If this is it for Carissa Moore, it was a helluva run. Photo: ISA
Four men and four women remain in contention for gold medals at the 2024 Olympics in Tahiti. The men’s semis will feature Gabriel Medina versus Jack Robinson and Alonso Correa versus Kauli Vaast. The match-ups for the women will be Caroline Marks versus Johanne Defay and Tatiana Weston-Webb versus Brisa Hennessy.
With the fall of Carissa Moore in the quarterfinals, both the men’s and women’s podiums will have six entirely fresh faces. Since Kanoa Igarashi and Moore were the only returning Tokyo 2020 medalists, no surfer will add to their hardware collection at Paris 2024.
Moore, the reigning gold medalist, couldn’t find and capitalize on waves with scoring potential in her quarterfinal against Defay. Defay on the other hand, surfed a smart heat, utilizing only turns – a recurring theme throughout the day of messy, often barrel-less Teahupo’o conditions – to advance to the semis.
When Moore entered the press zone she was wearing her heart on her sleeve. I was mesmerized by the emotional monologue that she gave to the media. When I walked away, I felt like I’d lost in the Olympics.
“You put everything you have into something,” said Moore as she held back tears. “I put my whole year. I took a chance. I left the tour. I came here and spent months out of the year just trying to do my very best. And whenever you come up short of a dream, it sucks. But at the same point, how fun was it? I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I would have been so bummed if I looked back like, ‘Oh, I only did that half-heartedly.’” I went all in. And I just hope that at the end of the day, I can encourage whoever’s watching, you know, win or lose, don’t be afraid to go into it fearlessly. And don’t be afraid to fail.”
“I feel like there’s been a lot of personal growth in and out of the water,” added Moore. “And I’m really proud of my backside barrel riding. I caught some waves I never thought I would have ever caught in my whole life in this process. So obviously, I’m really sad to not be part of finals day and get to represent my home and my family one more time. I’m gonna give myself some time to just take a break. It’s been full on for my whole life. I’m really proud of that. I’m proud of how I’ve given everything.”
Moore didn’t specifically rule out a return to competing, so, who knows? Maybe she’ll pull a Slater and return in a year or two. A surf fan can dream.
Caroline Marks now stands as the last American hope for a medal. Photo: ISA
Between chunky Teahupo’o conditions and an expelled judge, Thursday wasn’t exactly the picture-perfect road to gold that the Olympics would have scripted, but drama and emotion was definitely not lacking. It didn’t appear there would be two better days on offer for the rest of the window, so women’s round three and the men’s and women’s quarterfinals were forced to run in rather unruly Teahupo’o.
The upcoming semifinal that everyone is drooling over now is Robinson versus Medina. Both surfers looked extremely sharp on the fourth day of competition. Robinson found technical tubes to earn the day-high 15.33 heat total and take out his fellow Australian Ethan Ewing in the quarters.
When Robinson was asked to comment on his next opponent, Medina, and what makes it so hard to compete against him, he shortly responded, “I think everyone’s good.” Perhaps Robinson has had enough of the Medina fever after the near-perfect ride/viral levitation photo.
Vaast showed his excellence at his home wave by matching Robinson for the highest heat total of the day. After a morning where barrel rides were scarce, Vaast’s quarterfinal heat against Joan Duru turned into the day’s first tube shootout. Both surfers showed a special knack for riding the barrel, but Vaast’s 15.33 bested Duru’s 12.33.
Just as Vaast defeated his French teammate Duru, Johanne Defay’s path to gold also required eliminating her teammate and medal favorite, Vahine Fierro. While Vahine was hunting for tubes in round three, Defay relied on her rail work to move onto the quarters where she defeated another medal contender in Moore. It was an impressive day of surfing for the French surfer from Reunion Island who now faces another tall task in the semis: Caroline Marks.
“Vahine is the best out there but today was not her best 30 minutes,” said Defay after eliminating Fierro. “I think experience in competition helped me at this stage. My coach and I thought sticking to a game plan of maneuvers was the best for me today because the tube riding was hard. You could see Vahine.”
Medina vs. Robinson is a much-anticipated heat for finals day. Robinson couldn’t even say the Brazilian’s name at the presser. Fireworks to come. Photo: ISA
Defay’s next opponent, Marks, squeaked through Thursday rather quietly. She defeated China’s Siqi Yang with just a 6.93 heat total in round three and then beat Tyler Wright with just a 7.77 heat total in the quarters. She knows it will require more to take down an in-form Defay in the semis.
Tatiana-Weston Webb and Brisa Hennessy both earned 12.34 heat totals that were the highest of the day among the women, setting the stage for their must-watch semifinal. Weston-Webb eliminated USA’s Caity Simmers in round three and then Spain’s Nadia Erostarbe in the quarters. Brisa got the better of Portugal’s Yolanda Hokinds in round three and Brazil’s Luana Silva in the quarters.
Now that the stage is set for a finals day, the forecast and technical team of the ISA is eyeing the best window to finish in the next four days. Friday August 2 has already been called off due to small swell. Saturday August 3 looks like the likely selection with a slight uptick in swell, but August 4 could work, too. A new swell will build in the afternoon of the last day of the window, August 5, but I can’t imagine the ISA would risk waiting that long unless they absolutely have to. Rumors around the media office seem to be leaning towards a Saturday finish.
