2024 Summer Olympics logo on smartphone – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Muhammad Alimaki
Team USA athlete Caroline Marks, a native of Boca Raton, won the gold medal in the women’s surfing competition on Monday at the Paris Olympics in Tahiti. Kauli Vaast, a native of France, took home the gold in the men’s surfing competition.
Although Marks, 22, was raised in Melbourne Beach, Brevard County, she was born in Florida’s very own Boca Raton.
As the men’s final match concluded in the afternoon, cheers and tears broke out from boats drifting close to the wave and from masses of fans along the shore. Vaast triumphantly raised his arms in the air, eclipsing Australian Jack Robinson, the silver medallist.
“I don’t really realize it, but I just made history,” said Vaast. “I can’t be prouder to represent Tahiti and France at home.”
About thirty minutes later, Marks defeated Brazilian Tatiana Weston-Webb, the winner of the silver medal, in the women’s gold medal match.
“Your whole life goes into a moment like this,” Marks said with a gold medal hanging around her neck. “It’s beyond all my wildest dreams.”
After defeating Alonso Correa from Peru and Brisa Hennessy from Costa Rica, respectively, Gabriel Medina from Brazil and Johanne Defay from France won the bronze medals.
“Chopes gave me so many good waves, so many good results. So I can’t complain,” said Medina, using a common nickname for Teahupo’o.
A large throng gathered to cheer and take pictures as the medalists—some of whom were in their underwear—stepped onto the Olympic podium close to the seashore. Young local surfers called the athletes’ names as they passed, and roosters ran over the grass.
All of the victors of the surfing sport at the Paris Olympics are first-time Olympians, since American Carissa Moore, the reigning Olympic women’s champion from the Tokyo Games, where Olympic surfing made its debut, was defeated on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
“Obviously I’m really sad to not be a part of finals day, to get to represent my home and my family one more time, but I’m really grateful,” Moore said after her loss. “I just hope that at the end of the day I can encourage whoever is watching, win or lose, don’t be afraid to go into it fearlessly and don’t be afraid to fail.”
After two days of delays because to bad weather, the surfing sport at the Paris Olympics resumed on Monday morning. The morning’s conditions were not as big as the massive, barrel-shaped waves for which Teahupo’o is known, which were witnessed during a portion of the men’s competition the previous week.
However, by afternoon, waves increased in size and frequency, allowing competitors to wow judges with their time in the barrels. A whale emerged from the sea at one of the competition’s moments as surfers faced off.
Among the eight surfers who advanced to the semifinals, six were foreign nationals. National flags from Australia, Peru, France, and other countries flew from boats close to the waves.
Many surfer felt that the second-ever Olympics surfing competition helped promote the sport, even if not every competitor was able to take home a medal. The competition featured hours of breathtaking television footage aired to audiences worldwide, record-breaking scores, and viral photos.
“Everyone’s watching and paying attention,” said Medina, who said he gained millions of social media followers after a photo of him floating in the sky next to his surfboard while bailing out of a wave went viral during the competition. “I think surfing wins.”
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Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
