After making its debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games, surfing returned for its second Olympic iteration in Paris. However, the surfers were not with all the other athletes in France. Instead, the Olympics made a splash by sending surfing across the globe to Teahupo'o, Tahiti, nearly 10,000 miles from Paris. It may have been the farthest a sport venue has been from a host city in Olympic history, but the choice proved to be the right decision as the island delivered with an electric competition. 

Teahupo'o is one of the most legendary waves on the planet and it looked the part for the Olympics, showcasing its iconic barrels that only the world's most elite surfers can handle. The reef depth turns from hundreds of feet to just three feet incredibly quick, resulting in massive hollow swells that are equal parts beautiful and terrifying.

The venue definitely caused an unorthodox experience for the athletes, such as a cruise ship serving as the Olympic Village, but it also provided moments that will forever live on in the sport's history. Round 3 of the men's competition was clearly the highlight, touted by many as one of the best rounds of competition in surfing history. The waves were pumping, as many riders caught the barrels of their lives, but were also bludgeoned by the reef in brutal wipeouts. 

Even if you didn't see this round of competition, you definitely saw a picture of it, as Gabriel Medina took flight for a viral photo that will go down in surfing's history books. Locked into an intense duel with Japan's Kanoa Igarashi, Medina dropped into a monstrous wave and vanished deep in the tube. Seconds later, he came flying out of the foam ball raising up all ten fingers to call for a perfect 10 from the judges. He then, jumped off the lip of the wave, soaring into the sky and posing while putting up "No. 1" with his finger. Photographer Jerome Brouillet captured him in the air at the perfect moment, with the picture making him appear to levitate in midair with his board positioned next to him. Moreover, he didn't get his perfect 10, but he did receive a 9.90, the best single-wave score in Olympic history.

In the end, two new Olympic champions were crowned, as Kauli Vaast, a Tahitian native, made his island proud and defended his home reef, taking the men's gold medal for the host country. On the women's side, 22-year-old Caroline Marks kept the women's gold within the U.S., following up on Carissa Moore's win at the Tokyo Games. With the Olympic title, Marks secured her legacy and picked up the last trophy she'd been missing in her young, yet illustrious, career. As a whole the Americans put on a strong performance, with all five U.S. surfers winning their first-round heats and receiving automatic byes into Round 3.

REPLAYS
RESULTS

The men's event wrapped in magical fashion with an ending that almost seemed too perfect to be true: Tahitian native, Kauli Vaast, walked away with surfing's second Olympic gold medal, defeating Australia's Jack Robinson in the final with a stellar display of surfing only a local could pull off.

After narrowly losing to American Griffin Colapinto in Round 1, Vaast was clinical from there on out, showing off the advantage his local knowledge provided. He made quick work of South African Matthew McGillivray in Round 2 before exacting revenge on Colapinto in a tight Round 3. Then, he emerged from an intense duel with his French teammate, Joan Duru, and edged out Peruvian Alonso Correa to claim his spot in the final.

By the time he reached the gold medal heat, it was smooth sailing for the local boy, dishing out a dominant display and blowing out Robinson with two excellent scores. His first wave, and the first true wave ridden of the heat, was a beastly 9.50 where he emerged from the barrel with a bit of flair, flexing his muscles as if he already knew he'd soon have the gold medal around his neck. 

Gabriel Medina would follow up his viral moment with a medal, avenging his own loss in the bronze final back in Tokyo. The three-time world champion earned his place on the podium by beating Peruvian Alonso Correa in the bronze medal heat, showing off his signature aggressive style by riding nearly twice as many waves as his fellow South American opponent.

The American men came out of the gates hot, but soon cooled off with each of them falling in epic Round 3 matchups to heavyweight foes. Colapinto fell in a high-scoring heat with the future champion Vaast. John John Florence was searching for a gold medal after he fell in Round 3 back in the Tokyo Games, but he would meet the same fate in Tahiti. In Round 1 he showed why he was a pre-tournament favorite, shredding beautiful barrel rides early and often. In Round 3 though he had the unfortunate draw of meeting the eventual silver medalist, Jack Robinson, and could not prevail. The reef was roaring for their heat and both were battered by the swells, taking serious wipeouts. Neither of the experienced veterans could quite find the tubes they're famous for and Robinson did just enough to boot the American.

Medalists

Gold: Kauli Vaast (FRA)
Silver: Jack Robinson (AUS)
Bronze: Gabriel Medina (BRA)

The women's final was the last event of the tournament and made sure to end surfing at the 2024 Olympics on a high note. In a finale that came down to the last second, American Caroline Marks defeated Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb in a thrilling heat to claim the gold medal and cement herself as a new titan in the sport.

Marks breezed through her Round 1 heat, destroying her competition with a huge score of 17.93. She then took out China's Yang Siqi with ease in Round 3 before topping Australia's Tyler Wright in a low-scoring quarterfinal matchup. Her run got really interesting on the final day, as she displayed her versatility with close wins in both her semifinal and gold final duels, yet in polar opposites ways.

In the semifinals, Marks paddled out with France's Johanne Defay and fell behind early. Late in the heat, she needed a 7.00 wave to take the lead, and she soon found exactly that. Marks caught a nice barrel that would tie the score, however since the American had the highest single-wave score, the tiebreaker tipped the scales in her favor and stamped her spot in the final.

She then found herself facing Weston-Webb in the final where she took a different route, taking the lead from the beginning and never looking back. She held steady for the entire heat, maintaining her position on top of the leaderboard. Weston-Webb only needed a 4.68 to jump into the lead though, and with time dwindling Marks used her priority to drop into one of the biggest waves of the heat and try to put the gold medal out of the Brazilian's reach. However, she was not able to seal the deal and wiped out as the wave crashed down on her.

That gave Weston-Webb a chance and she tried to take advantage, charging onto a medium swell and taking it for as long as possible before beaching herself on the dry reef. Her score was going to be close to what was needed to steal the gold and it wasn't until after the final horn sounded that the loudspeakers announced a 4.50, clinching a gold medal for Marks in a nailbiter fit for the finale.

Defay took a bronze that embodied the Olympic spirit. In Round 1 she took a nasty spill, hitting her head on the dry reef and coming up with blood dripping down her face. She only got more fearless after that, ferociously attacking the swells in the following rounds. She took down Costa Rica's Brisa Hennessy by a wide margin in the bronze final to bring back another surfing medal to the host country. 

Aside from Marks' triumphant win, the other two American women also posted strong showings. 18-year-old Caity Simmers won a gauntlet of a heat in Round 1, before falling in Round 3 to the eventual silver medalist, Weston-Webb. 

Other than Marks, the biggest story on Team USA was all-time great Carissa Moore's last ride. The reigning gold medalist took the year off from the World Surf League tour to focus on defending her Olympic title. Shortly before the Games, she announced she'd be stepping away from competitive surfing after the Olympics. Though she didn't find her way back onto the podium, she showed once again why she's one of the best surfers to ever ride a board, making it to the quarterfinals before she was bested by Defay, the eventual bronze winner. If it really is the last time the world sees Moore compete, the Hawaiian will always be remembered as a surfing legend.

Medalists

Gold: Caroline Marks (USA)
Silver: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA)
Bronze: Johanne Defay (FRA)