed up in quick succession, posting an 8.17. Robinson had taken the second wave in the set after Vaast’s first wave to find a shorter barrel for a 7.83. Those were the only three waves surfed, leaving the Tahitian with an almost 10-point win over Robinson.

“It’s a dream come true,” Vaast said. “I can’t believe it right now. I just made history. For me, for all Tahitians, for surfing in Polynesia and France. I couldn’t be more proud to represent Tahiti and France at home. I’m just super happy. It was a long day, two heats, crazy Final. I had the mana the whole time. Super, super stoked.”

Robinson’s single-wave had precedent. He himself overcame Gabriel Medina (BRA) in the Semifinal in a very similar battle that went down to the wire with the Brazilian only surfing one wave. To begin that heat, Robinson and Medina spent a full seven-minutes in touching distance, sometimes almost paddling over the top of each other in a battle of wills to determine first priority. The 26-year-old child prodigy turned professional powerhouse was happy with his result and able to recognize the overall significance of the moment within his career.

“Always the inner competitor wants to go one better,” Robinson said. “But you also have to think that it’s such a long ride that I’ve been on and it’s really just getting into the best part of it right now. I’ve got a lot more to come.”

Medal moment for Medina at long last

The relief on Gabriel Medina’s (BRA) face was palpable when he realized he was finally able to claim an Olympic medal. After placing fourth in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Medina was determined to not leave Tahiti empty-handed. Multiple tight exchanges played out in the Bronze Medal Match between the 2024 ISA WSG Gold Medalist and Peru’s Alonso Correa, the 2016 ISA U/18 World Junior Silver Medalist.

The turning point came when Medina was able to hold on for dear life to reemerge from a long, deep barrel that he had no right to come out of, closing it out with turns for a 7.50. Medina then pounced on the paddle back out, taking priority ahead of Correa and proceeding to post two 7.77’s for a 15.54 heat total and the Bronze Medal.

While it wasn’t the podium-topping performance that the three-time WSL World Champion appeared primed for, it was nonetheless an important accolade to add to his dominance of the modern surfing landscape.

“It feels good,” Medina said. “That was my goal coming here, I really wanted to get the medal and today I had two opportunities. It was a tricky one to deal with, but I’m happy [with] that. I gave it my all.”

Though falling just shy of a medal, the Peruvian was proud of his performance, and has learned much to take away from the event.

“Confidence is key,” Correa said. “Confidence is everything out there. How confident you are going into the water can really change you. I can really push my surfing. I feel like I can do so much better. I’m going to keep training, keep competing and going hard.”

Defay’s consistent career capped with Olympic Bronze

The strategy for Johanne Defay (FRA) today was clearly to stay busy. Across her two heats, the 30-year-old multiple-time ISA WSG Medalist caught far more waves than her opponents. In the Semifinal, the patient selection of Caroline Marks (USA) paid off, but in the Bronze Medal Match against Brisa Hennessy (CRC) Defay’s aggressive approach saw her build and build towards her first Olympic medal, the bronze.

Defay’s heat strategy stayed constant throughout the event, leading to victory over three of the toughest competitors in the draw in Molly Picklum (AUS), Vahine Fierro (FRA) and Carissa Moore (USA), before the reigning World Champion sent her into the battle for the bronze. The medal highlights an incredibly consistent career for the Reunion Island raised, 10-year CT veteran.

“I’m feeling amazing, a lot of relief,” Defay said. “You watch the other sports on the TV and it just puts everything in perspective. It’s just such a lifetime opportunity. The stress and the [desire] just builds every day and today was the most stressful day in my career I think; to get that medal and to represent France.”

Hennessy’s fourth place finish improves upon a Quarterfinal finish in Tokyo 2020. Despite an unfortunate priority error early in her Semifinal against Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), which took the wind out of her sails on Finals Day, Hennessy was able to carry the optimism that she’s known for.

“It was an amazing experience, being able to connect with my country and connect with myself, connect with this place,” Hennessy said. “It’s been life-changing, to be honest. Of course I would want to medal, but what I’ve learned in this journey, the highs and the lows, the wipeouts and the barrels of my life, has been the greatest gift of all.”

ISA President, Fernando Aguerre, said:

“There are plans and there are hopes and there are dreams. We dreamed and we hoped that our plan for surfing in Teahupo’o was going to work out the way we dreamed and the way we planned it. But I’m very, very happy and very satisfied because everything went way above and beyond the plan.

“Thank you Tahiti. Thank you Paris 2024. Thank you IOC. Thank you to the community of Teahupo’o for having us here for these amazing and unforgettable times. We will never forget these couple weeks in Tahiti. It’s been magic, it’s been amazing and it will be in our hearts for the rest of our lives. Merci beaucoup, mauruuru.”

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