The 2024 Paris Olympics surfing competition, held at the legendary Teahupo’o break in Tahiti, concluded with dramatic victories and an unexpected natural spectacle that captivated global audiences.In the men’s event, 22-year-old Kauli Vaast of France clinched the gold medal with an impressive performance, scoring 17.67 points to defeat Australian Jack Robinson (7.83 points). Vaast, a native of Tahiti, attributed his success to ‘mana,’ a supernatural force in Polynesian culture, saying, ‘The mana was with me from the start, every day I felt it’. His victory marks the first Olympic surfing gold for France and the first Olympic championship for a Tahitian athlete.The women’s competition saw American Caroline Marks secure the gold medal with a score of 10.50, narrowly edging out Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb, who scored 10.33. France’s Johanne Defay claimed the bronze.However, the most talked-about moment of the competition occurred during the women’s semi-final between Weston-Webb and Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy. A humpback whale breached the water behind the surfers, creating a spectacular and unexpected Olympic moment. The incident quickly went viral on social media, with one fan commenting, ‘This whale that showed up during 2024 Olympics surfing just won the tournament for me’.The choice of Teahupo’o as the venue for the surfing events, nearly 16,000 kilometers from Paris, reflected the organizers’ commitment to showcasing France’s overseas territories and their unique cultural heritage. The event was designed with environmental considerations in mind, using modular structures for the Athletes’ Village that will later be repurposed as social housing for local communities.As the surfing competition concluded, France celebrated its 13th gold medal of the Games, solidifying its third-place position in the overall medal count behind the United States and China.
Key points
- French surfer Kauli Vaast won gold in men’s surfing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
- American Caroline Marks secured gold in women’s surfing.
- A humpback whale made a surprise appearance during the women’s semi-final, creating a viral Olympic moment.
- The choice of Teahupo’o as the venue showcased France’s overseas territories and Polynesian culture.
