Which surfers are competing for the podium?

Tahiti, August 4, 2024 – It’s a whole new situation with eight competitors, four men and four women, winning back-to-back games in surfing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with the defending champion absent or eliminated. This Monday in Teahupo’o, the Olympic podium loomed, with Kauli Vaast, Johanne Defay and their competitors two sets away from the gold medal.
 
With the alternation of tense days and “off day” Teahupo’o has secrets, and the Olympic surfing competition has been keeping us in suspense since Saturday, July 27. At the start of the fifth and final day of competition, the eight male and female surfers are ready to finish the competition and win gold, silver or bronze medals. In each category, there will be four series to decide the athletes, starting with the semi-finals and getting the unenvied fourth place.
 

After finishing second in the finals of the 2022 Tahiti Pro Championship, Kauli Vaast is determined to pursue his dream at these Olympics. Despite not being a resident of Connecticut, the surfer from Vairao has a major advantage: he’s out of town, on the Teahupo’o wave in Tahiti. After being sent to a rematch by American Griffin Colapinto, the 22-year-old Tahitian got his revenge against the world number two in the third round, then faced fellow Frenchman Duru to earn a spot in the semi-finals. He’ll face another outsider, 26-year-old Peruvian Alonso Correa, who is not to be underestimated. He’s undefeated, having defeated Brazilian Felipe Toledo and Japanese Igarashi Shikano in the first round, South African Jordy Smith in the third round, and then Japan’s Tomoyuki Inaba in the quarterfinals.
 
The other semifinal will see three-time world champion Brazilian Gabriel Medina face off against the currently higher ranked 2023 Tahiti Pro champion Australian Jack Robinson. The photo taken by Jérôme Brouillet on Monday, July 29, suspended above the waves has gone around the world, and Gabriel Medina, 30, was perfect in his wins over Connor O’Leary of Japan and Bryan Perez of El Salvador, before finally eliminating Kanoa Igarashi and then his compatriot Joao Chianca. His near-perfect score of 9.90 remains unbeatable for now. Like Cauley Wast, Jack Robinson, 26, also had to play in the repechage, having been sent by Frenchman Jean Duroux. After a win over Peruvian Luca Messinas, he knocked out world number one John John Florence of the United States in the round of 16 before facing compatriot Ethan Ewing.
 

The women’s final, on the contrary, was composed entirely of surfers on CT, also present in the top 7 in the world. In sixth place is the French Johanne Defay, 30 years old, who has made great progress thanks to the series rules and physical fitness. Suffering from a head injury, she hit the reef on the first day of the competition, but continued to surf with great determination. The Costa Rican Brisa Hennessy sent her to the resurrection and on the second day, she entered the water with four stitches, eliminating the fourth in the world, the Australian Molly Picklum. From the third round, the Reunion team found itself facing the French compatriot Vahine Fierro, who is considered locally. “Queen of Te Hupoo”she then painfully eliminated American Carissa Moore to defend her Olympic title. In the semifinals, she will face another strong American surfer: world number two and 2023 Tahiti Pro Surfing Champion Caroline Marks. After easily winning the first two series, she defeated Australian Taylor Wright in the quarterfinals.
 
On the contrary, the match between Tatiana Weston-Webb of Brazil, who ranked third at the 2024 Tahiti Pro, and Brisa Hennessy of Costa Rica, who finished second, promises to be equally intense. Caitlin Simmers, 28, Tatiana Weston-Webb, who was sent to the repechage by the current yellow jerseys, quickly defeated the American in the third round. In the quarterfinals, she faced Nadia Erostarbe of Spain. As for Brisa Hennessy, 24, who defeated Johanne Defay in the first round, she defeated Yolanda Hopkings of Portugal in the round of 16 and then defeated Luana Silva of Brazil.
 
With such a poster, if the conditions are indeed up to standard, the final round of the Olympics should be unforgettable. For the French team, such a result is already historic, and there are still two series away from being wonderful.
 

Men
or: Italo Ferreira (Brazil)
Silver: Igarashi Kaya (Japan)
bronze: Owen Wright (Australia)
 
female
or: Carissa Moore (United States)
Silver: Bianca Butendag (South Africa)
bronze: Tsuzuki Amuro (Japan)

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