Paris 2024 Surfing Olympics: Tahitian Kauli Vaast is ecstatic after winning surfing gold: “I feel like I was chosen by nature”

“It’s a connection to nature, she does it so well, I feel chosen, and that’s why Teahupo’o is so special.”, this Wednesday, surfing gold medalist Kauli Vaast of the French Inter Milan is happy in his home in the Teahupo’o site (“Téa Ou Poho”) in Tahiti.Teahupo’o, it’s always been like this, she (the wave) chooses who she wants, I think I’m chosen“, He said.

He estimated thatThere were several times when it saved me and I got the waves I needed.”which was previously “Deathly calm” On the ocean, the Tahitian wins by not giving his opponent the possibility to catch the waves. He evokes “Mana”, the spiritual concept of the Polynesian ancestors, “éSuper energy, feel it immediately“,wait”Teahupo’o often refuses this mana“, He said. “For us Polynesians, feeling things is truly unique”, and he believes that this energy needs to arrive on the scene “with humility”.

As an element of victory, the French surfer also mentioned knowledge of the location, located in “It only takes three minutes by motorboat” From his home, where he studied”Surfing big waves“.”I train myself to surf in all conditions so as not to be surprised”, the champion explained. He also believes that “With the support of the entire community and incredible audienceFinally, Kauli Vaast noted that the day before the competition, he watched Léon Marchand and Teddy Riner perform, “and I realized that I said: ‘I can do this’.

The 22-year-old surfer, who lives very close to the competition and was inspired by the enthusiasm of the whole Polynesia, won a very difficult final with the two most beautiful waves, a few tens of minutes after Johanne Defay from Reunion Island won the bronze medal. . The Tahitian surfing prodigy Kauli Vaast led the series from the first wave with a score of 9.50, and finally got a total score of 17.67, while Jack Robinson withdrew at the last moment because he could not find any waves, Jack Robinson with 7.83.

“I had a good first wave and then it was the longest 15 minutes of my life. But after 15 minutes no more waves came… Mana is with me‘” Waster said of the supernatural power of Polynesian culture. As soon as the bell rang to end the series, the Te Ahupoo hero rushed into the arms of French coach Jeremy Flores, the only Frenchman to win a stage on the Tahiti Pro Tour in 2015.

Flores, one of the great architects of this victory, and of the bronze medal won a few minutes earlier by Frenchwoman Johanna Defe, is proud of his unit. ”We try to make them feel good (…) without putting too much pressure on themselves, which is what they can really do. ”he estimated.

A regular on the Challenger Series, World Surfing’s second-tier event, Kauli Vaast has regularly beaten the best surfers on the elite tour at this point, and in 2022 he was invited to the Tahiti Pro Finals. ”My goal now is to qualify for the Championship Tour (Elite Surfing Tour, ed.), and that’s what I’m going to continue to do, but this is a huge confidence boost” Waster said shortly after his win.

“He has his goals. He wants to qualify for the World Classic, he wants to win a stage at Teahupo’o in CT.“, his coach clarified. “The gold medal is done, he will enjoy the moment, then he will go back to workhe adds.Kauli Vaast grew up in Mahina, in northern Tahiti, before settling with his two windsurfing parents in front of the waves of the peninsula, which became world-famous in the early 2000s.

His victory soon sparked joyous demonstrations across Tahiti. His mother, on the other hand, didn’t want to see her son surf: “While he was racing in Tahiti, I tended the garden.” Natu Waste said he relied on the neighbors’ shouts to find out the result. Cauley Waste eliminated his friend and teammate Jon Duru in the quarterfinals and then Peruvian Alonso Correa in the semifinals. He succeeded Brazilian Italo Ferreira as Olympic surfing champion, who made his debut in the sport in Tokyo in 2021.